York Container Cardboard Sleeves – Base Height Specification (300mm):
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Over the past month, the Health, Safety and Environment Department has received reports from a growing number of ASRs and IR Area Reps from across the country that there had been a specification change in relation to the height of the York Container, Cardboard Sleeve, false base, supporting cross-members which were being supplied via the new contracted suppliers ‘Smurfit Kappa’. The established false base height is 300mm (approx 12 inches). However, new stock was being supplied with a reduced height false base of 200mm (approx 8 inches). The Sleeves from the new stock were being introduced alongside old Sleeves and the difference is clearly visible (see attached photograph of a 200mm base alongside a 300mm base with the Cardboard Sleeve removed for visual purposes). As such this has been the source of many enquiries and complaints.
There have been no prior discussions in respect of this change between Royal Mail and CWU/HQ and therefore the matter was raised with the Royal Mail Logistics National Container Manager Mark Fletcher who had recently taken over the role along with his new team.
The change in specification has come to light due to the change in cardboard sleeve supplier to ‘Smurfit Kappa’ in recent months, with the new supplier being given what was thought to be an agreed, revised specification which included a lower false base and cross-members of 200mm which of course wasn’t the case. We were subsequently informed that the 200mm base height change was the result of an initiative undertaken back in 2009 to increase container capacity but it was not discussed with the Unions or promulgated and no further action was taken until now.
Following discussions with the Royal Mail Logistics National Container Manager, an apology has been received from the business and urgent action has been taken to rectify the change and revert back to the base height of 300mm.
The RML National Container Manager has now contacted the suppliers and given revised manufacturing instructions to re-instate the false base height from 200mm back to the original 300mm until any specification amendments can be jointly considered in the correct way, through the process of Risk Assessment, Ergonomic Evaluation, Trials and Safe Working Methods considerations at a later date in the new year. Royal Mail has also paid the manufacturer’s re-tooling costs so as to ensure a prompt reversion to the agreed base height.
The suppliers informed Royal Mail that re-tooling their machines would take approximately one week, so as to commence production of the Cardboard Sleeve False Base Cross-Member Supports at the 300mm height and in the meantime there is stock of approximately 2 weeks supply of the Cardboard Sleeves with the lower 200mm height bases being sent out to Amazon and Royal Mail sites as a contingency and a number of sites and offices have already been supplied with the 200mm height cross-members/bases as contingency stocks.
Given the situation of re-tooling and re-supply issues, Royal Mail has requested our co-operation and support in deploying and using of the Cardboard Sleeves with the 200mm bases and cross-member supports until the suppliers and Royal Mail can replace and re-introduce the cross-members and bases at 300mm. In view of this situation, and not wishing to add to any further costs and wastage issues it has been agreed that the 200mm base sleeves will be worked through the system and then disposed of via the Cardboard re-cycling programme, once no longer fit for purpose and replaced as normal with 300mm base sleeves as an when necessary.
It has been agreed, going forward, that any proposed changes to the York Container Cardboard Sleeve specification, including any proposed changes to base heights and other design issues, will be considered jointly in the new year and any changes agreed after careful consideration, risk assessment, ergonomic evaluation and trials if it’s decided to take the issue forward. This will be discussed alongside the proposed trials of the new design ‘Parcel’ version York Container which will be reported to Branches in due course.
When the Royal Mail Ergonomics Team last looked at the issue of York Container Cardboard sleeves and the use and height of the false base and container capacity in 2009, key findings of the study were that “Postural analysis reveals that the false base is effective in limiting the degree of bending involved in clearing items near the bottom of the container; the unloading task is judged to present an acceptable manual handling risk (less than twice the Health & Safety Executive Guideline figures). Conversely, if the false base is removed, excessive forward bending occurs as workers lean in over the sleeve to retrieve the lowest items, and the manual handling risk increases to an unacceptable level (exceeding the HSE guideline figures by a factor greater than 2). This goes against Royal Mail’s aim of reducing manual handling risks, so far as is reasonably practicable, when introducing new, or modifying existing, work equipment and processes. It is concluded, therefore, that a false base is essential in York containers used to convey loose-loaded Amazon small parcel/packet mail, in order to control manual handling risks to an acceptable level.” The key question following this will be around whether long term the 300mm height of the false base can be lowered without any occupational health impact and still be acceptable from a manual handling risk perspective, while increasing the fill capacity of each container.” Further reports will be made to branches in due course. The agreed height for the Base remains at 300mm until further notice.
Any Management enquiries should be directed to either Mark Fletcher National Container Manager Email: mark.fletcher@royalmail.com Mobile: 07889 124741 or Jason Wood National Container Supply & Development Manager Email: jason.wood@royalmail.com Mobile: 07801095605
Any Union enquiries should be directed to Dave Joyce National Health, Safety & Environment Officer at CWU/HQ.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1 – LTB735/16 York Container Cardboard Sleeves – Base Height Specification (300mm):
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 
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