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A POSTMAN in Swindon is worried he and his colleagues may be spreading the covid-19 virus.
And he says bosses at the Royal Mail are not taking common sense measures to minimise the risk. Those claims are refuted by the service.
The man, who does not want to be named, said: “We go to the sorting centre in Dorcan and by the time I get the mail to sort for my round, it must have passed through at least six hands.
“They haven’t issued us with gloves, they’ve given them to managers and the people who issue the keys for the vans, and there isn’t any hand sanitiser put out.
“There are handwashing facilities, but just the sinks in the bathrooms.”
The worker said he had raised the issue with management at the sorting warehouse.
He said: “I told my line manager who said it wasn’t their decision, I spoke to the area manager, who said there hadn’t been any instructions form higher up, and that there was nothing mandatory they had to do.”
He added his main concern was not for himself but that he might be an unwitting spreader of the virus.
He said: “I deliver to schools and old people’s homes.
“I don’t want to be spreading the virus, especially to vulnerable people. I’m worried about making people ill, or even worse if they are susceptible.”
Shane O’Riordain, the Royal Mail’s managing director of marketing, regulation and corporate affairs, said: “Royal Mail takes the health and safety of its people very seriously. Public Health England have advised people receiving parcels are not at risk of contracting coronavirus. From experience with other coronaviruses, we know that these types of viruses don’t survive long on objects, such as letters or parcels. This complements the highly publicised guidance from PHE for people to wash their hands more often than usual using soap and hot water.
“In line with guidance from the UK’s chief medical officer, Public Health England and the NHS, we are advising colleagues that good hand hygiene is the first and most important line of defence. At Swindon Delivery Office, we have taken a number of measures and provided guidance to our colleagues on how to help prevent the spread of infection. This includes promoting regular hand washing with soap and water. We have also advised colleagues to carry disposable tissues and we are providing disposable latex gloves, available on request.
“There is no shortage of these supplies at Swindon Delivery Office. In Swindon and across our entire delivery office estate, we are keeping colleagues informed through notices, daily huddles and Royal Mail TV updates.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely. We will act on Public Health England advice which is updated daily and in the meantime continue to share regular updates and information with colleagues.”
