later starts

[mags999]

I'm bloody 50 and I can hardly make out the addresses at 2.30 on a bad day in winter I've got no chance at 4 packets on there own are obviously OK but walking with bundle of mail in Dec and Jan is not so. by the way whose this milly seems to write a load of bollocks proper antagonist

[rambo1]

Collection drivers drive up to the post box.
Get out of the van.
2 or 3 steps, job done.
Granted, they're sticking their hands in not seeing what's in there, but you could just as easily pull the mail out with a posting peg or whatever.
It's absolutely not the same as delivering in dark.

Get a good head torch. FFS people climb mt Everest in the dark. Get a grip.

[rambo1]

With later starts and working in the dark …. Where would we stand in refusing to walk down unlit driveways? Even with a torch you can’t see low lying branches, or potholes or even dogs.
Or blocks of flats where the lighting inside doesn’t work etc

And with warmer summers predicted a lot of days we may not be delivering anyway if it’s too hot. This year the manager allowed us to come in early so we could be finished by noon. That wouldn’t be possible if we don’t start until 9.

Do you not have to work in the dark on an early start also?

Not since the early 90s! Most delivery dont get out until 9.30am or later.

That was the last time I worked on deliveries, nobody ever complained about working in the dark then.
Collection drivers work in the dark at the moment and I haven't heard them complain either.
I wish people would just be honest rather than trying to come up with pathetic reasons not to finish later.
Most people don't want to change their hours because it suits their lifestyle.

This is the kind of post that gets on my t*ts. Someone who admits they haven't been on delivery in a very long time and doesn't understand what delivery entails at the moment and the added workload since they last did the job. Somebody that doesn't understand what the average postie does just like the public. I've done many different jobs within RM and delivery at night is my least favourite for many reasons as it's quite stressful even in areas that I've known for years. Fixed point collections was a cake walk compared with delivery.

Night work is an example of when you will be offered an occupational health assessment. Currently if you are offered a job as a night worker, the government has mandated that you must be offered a free occupational health assessment. You don’t have to accept this offer, but they are definitely useful when considering the ways in which night work will affect your own health. Currently Royal Mail has a duty of care to both your physical and mental health.

Oh, why would you be offered an occupational health assessment? Maybe because it's a far more dangerous time to drive, especially when you've already been working for 3 or 4 hours for example? More stressful? sometimes you can't see a thing because it's raining hard and there's no street lights? Sometimes you step out of the van and expect hard ground but it's a puddle of mud and oil that you slip in? So many more reasons but I think that will do. Do you think health and safety consider these to be pathetic reasons? Seriously you need to think before you post the crap you come up with.

Think you are confusing working in the dark for an hr or two with actually doing nights. There's a difference.

[Dexydog]

Collection drivers drive up to the post box.
Get out of the van.
2 or 3 steps, job done.
Granted, they're sticking their hands in not seeing what's in there, but you could just as easily pull the mail out with a posting peg or whatever.
It's absolutely not the same as delivering in dark.

Get a good head torch. FFS people climb mt Everest in the dark. Get a grip.

Why be so aggressive?
I was pointing out, in answer to the question, that delivering in the dark is more problematic than collecting in the dark.
I didn't say it can't be done, but if you've ever done a delivery in the dark, you'll know it takes longer.
But no doubt we'll be expected to work at the same rate.

[guardianangel]

Collection drivers drive up to the post box.
Get out of the van.
2 or 3 steps, job done.
Granted, they're sticking their hands in not seeing what's in there, but you could just as easily pull the mail out with a posting peg or whatever.
It's absolutely not the same as delivering in dark.

Get a good head torch. FFS people climb mt Everest in the dark. Get a grip.

Why be so aggressive?
I was pointing out, in answer to the question, that delivering in the dark is more problematic than collecting in the dark.
I didn't say it can't be done, but if you've ever done a delivery in the dark, you'll know it takes longer.
But no doubt we'll be expected to work at the same rate.

[redlen]

Working in diminished light has its own unique hazards, especially with residential property. Can be anything from building works to a child's toy as an unforeseen hazard.

One hazard of working in the dark that has not been mentioned is street lighting.

Many local authorities have turned off street lighting as a cost saving measure

[Dexydog]

But a "good head torch" will see us right.

[Boltonian-White]

With later starts and working in the dark …. Where would we stand in refusing to walk down unlit driveways? Even with a torch you can’t see low lying branches, or potholes or even dogs.
Or blocks of flats where the lighting inside doesn’t work etc

And with warmer summers predicted a lot of days we may not be delivering anyway if it’s too hot. This year the manager allowed us to come in early so we could be finished by noon. That wouldn’t be possible if we don’t start until 9.

Do you not have to work in the dark on an early start also?

Not since the early 90s! Most delivery dont get out until 9.30am or later.

That was the last time I worked on deliveries, nobody ever complained about working in the dark then.
Collection drivers work in the dark at the moment and I haven't heard them complain either.
I wish people would just be honest rather than trying to come up with pathetic reasons not to finish later.
Most people don't want to change their hours because it suits their lifestyle.

This is the kind of post that gets on my t*ts. Someone who admits they haven't been on delivery in a very long time and doesn't understand what delivery entails at the moment and the added workload since they last did the job. Somebody that doesn't understand what the average postie does just like the public. I've done many different jobs within RM and delivery at night is my least favourite for many reasons as it's quite stressful even in areas that I've known for years. Fixed point collections was a cake walk compared with delivery.

Night work is an example of when you will be offered an occupational health assessment. Currently if you are offered a job as a night worker, the government has mandated that you must be offered a free occupational health assessment. You don’t have to accept this offer, but they are definitely useful when considering the ways in which night work will affect your own health. Currently Royal Mail has a duty of care to both your physical and mental health.

Oh, why would you be offered an occupational health assessment? Maybe because it's a far more dangerous time to drive, especially when you've already been working for 3 or 4 hours for example? More stressful? sometimes you can't see a thing because it's raining hard and there's no street lights? Sometimes you step out of the van and expect hard ground but it's a puddle of mud and oil that you slip in? So many more reasons but I think that will do. Do you think health and safety consider these to be pathetic reasons? Seriously you need to think before you post the crap you come up with.

Think you are confusing working in the dark for an hr or two with actually doing nights. There's a difference.

I used night working as an example. Unless you want to argue the difference between light and dark? If anything it's worse working a couple of hours at the end of your shift in darkness as you're usually tired and the dark makes it x2 worse, unless of course you're a robot or have night vision. Of course when we're working until 10 like the competition the night working becomes an issue but then that'll never happen will it?

[ted_e_bear]

Working in diminished light has its own unique hazards, especially with residential property. Can be anything from building works to a child's toy as an unforeseen hazard.

One hazard of working in the dark that has not been mentioned is street lighting.

Many local authorities have turned off street lighting as a cost saving measure

Too right, just think how many driveways/garden paths have loose flags/bricks lying about or as you mentioned kids toys like skateboards, not to mention piles of dog shite, thankfully currently we can see them, I'm pretty sure no one wants to end up with a twisted ankle or other injury due to tripping over one of these hazards, we're all aware times have changed since we spent the 1st half an hour or so delivering in the dark, all the comments on here saying man up etc are starting to get a bit annoying.

[sindba]

Can't help feeling this darkness thing is a bit of a red herring.

Even with a 4-5pm finish time, most posties will be doing most of their delivery in the light for most of the year.

Half an hour or so in the dark at the end of your duty for a few weeks in winter is hardly a massive deal, surely?

[pieoftheday]

Can't help feeling this darkness thing is a bit of a red herring.

Even with a 4-5pm finish time, most posties will be doing most of their delivery in the light for most of the year.

Half an hour or so in the dark at the end of your duty for a few weeks in winter is hardly a massive deal, surely?

Depends where you live I suppose , parts of Yorkshire start to get dark just before 3pm by end of November, there'll be parts of Scotland that start to get dark an hour earlier

[clashcityrocker]

Depends where you live I suppose , parts of Yorkshire start to get dark just before 3pm by end of November, there'll be parts of Scotland that start to get dark an hour earlier

In which case they are probably already delivering in the dark.

[Dexydog]

I think one problem they haven't thought of is o/t.
Just now, generally, finish time is 2ish.
Gives you 2 hours max before it's dark.
Who's going to want to start any overtime in the dark?
I certainly won't be doing it any more.

[scoobymunster]

Can't help feeling this darkness thing is a bit of a red herring.

Even with a 4-5pm finish time, most posties will be doing most of their delivery in the light for most of the year.

Half an hour or so in the dark at the end of your duty for a few weeks in winter is hardly a massive deal, surely?

It's one thing if you are on the same duty all year, you know most of the hazards. A floater/reserve won't, especially if they're doing somewhere they've not done before. My office has more duties than is listed on the start time changes list, and our current average start time incorrect. How'd they get that wrong??

[pieoftheday]

Depends where you live I suppose , parts of Yorkshire start to get dark just before 3pm by end of November, there'll be parts of Scotland that start to get dark an hour earlier

In which case they are probably already delivering in the dark.

Well quite possibly but perhaps those offices start and finish earlier, I dont know.