New equipment supplied by the Tube and Bracket Company has been introduced at Royal Mail to save workspace and reduce staff injury.
Conveyors now enable operators to tip loads at a lower level. Mail is automatically dropped onto the conveyor and rolls down in front of the operators who are waiting to sort it. Bundles are picked, banding removed and mail placed into containers at the correct position to push mail away, allowing operators on the other side to pick it up and move on to the next process.
Trays are returned from the back by a logistics operator to keep staff fed with containers. This has eliminated bending, twisting and lifting. Staff stand ready to do the task without needing to turn around and reach behind them to replenish empty containers.
Prior to the changes, operators had to pick up 10kg bags, lift above head height and bend to place mail into containers.
“This has actually reduced the number of workstations and the space we need. We used to spread out all over the workshop in different areas, so we didn't have a lot of space, but now it has a permanent home and is set-up 24 hours a day” Said Ken House of Royal Mail “We don’t have to walk back and forth resetting the work areas, so it’s increased safety as well”
