These are the four factors that every mail center manager must focus on to improve safety levels: design, processes, equipment and training. However, design is perhaps the single most overlooked element to making your mail center as safe as possible. In fact, the very layout of workspace often affects the level of safety more than any other factor. Design affects the workflow, which affects the way people work, which then directly influences the level of safety.
When improving your mail center design, the first step is organization. Too often, managers do not designate specific areas of the mail center for equipment storage and walk-through. When equipment is not in use, it should be left in a position so as not to hinder passage it should have a home of its own, not left where it was last used. By simply sectioning off certain areas for equipment and marking walk-through routes on the floor with colored tape, employees will become accustomed to putting equipment in its rightful place when not in use.
Once the design of your mail center has been reengineered for safer workflow, it is equally important to then develop work processes that will add to a safer environment. While each mail center has its own way of doing things based on the nature of its business or the nature of its typical incoming deliveries and outbound shipments, there are a couple universal guidelines that can make any mail center safer.
Aside from design and a reevaluation of internal processes, the use of certain types of equipment can improve mail center safety levels by leaps and bounds. Making weight belts either available or mandatory for employees reduces the potential of back, shoulder, neck and arm injuries due to overlifting or even improper lifting. Requiring closed-toe, non-slip shoes while working cuts the danger of foot injuries and falls dramatically. Both are inexpensive to implement and should be a part of any mail center's work environment.
To take those same precautions a step further, implement roller racks (or gravity conveyers) and safety mats. Roller racks simple conveyor belts consisting of a series of metal rollers, powered by gravity and the weight of packages greatly reduce the need for lifting. Used in a well-designed workspace, this equipment allows items to be processed from reception to delivery without requiring operators to leave the rack. The cost of the additional equipment pays for itself in terms of injuries avoided and subsequent workdays missed.
In addition, safety mats are invaluable, serving as a non-slip foundation and a cushioned floor for the employees exposed to prolonged standing. Like roller racks, the mats reduce stress on the back and pay for themselves in short order.
Proper safety procedures and equipment operation should never be limited to new employee orientations. Continued training through periodic seminars and tutorials will engrain knowledge into employees' daily routines. Consistent encouragement to use handling equipment as opposed to lifting, posting warnings in heavy-use areas or posting cards that display proper lifting technique all add to an environment of constant training and education.
There are a number of different tactics one could use to improve mail center safety. However, implementing an overall program that involves an evaluation of your mail center's design, processes, equipment and employee training can give you the tools to make your mail center as safe as possible. If your company's mail center is managed internally, it would be wise to seek the advice of an outside consultant for a review of your safety levels to gain a new and expert opinion. A thorough analysis of your mail center's current workflow can generate a clear picture of what design changes need to be made.
Joe Tague, CMDSM, is a senior site manager for Archer Management Services, a document management outsourcing provider. He is a 1997 recipient of the Mail Center Manager Award from the United States Postal Service. For more information, you can contact him at 312-855-0900 or Archer Management Services at 800-YES-ARCHER.
