Royal Mail Official Statistics – Number of Recorded Dog Attacks on Postal Workers – April 2016 to April 2017 By Postcode Area

To: All Postal Branches
Dear Colleagues,
For your information, see attached National Statistics as produced and collated by Royal Mail on a Postcode Area basis.
There are around 124 Postcode Areas plus a number of Special Dedicated Postcodes and separate Postcodes for the three Channel Islands.
The official statistics were used in last week’s dog awareness week publicity to highlight the scale of the problem to the public and media.
Although there has been an overall slight reduction in the national figures, relating to “recorded” dog attacks, there was still approx 2,500 Dog Attacks in 2016/17 and there has been 15,000 over the last 5 Years. The numbers are still too high and the scale of the problem is enormous and unacceptable to the Union as we have again made clear through the media and to UK governments, Police and public, during last week’s RM/CWU Dog Awareness Week. Widespread media attention was drawn by our joint campaign week and we can only hope that our messages have been penetrating and have reached a wide audience amongst the nation’s dog owners.
The Health, Safety & Environment Department is also firmly of the view that around 500 – 1000 minor Dog Attack and Near Miss incidents go unreported by members and we would appeal to all CWU Reps to encourage the full reporting of incidents by members as we find in many cases (not all) after a major Dog Attack that it had been preceded by several or a number of minor non-injury, near miss or minor injury incidents which could, if reported, have flagged up the warning signs of worse problems to come, if something isn’t done. 
So would all Area Health and Safety Reps please prioritise this and ensure:-
WRAP assessments and Walk Logs are up to date.

Managers are reminded of the need to refer to Royal Mail Group (RMG) Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Management System Standard 2.7 “Management of Dog Attack Risks”, raising Managers awareness of the requirements of the Safety Standard and ensuring compliance. 

Yours sincerely
 
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 395/17 Royal Mail Official Statistics – Number of Recorded Dog Attacks on Postal Workers – April 2016 to April 2017 By Postcode Area

RMG National Dog Attack Statistics

Royal Mail Group – Road Safety Communication Campaign July 2017 – Safety First – ‘Driver Distractions’:
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Introduction:
During July, commencing on Monday 24 July, Royal Mail Group will be launching a Road Safety Communications Campaign focusing on ‘Driver Distractions’. The theme is “Fatal Distraction”. 
Campaign Aims and Objectives:
For the Road Safety Communication Campaign July 2017 RMG are highlighting the issue of driver distractions and the actions that should be taken to reduce this risk which can have fatal consequences.

Driving requires the full attention of the driver at all times. 

There are four main types of driver distraction Visual, Auditory, Mental and Physical (VAMP).

Distractions impede a driver’s ability to spot hazards and react in time.

RoSPA, BRAKE and the Police Road Safety Division advise that:-
A driver is distracted when they pay attention to a second activity while driving. People cannot always safely multi-task in this way, especially if the second activity is time consuming or complex.

The second activity puts extra demands on the driver, which may reduce his or her driving standard. It may cause the driver to become less observant or to make worse decisions about how to control the vehicle safely. This lower standard of driving means that a driver is more likely to fail to anticipate hazards, and means accidents can occur due to the distraction.

Distraction can be either driver initiated where the driver starts carrying out a distracting activity or non-driver initiated by the unpredictable actions of something or someone else.

Objects, events, or activities both inside and outside the vehicle can cause distraction. In-vehicle distractions can be caused by technology, or by other sources inside the vehicle such as passengers. External distractions may be when a driver concentrates on unimportant events or objects, or when another person does something unusual.

ASR Involvement and Activities:-
ASR’s will be fully involved and consulted on this joint Road Safety Communications Campaign.
During this Road Safety Communication Campaign ASR’s are asked to focus their Safety Inspections on the initiative and checking on the completion of the planned line manager activities.

By carrying out the following activities during this Road Safety Communication Campaign, ASRs can help to raise awareness and the profile of Road Safety and keep our drivers safe.

Agree with your Operational Managers, which units you will jointly support during this Road Safety Communication, and:
Assist the Front Line Manager in delivering joint WTLL’s and sharing the posters and information.

Carry out a Safety Inspection and include the following:-

Speak to Driver Members:
Use the communication materials to raise awareness and talk to drivers about driver distractions.
Ask Drivers if they have seen the Road Safety Week – Driver Distraction Safety Campaign posters displayed?

Refer to the “VAMP” Driver Distractions:-
Visual – reading, looking at mail items, reading information screens, mobile phones, PDAs, Tablet computers, Sat/Navs, etc. looking at objects and people outside the vehicle unrelated to the driving task;

Auditory – listening to someone on the phone, radio, music, personal headphones and noises outside the vehicle;

Mental – thinking about something else, personal or work issues, appointments, deadlines, conversations with passengers and phone calls;

Physical – typing, smoking, eating and drinking.

NOTE: Using a Mobile Phone or Smoking Whilst Driving a Commercial Vehicle is illegal.
Ask Front Line Managers:
What activities have they completed for the driver distractions communication campaign?

Have they delivered the WTLL and displayed the poster?

Have they completed a Driver/Vehicle SMAT concentrating on driver distractions?

The objective is to raise awareness and encourage, coach and support drivers to adopt safe driving habits.
Observe Vehicles and Drivers:
Discuss with drivers the safe driving campaign, the risk of driver distraction and the importance of keeping their:-
eyes on the road ahead.

hands on the wheel

mind on driving

ASR Safety Inspections:
Ensure that you record your Safety Inspections using the agreed reporting processes.
Attachments:
2 Posters. The first one will be sent out to all offices and the second one will be available to print off on the intranet.

WTLL session.

ASR Activity Plan.

The attached information will all be communicated out on 24 July. The Posters will be sent out on 20 July and the item will be on RMTV on 24 July with Head of RMG Road Safety Mark Bromhall talking about the campaign. There will also be references made to the campaign on Workplace Plasma screens next week.
Royal Mail Group Road Safety Team welcomes CWU/HQ and CWU ASR/WSR support. Thank you for your support.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1 – LTB394/17 Royal Mail Group – Road Safety Communication Campaign July 2017 – Safety First – ‘Driver Distractions’:

Attachment 2 – Fatal Distraction Poster Final

Attachment 3 – Fatal DISTRACTION 2nd Poster Final

Attachment 4 – WTLL – Driver Distractions – July 2017 Final

Attachment 5 – Road Safety Communication July 2017 – ASR activity plan Final

Communications Department Update
 
Dear Colleagues,
The purpose of this LTB is to update branches on a number of initiatives which will be progressing in the Communications Department over the coming months.
New Emailing Platform
In August, we will be launching a new emailing system. This will enable us to engage with members and representatives in a far more targeted way than we currently do. The analytics from the new system will also give us the opportunity to see which emails have been read, conduct polls and give us great data on our members, which will ultimately assist us in both industrial and political campaigns. 
This launch will see the ‘Connects’ email replaced with a new regular bulletin to all CWU members. If successful we will be looking to offer branches and regions the opportunity to plug into this system as well as we seek to improve engagement at all levels of the union.
CWU Website
The new CWU website will formally launch in September. A tremendous amount of work has gone into producing a site which will give the union the opportunity to engage with both current and potential members, as a priority.
We have a large number of branches and individuals who have volunteered to assist with testing the new site. We will begin contacting these people in early August. We will be announcing several ‘launch events’ in due course.
CWU App
Significant progress has been made on the CWU app. This will also be launched in September. We are in the process of finalising the layout of the app and are pleased with the initial results. The app will give us an excellent two-way platform with the members, enabling us to share the latest news and content in addition to the ability to send direct messages on specific subject matters.
Branch Visits 
Once the above structural tools are in place the department will be in a position to take the way we communicate with our members to a new level. We are however very mindful that all of the above together with our progress in other areas such as the new edition of The Voice, improved videoing strategy, social media, press work and the new rep’s publication are meaningless unless we engage effectively with our frontline membership. With this in mind, I am very keen to get out to branches and workplaces in the coming months to listen to your thoughts and ideas. If you are interested in participating in this process please contact Marcia Murray mmurray@cwu.org
 
Kind regards
 

Chris Webb

Head of Communications, Engagement and Media
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 391/17 – Communications Department Update

CWU Digital Photography Competition 2017
Dear Colleague,
The CWU has again decided to run a digital photography competition as part of our informal learning project. This competition is open to all CWU members and their families. Last year’s winner was, Paul Fine who is a member of Plymouth & East Cornwall Branch.
Our Learning Reps have enabled hundreds of our members to undertake Digital Photography and Photoshop courses. The opportunities offered by mobile and smart phones mean that many of our members have a digital camera in their pocket to record the world around them. This is an exciting opportunity for our members to share their skills and abilities and I encourage members and their families to take part. 
If members are interested in learning more about digital photography they can access a free online course from the list attached to this LTB.
The winning entries will be judged to be the most visually appealing interpretations of the brief, capturing on camera the spirit of the chosen theme and their overall impact and composition. Digital manipulation is acceptable but not necessary. To assist our judges please add a short explanation of how and why the photo was taken.
You can enter up to one photo in each of the following categories
1. One World

2. Time & Motion

3. Sign of the Times

4. That’s Life
The overall winner of the competition will win a £200 gift voucher.
Entries should be sent via email to learn@cwu.org by midnight on the 1st October 2017. Entrants must supply their name, Branch and email address. We regret that we are unable to accept postal entries.
Terms & Conditions and a promotional poster are attached. If you have any queries please contact Simon Massen at smassen@cwu.org
Yours sincerely,
Trish Lavelle

Head of Education and Training
Email Attachments – Click to download
LTB 390/17 – CWU Digital Photography Competition 2017

Digital Photography Poster 2017

Digital Photography Competition T&Cs

Boston Postwoman Severely Injured In Horror Dog Attack After Being Savaged By Two Dobermans:
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Postwoman Sharron Singer received 19 separate injuries when she was pounced on by two large powerful Doberman dogs at an address in Wrangle, near Boston on Monday 3rd July.
The most serious of the injuries to her arm required four hours of complex reconstruction surgery and skin grafts to repair muscles, tendons, nerves and ligament damage. She is currently in the Boston Pilgrim Hospital.
Sharron does the delivery round in Wrangle, just outside Boston which she shares with her husband David on different days of the week and ironically either one of them could have ended up as the victim.
There was no knowledge of the presence of these dogs, which apparently arrived at the house only a couple of days prior to the attack as Sharon entered the address to deliver mail to the occupants. The two big dogs which are of a powerful, athletic breed attacked very quickly and aggressively and came at Sharron from nowhere, unexpectedly without warning. This breed of dog is used by Police forces and the military in various countries in Europe. Sharon remains in hospital and will have to undergo extensive treatment and further operations to treat her various serious injuries. Royal Mail has suspended deliveries to the address and the Communication Workers Union is assisting Sharon and David and working with Royal Mail in relation to the shock to work colleagues at Boston Delivery Office.
Sharron has been through what can only be described as a terrible, terrifying ordeal, which I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. A Police investigation is underway and those responsible for the irresponsibility and reckless ownership of these potentially dangerous animals should face the full force of the law in due course if, as expected, the Dangerous Dogs Act has been breached. Sharon’s life was in danger when this attack took place and we are just relieved that she survived. Her life however will never be quite the same. I only hope the physical and psychological damage sustained in this attack can be repaired, but it won’t be 100%. It never is in such cases.
Last week was Royal Mail/Communication Workers Union National Dog Awareness Week because seven postal workers are attacked and injured by dogs every day in the UK. 2,500 a year and 15,000 in the last five years. It’s ironic that Sharon should suffer such an appalling attack during Dog Awareness Week. We have been appealing publicly for dog owners to be more responsible and to control and restrain their animals when postmen and women deliver their mail, packets and parcels, six days a week, 52 weeks a year and to 29 million addresses. The public enjoy a first class service from Royal Mail which is the best in the world and everybody looks forward these days to their mail order items being delivered by their local postman or post woman. Unfortunately however, some of them, but a minority, don’t give any thought to the safety of the ordinary postman or woman when they bring their mail to their door. Postal workers deserve, and are entitled, to be safe at work wherever they go and to go home at the end of the day as fit and as healthy as when they arrived in the morning – not as in too many cases, when they end up like Sharon, being taken to hospital in an ambulance with serious life changing injuries”.
The Dogs have been seized by the Police and a Criminal Investigation is underway. Royal Mail has suspended deliveries to the address indefinitely. Further reports will be made in due course as the investigation and potential prosecution case develops and continues.
Top Tips for Dog Owners
During Dog Awareness Week the Union along with Royal Mail have been promoting “Responsible Dog Ownership” through a number of simple Dog Safety tips as set out below:-
Ensure your dog is out of the way before the postman or woman arrives. Put the dog in a secured room or place your pet in the back garden or a faraway room.

If you have a back garden, please close off the access, in case your dog could get round to the front when the postman calls.

Dog attacks can happen when you’ve opened the door to collect or sign for an item. Please keep your dog in another room before answering the door and make sure children don’t open the door, as dogs can push by them and attack.

Give your dog some food or a toy to occupy them while your mail is being delivered

Wait 10 minutes after your mail has arrived to let your pet back into your hallway or outside. Keep everything as calm and low-key as possible. Check the Postman/Woman has left and the garden gate is shut.

If your dog likes to attack your mail coming through the door then consider installing a wire letter receptacle. It will protect your post, and your postman’s fingers.

If it’s not practical for you to keep your dog away from a postman delivering your mail, please consider fitting a secure mailbox on the edge of your property.

Please ensure your dog is microchipped, wearing a collar and tag and that your contact details on the tag and microchip are up to date (Both are required by Law).

Dog Awareness Week Video:- https://we.tl/1ViCj5S1pO
Attachment:- Photographs of some of Boston Postwoman victim Sharon Singer’s Injuries which have been released with the full consent of the member and her husband, both CWU members, in order to highlight the Dangerous Dogs/Irresponsible Owner risk to Postal Workers, in the hope of further raising awareness and that lessons can be learned and future attacks on fellow delivery members can be avoided by owners following the above ‘Top Tips’. ‘WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES’
Thanks:- On behalf of CWU/HQ we send our best wishes for a speedy and full recovery to Sharon Singer and I would like to thank Sharon and David for their agreement and willingness to support full open publicity regarding the details of the attack along with the Injury Photographs. Finally my thanks to all the Eastern No5 Branch Area and Local Reps for their involvement and support and the support of all the Boston DO members.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1 – LTB388/17 Boston Postwoman Severely Injured In Horror Dog Attack After Being Savaged By Two Dobermans:

Attachment 2 – Photographs1

Private Correspondence
Firstly apologies for the unprecedented nature of this LTB which reproduces correspondence exchanged between Jon Millidge (RM Group HR Director) and I.
Jon Millidge’s letter is essentially his thoughts on how we could consider re-energising the current negotiations on the Four Pillars of Security. My response is attached.
I have no idea why he chose to make all local managers aware of his private letter to me, except to try to undermine the Union or me personally. This is clearly no way for senior managers to behave as it is ridiculous to consider operating a working relationship that would undermine trust by publicising correspondence whether private or public.
You will note from my response that there are major flaws in the proposal which basically offers an unacceptable pension solution and jam tomorrow for everything else. 
To be clear it is unacceptable for the managerial team that claim they can be trusted to then publish private correspondence on an embryonic idea. Jon Millidge’s actions are unprecedented and represent an artificial appeasement to distract us from pursuing our Four Pillars of Security agenda.
Requesting more meaningful discussions at a senior level whilst supporting operational management breaking our agreements and taking the sword to our members in the workplace is utterly inconsistent. However, we will continue to seek a negotiated settlement in line with the CWU’s policy in respect of both content and timescale.
When challenged, the business claim that they have only shared the letter with local managers but this does not excuse such behaviour. If Local Representatives advise you that local management have shared Jon Millidge’s letter with them then please share my response, the content of which is self-explanatory.
This may well be the first of a number of initiatives to try and distract the Union from its goals and drive disunity. I urge you to keep your eye on the real prize – a tangible meaningful agreement on the Four Pillars of Security.
Any enquiries regarding the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department, quoting reference 24000.
Yours sincerely
Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
Email Attachments – Click to download
· Attachment 1 – LTB 386/17 Private Correspondence
· Attachment 2 – Letter from Jon Millidge 16.06.17
· Attachment 3 – Letter to Jon Millidge 03.07.17