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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. BODY PART AFFECTED CONT’D

9. 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

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

11. AVAILABLE FIXES Use of container tilter
Hoist lift heavy weight platform

12. AVAILABLE FIXES & COST

13. REFERENCE
OSHA: Occupational Health Safety and Administration. United States Department of Labor [Internet]. [cited 2016 Oct 24]. Available from:
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 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 [Internet]. [cited 2016 Oct 24]. Available from:
OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration. United States Department of Labor 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 [Internet]. [cited 2016 Oct. 24]. Available from: changes