http://www.cwu.org.uk/members/action.as ... 3&catid=15
To: All Postal Branches
Dear Colleagues
New Royal Mail Standard Issue Magnum Boots for Delivery Staff:
Over recent weeks the Health, Safety & Environment Department has received a high number of complaints, reports and photographs from Safety Representatives regarding the new standard-issue "Magnum" footwear for Royal Mail Delivery Staff.
Complaints about the quality of the footwear and lack of 'grip' in wet weather and on smooth surfaces are consistent across the country in that the soles of the new footwear are slippery from new and as such have caused several minor injury accidents and at least one serious accident in which a Postman sustained compound fractures on two lower leg bones after a bad fall.
Cycle delivery staff have also reported that the slippery soles are causing feet to slide off the pedals when wet causing falls and loss of control of the cycles, as such causing a potential road risk.
Members are now apparently being told to "roughen" up the soles of their new issue footwear before use in order to hopefully improve their grip and reduce the slip factor.
Royal Mail Letters have been questioned as to whether it's acceptable to provide footwear in a condition that increases risk of slips, trips and falls and the issue has also been raised with the HSE in respect of the HSE Inspection programme that has found repeated breaches of health and safety risk assessment requirements which give rise to significant risk and persistent and significant poor compliance with health and safety law.
Reproduced below is a letter sent to Ian Stockdale Head of CSR Royal Mail Letters.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Joyce Bob Gibson
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer Outdoor Asst Secretar
