65 000 water bottles. Are they having a laugh?

[clashcityrocker]

The CWU has won massive concessions (joke) following the deaths of 2 of our colleagues in the heat.
RM are to distribute 65 000 water bottles. Some of us won't be able to fill them at work. Some of us won't be able to refill them while out on delivery.
I reckon 60 000 will end up in landfill within 12 months.


LTB 434/20 - Royal Mail Group - Provision of Water Bottles – Staying Hydrated Campaign - Communications Posters

No. 434/2020

28 August 2020

Our Ref: E4/20

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Royal Mail Group – Provision of Water Bottles – Staying Hydrated Campaign – Communications Posters

Representations to Royal Mail were again made during the recent heatwave on the very important issue of the provision of water bottles to the outdoor workforce and on communicating the extremely important issue of staying hydrated at all times whilst undertaking manual work. Royal Mail have now agreed to provide water bottles to CWU members.

An ‘interim’ supply of refillable water bottles are now available for offices to order. There is a limited stock of 65,000 of the ‘interim’ water bottles and Royal Mail will be prioritising the outdoor workforce.

Beyond that a permanent long term solution is being progressed with a move to the provision of a ‘durable, Royal Mail branded, refillable water bottle’. Various manufacturer options are currently being assessed and considered for final selection and approval.

Our Royal Mail members provide the best postal service in the world and after the government declared that postal workers were ‘essential workers’ at the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak, postmen and women have worked tirelessly through the six-months of the pandemic without the luxury of being furloughed.

Staff shortages, one-person per van, a 50% increase in parcels, lapsing and the recent record breaking heatwave have obviously piled the pressure on postmen and women, made worse by the fact that water fountains had been shut off due to the risk of virus transmission. All in all, working conditions have been tough – but tough on the outdoor workforce in particular.

Royal Mail, having at long last agreed to our request for the provision of water bottles for the outdoor workforce, have also agreed to jointly campaign on the importance of staying hydrated at all times, developments which are welcomed. This is an important health and safety issue when carrying out a manual job, walking many miles outdoors – especially when in excessively hot, sunny weather conditions, when temperatures are high as they were recently.

We will be continuing to look to ensure that in future Severe Weather Risk Assessments are carried out in hot, heatwave weather to avoid sunburn, dehydration, heat exhaustion and sun stroke and so protect the outdoor delivery workforce.

The problem of adequate water provision for members recently has been made worse by the fact that water fountains had been shut off due to the risk of virus transmission, therefore Royal Mail have issued internal communications to all Office Managers/PICs, informing them of the new provision of water bottles, consisting of:-

An ‘Opps Update’ entitled ‘Staying Hydrated’
A Safety Health and Environment (SHE) staff briefing/huddle document and
A joint poster to be displayed on ‘Refilling Water Bottles Safely and Sanitising the Water Dispenser’
All managers have been requested to:-

Brief all staff on staying hydrated
Display the poster
Ensure a good supply of sanitising wipes are provided at the water dispensers
Ensure water dispensers are used but water fountains remain out of use (see attachments)
Attachments:-

RM Opps Update ‘Staying Hydrated’
SHE Huddle F20 005 ‘Staying Hydrated’
Water Refill Poster
Sun Safety and Avoid Dehydration Poster.
The Importance and Health Benefits of Good Hydration

Good Hydration means getting the right amount of water before, during, and after work. Water regulates your body temperature and lubricates your joints and helps muscles and joints work better. It promotes better cardiovascular health and helps transport nutrients to give you energy and keep you healthy. If you’re not hydrated, your body can’t perform at its highest level. Water keeps organs functioning properly. Being well-hydrated also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood.

Dehydration Dangers

Dehydration can cause heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heatstroke and can reduce the amount of blood in the body, which can put strain on the heart and cause shock – a dangerous decrease in blood pressure, which can have serious health consequences.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 434/20 – Royal Mail Group – Provision of Water Bottles – Staying Hydrated Campaign – Communications Posters https://emails.cwu.org/t/d-l-cvdrit-jtfljuhyd-i/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RM Opps Update – Staying Hydrated 26.8.20 https://emails.cwu.org/t/d-l-cvdrit-jtfljuhyd-d/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SHE Huddle FY20 005 Staying Hydrated https://emails.cwu.org/t/d-l-cvdrit-jtfljuhyd-h/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sun Safety AUG17 https://emails.cwu.org/t/d-l-cvdrit-jtfljuhyd-k/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Water Refill Poster https://emails.cwu.org/t/d-l-cvdrit-jtfljuhyd-u/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JKSmudge]

Quite frankly, it's the refilling of them during the day. I would imagine most people take out a couple of pre-filled bottles from home with them each day.

The main problem with drinking loads to stay hydrated means increased need for a toilet break. Many rounds there is just nowhere to go. Maybe the bottle provided by RM......

[anthonyok]

Too late now , worse than the goverment for when the horse has bolted.

[Sugar]

I remember the last time rm issued water bottles. They were crap and left the water tasting of cheap plastic.

Summer's pretty much over so as per usual the horse has already bolted before someone thought to shut the gate.

[Creditshampoo]

I want to know where the justice is for the poor postman who died is

[wacko74]

To be honest nobody connected to the business comes out of this looking great, management, union or even the workforce... if your average postie isn't capable of providing themselves with a bottle of water to use throughout the day without requiring the help of both union and management to make it happen then the business really is in trouble.

[Strong bull]

To be honest nobody connected to the business comes out of this looking great, management, union or even the workforce... if your average postie isn't capable of providing themselves with a bottle of water to use throughout the day without requiring the help of both union and management to make it happen then the business really is in trouble.

I was wondering that. Do they also expect R/M to provide them meals at work also?

[Woody Guthrie]

To be honest nobody connected to the business comes out of this looking great, management, union or even the workforce... if your average postie isn't capable of providing themselves with a bottle of water to use throughout the day without requiring the help of both union and management to make it happen then the business really is in trouble.

I was wondering that. Do they also expect R/M to provide them meals at work also?

Who said that anyone wasn't attempting to take on enough fluids didn't know how to take on enough fluids or even wanted 65,000 plastic bottles?

Who said the deaths of two of our colleagues was down to not taking in enough fluids?

This is Royal Mail's sticking plaster solution not ours.
We know how to drink.

What we want to know is why management are allowed to ignore or falsify Severe Weather risk assessments up and down the country with zero accountability.

Drinking enough water is only a small part of the solution, we need to have managers that are capable and responsible. At the moment we have neither.

[Sugar]

if your average postie isn't capable of providing themselves with a bottle of water to use throughout the day without requiring the help of both union and management to make it happen then the business really is in trouble.

Simple answer - lack of toilet facilities for a lot of duties means people have to be careful of how much fluid they consume on delivery. An issue that's been around for ever, made worse by constantly increasing outdoor workloads and moving deliveries to the hottest part of the day. Managers and company have never really been sympathetic to individuals on duties with little or no toilet facilities and OPG's don't want to deal with the daily argument of struggling to finish a delivery because they are going to need to go off route to find a toilet.

In hot weather you'll need more than "a bottle of water" to remain properly hydrated. IIRC it's recommended you consume around 1 litre of fluid per hour when exercising so walking at speed over undulating terrain whilst moving a load (bag, trolley etc) as an OPG would fall in to that category.

[Jennyrenny740]

Its the same old thing of them trying to cover themselves. "Keep hydrated" need a camelback rm and a portable loo. " takes extra breaks in the shade" we work while the sun is directly above us, they is no shade. This job has become ridiculous. Dont even get me started on dogs loose on the streets coming in the the attack every now and then.

[cpsteve]

We all we should be able to look after our ourselves who needs to be told what to do in hot weather its another waste of money.

[scoobydo79]

Lol Just in time for winter FFS!!

[FAB]

Lol Just in time for winter FFS!!

The 65000 thermos flasks will be supplied in July next year!

[Jpro747]

Yes they are having a laugh. They laugh at us struggling on the streets and dying. They are a bunch of psychopaths.

[Schiff]

We all we should be able to look after our ourselves who needs to be told what to do in hot weather its another waste of money.

I agree. Is anyone really going to go thirsty simply because Royal Mail haven't provided them with a plastic bottle to put water into? Anyone who would carry one of these will already have paid a visit to a pound shop.

The union should really have more important issues for their negotiators to focus on at the moment.