H&S ends 100 years of cycling posties in Lincoln villages

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Health and safety ends 100 years of cycling posties in Lincoln villages

http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/Healt ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Posties in villages near Lincoln are being told to get off their iconic red bicycles due to health and safety.

Instead, 27 village rounds will transfer to van and push-trolley deliveries over the next couple of months.

Royal Mail says the end of the tradition – which is more than 100 years old – is because modern posties’ sacks are heavier and bulkier, containing more online shopping packages than letters.

The idea is to take the weight of workers’ shoulders and ensure deliveries can be made more safely and securely.

But the move has prompted one Eagle resident to voice his concerns to the Echo, describing the village postal worker now going door to door in a “smoky van” with no time for a friendly ‘good morning’.

Royal Mail spokesman Felicity MacFarlane said: “Royal Mail is making a number of changes to delivery methods as part of a £2 billion modernisation of its entire operation.

“This is part of one of the biggest transformations undertaken in UK industry and enables us to respond to changes within the postal market. As we deliver fewer letters but more parcels than we did in the past, we are removing bicycles from many of our operations across the UK.

“They are being replaced with vans and trolleys that enable us to take the weight off the shoulders of our staff and therefore deliver mail more securely and safely,”

Since 2010, Royal Mail has phased out about 14,000 post bikes nationally. The remaining 4,000 will go this year.

Communication Workers’ Union spokesman Sophie Kimber said: “We think it should be on a case by case basis.

“We don’t have a specific policy for or against.”

However, Royal Mail’s biggest rival TNT Post sees bicycle delivery as a growth area. Trevor Halstead, 55, who runs Church Street Cycles in Gainsborough, said he is sad to see the Royal Mail bikes go.

He said: “I’m also sad for Pashley who produce these bikes in Stratford-upon-Avon.

“In terms of safety, there’s no issue in delivering mail on a bike. I can understand the load issue of delivering parcels so I concede that might be a bit of a problem. I don’t see why letters and small items couldn’t still be delivered by bike.

“I remember the post lady we had in Glentham when I was a young lad.

“She used to cycle 30-odd miles on her round.”

[Straight4ward]

Still flogging the myth that it's all the fault of the H&SE that bikes were withdrawn. Surely this lie has been done to death by now?

And there was me hoping for a better quality of bullsh*t after privatisation.

[pinstripe]

“In terms of safety, there’s no issue in delivering mail on a bike. I can understand the load issue of delivering parcels so I concede that might be a bit of a problem. I don’t see why letters and small items couldn’t still be delivered by bike."

So who is going to deliver the parcels? Maybe the postie could do the delivery on his bike, cycle back to the delivery office and come back out in a van to deliver the parcels. Or hire a driver to do them. Yeah, that'd work in our newly privatised company.

[scoobydo79]

Yawn It has nothing to do with Health and Safety reasons

[Lincox]

How can it be H&S Issues. A bike takes the weight. A trolley increases the load on the whole of the body. It is mindless bllks and the CWU should be ashamed of themselves for even contemplating such crap.

[Brain Fury]

So has nobody ever had an accident with a bike? Presumably they would count as H&S issues? What's the chances that an accident on a bike would be more serious than one pushing a trolley?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

So has nobody ever had an accident with a bike? Presumably they would count as H&S issues? What's the chances that an accident on a bike would be more serious than one pushing a trolley?

About equal http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... an#p630132" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; this post-woman was struck by a car when pushing a HCT, apparently witnesses at the scene (an her own colleagues) reported that the car struck the HCT she was pushing and this launched her into the air. The back of her head then struck the kerb and rendered her unconscious. She was kept in a coma for a week afterwards.

The mechanics of possible accidents are probably different, but without head protection, in some cases an accident involving a vehicle and a HCT/LWT could mean that the injuries suffered by the unfortunate postie are more severe than a similar accident involving a cycle, as the case above shows.

For me I think the decision to remove cycles from the majority of offices wasn't based solely on H&S nor was it a major factor. I think it was a simple case of economics and efficiency and that the PR focus on removing cycles because of H&S was a poor decision.

[Lincox]

So has nobody ever had an accident with a bike? Presumably they would count as H&S issues? What's the chances that an accident on a bike would be more serious than one pushing a trolley?

Whats the chances that the HEALTH of a postman is more at risk by pushing/pulling a trolley compared to cycling.

[mark_e]

We dont deliver fewer letters at all - stamped maybe but on my walk for example,i visit most houses on my round every day with dsa,mailsort and all the other "unstamped" stuff (this doesn't include the households)

[scoobydo79]

So has nobody ever had an accident with a bike? Presumably they would count as H&S issues? What's the chances that an accident on a bike would be more serious than one pushing a trolley?

"Riding a bike in bad weather conditions" was what I agreed to in My original contract with Royal Mail so I accepted any Health and Safety risk .I did not see any mention in My contract of employment about walking F---- miles everyday pushing a trolley.

[Brain Fury]

So has nobody ever had an accident with a bike? Presumably they would count as H&S issues? What's the chances that an accident on a bike would be more serious than one pushing a trolley?

About equal http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... an#p630132" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; this post-woman was struck by a car when pushing a HCT, apparently witnesses at the scene (an her own colleagues) reported that the car struck the HCT she was pushing and this launched her into the air. The back of her head then struck the kerb and rendered her unconscious. She was kept in a coma for a week afterwards.

The mechanics of possible accidents are probably different, but without head protection, in some cases an accident involving a vehicle and a HCT/LWT could mean that the injuries suffered by the unfortunate postie are more severe than a similar accident involving a cycle, as the case above shows.

For me I think the decision to remove cycles from the majority of offices wasn't based solely on H&S nor was it a major factor. I think it was a simple case of economics and efficiency and that the PR focus on removing cycles because of H&S was a poor decision.

I agree with the last sentence. i am not so sure that using a bike and a trolley offer similar levels of risk. As we both know more than one postman has been killed while riding a bike let alone many incurring numerous injuries. But I'm really just challenging the idea that riding a bike doesn't present H&S issues because the bike "takes the weight" as posted earlier. Also it's interesting that the CWU now seem to be ambivalent about the removal of bikes. They were all for it when the new delivery methods were launched. It's a bit late now.

[Lincox]

The CWU have failed it,s members by failing to conduct a full investigation into the pros and cons of using Trollies. The fatigue reports that they are conducting are over a long term and in that time many members will have already developed musculoskeletal problems, apart from fatigue.

[UnhappyGremlin]

Royal Mail says the end of the tradition – which is more than 100 years old – is because modern posties’ sacks are heavier and bulkier, containing more online shopping packages than letters.

Thought volumes had declined SO MUCH that we were at 1991 levels!
Bulkier yes, due to e-commerce, but surely this switch in mail type would mean bags aren't as heavy...if it were true, which it's not. Certainly not to the degree RM claims anyway.

It has zero to do with H&S, a decision was taken unilaterally, and it has been and is being enforced. They are using it as a convenient excuse. Not that I object to it, but RM could just tell the truth behind the decision, rather than trot out some bullshit excuse.

[Brain Fury]

because modern posties’ sacks are heavier and bulkier, containing more online shopping packages than letters. The idea is to take the weight of workers’ shoulders and ensure deliveries can be made more safely and securely.

Says the Lincolnshire Echo ... don't think RM has ever said that deliveries are heavier. Postal authorities all over the world are reporting declining volumes of letters, so it would be a surprise if the same thing wasn't happening in the UK. Which of course it is. Fortunately parcel volumes are increasing which allows RM to offset loss of revenue even if the total number of pieces of mail is still down.

I think it was Crozier who first talked about H&S as one of the reasons for removing bikes. There's no doubt it is a factor and one which the CWU were happy to see removed but the fact is that bikes are just not suited to the type of mail we are carrying.

[Lincox]

Brain Fury, I agree entirely that the current bicycle has or will become unserviceable as the packet/parcel bonanza continues. However that is not to say that a different type of cycle with 3 wheels and supported by pedalling and with an assisted electric motor, or even a small powered motorcycle with a covered trailer, would have been far more preferable and prevent the user from having to tug or push trolleys around unaided by anything other than the strength or non strength of the human body.