With all the Media coverage this is getting, I don’t see the PO being able to change whatever the outcome.
This is the point where we disagree.
I think on paper and with PR support the Postal Service has done their part to protect carriers. I think this goes so far as the Association has already written a defense for the Postal Service.
“While the circumstances surrounding Mr. Thakkar’s death remain under investigation, this tragedy comes during a period of extreme heat in North Texas and serves as another painful reminder of the challenging conditions letter carriers often face while serving the American public.
“The safety and well-being of every postal employee must remain the highest priority. As temperatures continue to reach dangerous levels across much of the country, the NRLCA urges all rural letter carriers to remain vigilant, follow established heat safety protocols, stay hydrated, recognize the signs of heat-related illness, and look out for one another,” said NRLCA President Don Maston.”
My personal experience is what the Postal Service tells us is happening and what is happening in these situations are often not the same. Yes, there are also things we may never know such as did he fail to take his heart medication, if he had heart medication.
Safe working conditions does not mean these horrible situations will not happen. It does mean that we need to know if reasonable steps were taken to protect the carriers on the street. We also need to find what safe reasonable working conditions are.
I have not read about this subject for a long time. However, I am left with the impression that humidity is now officially a factor in heat related death. I still do not read about this factor being taken into account. I have also read that working under unsafe heat conditions for extended periods of time increases the chance of heat related problems. I have not seen this argument used to support using air conditioning and reducing the time of exposure to the heat.
We also need to monitor what is being done to move toward improving the situation because, unfortunately, doing something about this type of situation takes a lot of time and is boring. However, long and boring may get a positive result. Becoming angry for a few days will gain nothing.
ruralinfo.net
smh
