First floor sorting office is closed

[TrueBlueTerrier]

'Elf and safety 'madness' as first floor sorting office is closed because it's 'too dangerous to let postmen walk up stairs'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ds-newsxml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A post office is being shut down after health and safety chiefs ruled it was too dangerous for postmen to walk up stairs.

Royal Mail has ordered its 13 staff to move from the two-storey sorting office to a new one-story building 15 miles away.

Bosses revealed the Grade-II listed building in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire had to be closed and sold off to 'de-risk multi-floor working'.

According to officials, relocating to an all-purpose building in March, Cambridgeshire, would result in 'improved working conditions, secure employment and a more cost-effective operation'.

Chatteris town councillor Chris Howe, 50, yesterday slammed the health and safety decision as 'political correctness gone mad'.

He said: 'I don't understand what risk there can be of a postman walking upstairs.

'If it's a risk at their place of work it's going to be a risk for postmen to deliver letters to upstairs flats. But they didn't give me an answer to that.'

He added: 'What's going to happen is the 13 members of staff are going to have to drive back and forth.

'It's putting more vehicles on the road and it gets congested round here, particularly after our public transport was severely cut.

'It's all a bit strange. They have put the sale sign up but tell us that there can be no consultation until 12 months before the change comes into effect.

'But what would be the point of a consultation afterwards? The town council wrote expressing our dissatisfaction and we were visited by two senior management to our meeting on Tuesday evening.

'They explained one reason for the move was the need, and I quote, to ''de-risk multi-floor working''.'

The Chatteris post office is used to sort local mail for delivery. It also provides a counter service and is the public collection point for undelivered parcels and letters.

Royal Mail insisted there were no compulsory redundancies as a result of this change and staff will be reimbursed for any extra mileage.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said the old post office building was unsuitable to be adapted for new technology and equipment.

She said: 'The Chatteris building is not fit for purpose and the office in March will be a better environment for staff.

'Times are changing and we need buildings which can house the new technology and equipment that the Royal Mail is introducing.

'Declining mail volumes and tough trading conditions mean we are investing in new delivery methods and amalgamating existing sites.

[fishtank]

'
He said: 'I don't understand what risk there can be of a postman walking upstairs.

That's because you haven't the faintest idea what goes on in a delivery office...now jog on back to your bubble wrapped,accident-proof council building where the toilets have no hot water tap in case someone scalds themselves and sues the council.
These guys invented "Elf and Safety gone mad".

[Postman Plodd]

'Chatteris town councillor Chris Howe, 50, yesterday slammed the health and safety decision as 'political correctness gone mad'.

HEALTH & SAFETY is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts.

Pretty poor show for a councillor not have a basic grasp on the terms and definitions, f**king gonk!
Back to school with you sunshine.

[blue1873]

'Chatteris town councillor Chris Howe, 50, yesterday slammed the health and safety decision as 'political correctness gone mad'.

HEALTH & SAFETY is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts.

Pretty poor show for a councillor not have a basic grasp on the terms and definitions, f**king gonk!
Back to school with you sunshine.

I do hope the word "sunshine" is taken in the manner it was intended.
well you know what the PC brigade are like these days

[Postman Plodd]

theyre indistinguishable from the Health and Safety nazis according to some

[Lounge Lizard]

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=Chatte ... DAw&zoom=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- a fine looking building too and all the mail for PE16 sorted there.

[maisymoo04]

how many vans have they got 1

[ronpetetrevchris]

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=Chatte ... DAw&zoom=1

- a fine looking building too and all the mail for PE16 sorted there.

exactly, a fine looking rural building like that, wonder how much thats worth?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

how many vans have they got 1

Possibly they only have 13 working there - thats about 1/3 the size of our sections and we have 3 vans.

[Lounge Lizard]

how many vans have they got 1

Possibly they only have 13 working there - thats about 1/3 the size of our sections and we have 3 vans.

Several vans, it's just that only one gets back early with not stopping off for the coffee offered daily by lonely rural residents.

[triggd]

It sounds to me that its an excuse to sell the building,we work in a 3 floor building and no one is allowed in the lift for H&S reasons,when the lift breaks down we have to carry the trays of mail and the pkts up the stairs and all the bags when we have bagged up back down,and that is for about 60 walks,but as H&S goes you dont hear a word from the mismanagment.