COURIER SERVICES Evelyn Osayande INDH 5335 – Ergonomic Methods & Analysis Techniques Fall, 2016

INTRODUCTION Courier – a business that is used to send messages, packages, etc An individual responsible for the exchange of items between two or more parties from one person or place to another Courier Services: Door to door, local or international, pickup and delivery service for high-value goods or urgent required documents Courier services operate on all scales Large courier companies include DHL, FedEx, EMS International, UPS, Aramex, USPS (U.S. Postal Services) USPS mail carriers deliver mail to nearly 132 million delivery points nationwide An average of 34,000 injuries occur every year and 13,000 of those injuries is attributed to mail delivery

ERGONOMIC EXPOSURES Postal employees – 2 types of work-related injuries: Traumatic injuries – linked to specific event Falls to the ground Uneven sidewalks, potholes, debris left in tall grass Unexpected obstacles that can also cause tripping, slipping and falling Slip-and-fall accidents (if floors are not properly maintained) Falls on Stairs Occupational injuries – prolonged workplace exposure Overexertion / Repetitive Motion Injuries Lifting heavy mail bags Carrying, pushing, pulling trays to loose mail, packages and other objects Bending Stretching Working in awkward body posture

ERGONOMIC EXPOSURES CONT’D Dog bites – nearly 6,000 employees every year (20% of dog attacks cause injuries serious enough to require medical condition or reconstruction Motor Vehicle Accidents – (rural and suburban mail routes). Motor vehicle collisions are the most frequently reported injury to carriers on rural routes Violence – attack by co-workers, customers

POTENTIAL SYNDROME / CAUSES Carpel tunnel syndrome Hands/wrists & median nerve Back (Low back pain) Lifting heavy things improperly Epicondylitis repetitive bending/elbow Shoulder Bursitis repeated lifting of heavy mails, raising alms above head

POTENTIAL SYNDROME / CAUSES CONTD’ Shoulder cont’d Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Pinching of supraspinatus and bursa Rotator cuff injury (impingement syndrome) reaching a mail in the back of a vehicle

BODY PART AFFECTED Shoulder Back (low back pain) Elbow, Forearm, Wrist and Hand Arm/hand/wrist

BODY PART AFFECTED CONT’D

PREDISPOSING FACTORS Foot Routes: Falls to sidewalks or the ground, dog bite, slips and trips Rural Routes: vehicular collisions where both vehicles are in motion, fall to sidewalks or the ground, dog bites Park-and-loop Routes: falls to sidewalks or the ground, dog bites, and other slips and trips were the most frequently reported circumstances leading to injury Carrying heavy loads – shoulder mail bags

PREVENTION METHODS Maintain an upright position when lifting Avoid bending and twisting Avoid lifting while sitting Use of automatic machines for lifting Rest breaks

AVAILABLE FIXES Use of container tilter Hoist lift heavy weight platform

AVAILABLE FIXES & COST

REFERENCE OSHA: Occupational Health Safety and Administration. United States Department of Labor. 2007. [Internet]. [cited 2016 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/partnerships/national/usps/257_usps_ergobp.html National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. 2016. Bursitis and Tendinitis. [Internet]. [cited 2016 Oct 24]. Available from: U.S. GAO United State Government Accountability Office. U.S. Postal Service: Information on Workforce Injuries Arising During Mail Delivery. 2013. [Internet]. [cited 2016 Oct 24]. Available from: http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/658174.pdf OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration. United States Department of Labor. 2007. United StatesPostal Service/Amenrican Postal Workers Union APL-CIO/Naional Post Mail Handlers Union (#257). [Internet]. [cited 2016 Oct 24] Washington States Department of Labor and Industries. 2016. [Internet]. [cited 2016 Oct. 24]. Available from: http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/SprainsStrains/successstories/default.asp#Ergonomic changes