Royal Mail: Transportation of Palletised Loads on 95 York Container, (Tri-Capable) Double Deck Trailers

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

This year Royal Mail has faced an increased requirement from bulk customers to accept and process palletised loads, including cardboard sleeved, shrink/stretch wrapped palletised traffic. To meet that demand, Royal Mail indicated a desire to expand the use of the 95 York Double Deck (Dual Use) Trailer fleet to include palletised loads which will enable them to be more adaptable and utilise a greater part of the fleet during for example otherwise empty legs. This trailer was originally designed as ‘dual use’ to carry York Containers and Loose Load Parcels, being used by both Royal Mail Logistics and Parcelforce Worldwide. Following extensive work via an agreed ‘Joint Working Group’ involving all stakeholders; Royal Mail Logistics, Royal Mail Fleet, Parcelforce Worldwide and the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department and CWU ASRs Logistics Group, the use of these trailers has moved from Dual Use to Tri-Use to include trailers loaded with PFWW traffic on pallets and also on the lowered moving deck, 20 x GKN specification pallets (up to 1.8 metres high).

Whilst this is a commercially positive step that helps secure jobs for our members for the future, both Royal Mail and the CWU wanted to ensure that this step is not to the detriment of fundamental health and safety requirements. Hence the establishment of the above mentioned ‘Joint Working Group’ was formed to examine the safe way in which RMG could expand the double deck trailer capability to include transportation of pallets.

To facilitate that process, the ‘Joint Working Group’ was set up to develop a specific SSoW for the 95 York Double Deck trailer fleet. That work has now been completed and a finalised SSoW has been developed and agreed with all parties.

There are several key elements to the SSoW that members need to be aware of: –

• Pallets are limited to 1.8m in height and only GKN specification pallets (20 off) are allowed on the trailer, placed on the lowered moving deck (only).
• Only Manual Hand pallet trucks or Electric Hand Pallet Trucks (MP20 or equivalent) MHE can be used (A TSB has been issued on this point – copy attached).
• A maximum moving deck payload of 12,250kg can be carried.
• Only GKN specification pallets up to a maximum of 1.8 metres tall shall be used.
• These loads are fragile in nature being typically shrink-wrapped and as such load restraint must only be tightened to a rate before which deformation of the load occurs, exercise caution.
• Each block of 4 Pallets requires a single strap load restraint applying.
• Moving deck gates should be closed where it is possible to do so.
• Pallet loads must be adequately ‘built up’ with shrink-wrap providing stability to each pallet load.
• Pallets should be loaded centrally, maximising the gap between the pallet and the outer edge of the moving deck – facilitating the maximum gap in which load restraint can be accessed/operated.

The SSoW Version 8 for the 95 York Double Deck Box trailer, Pallet capable is attached.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB667 RM Transportation of Palletised Loads on 95 York Container (Tri-Capable) Double Deck Trailers

RM Logistics Third Party Site Assessment inc drivers pack MASTER 5

SSoW 95Y DDeck Box Trl – Pallet capable Apr 2018 v8 (2) (3)

TSB 16 18 Appendix 1 Revised MHE Decal placement

Dhollandia DH-SKS/SMR Retractable Aluminium Tail Lift (Slide Under)

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Discussions have been taking place between Royal Mail Fleet, Royal Mail Logistics and the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department via the RM Logistics/CWU National Joint Health and Safety Committee and CWU Logistics ASRs Group in relation to the introduction of retractable, slide under tail lifts.

Following the identification of the Dhollandia DH-SKS/SMR Retractable Aluminium Slide Under Tail Lift as a suitable type, the Tail Lift was demonstrated and tested before both sides developed a fit for purpose Safe System of Work which has now been completed.

The DH-SKS/SMR Tail Lift combines the advantages of a column lift with those of a slider lift with a flat level-ride platform, which is ideal to load and unload York roll-cages and other cargo loads.

Safely stored under the vehicle chassis the Tail Lift is protected from damage when reversing into loading docks, or when loading or unloading with MHE.

30 Trailers have been ordered by Royal Mail and built by Cartwright’s Group (Serial Numbers 8324016-8324045), fitted with the Dhollandia DH-SKS/SMR Retractable Aluminium Tail Lift and they will be used, running at various VOCs and RDCs. The reason for the introduction of this T/L type is for the transport of mail across RMG operations whereby the slide under design of this lift has the benefit of not needing to be deployed if not required i.e., when using a dock leveller, unlike current cantilever designs. This gives greater flexibility during peak pressure periods when sourcing Tail Lift trailers in the hire market is difficult.

Drivers using these Tail Lifts will receive training delivered by the ADCs (Advanced Driver Coaches), using the SSoW, which is common practice.

Operators need to ensure they position their feet and the Yorks correctly so they don’t overlap/roll off the front edge of the platform as this design cannot accommodate a toe guard. This is covered in the SSoW and Training.

The locations of the Trailers will be as listed below:-

1 x Southampton

8 x Chelmsford

2 x Peterborough

3 x Atherstone

5 x South West DC

1 x Birmingham

7 x NDC

2 x YDC

1 x Coventry

See attached photographs of the Trailer and Tail Lift plus a copy of the Safe System of Work and Photographs of the Trailer and Tail Lift.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB665 Dhollandia DH-SKS SMR Retractable Aluminium Tail Lift (Slide Under)

Dhollandia DH SKS SMR Retractable Alluminium Tail lift SSOW-(002)

Dhollandia DH-SKS – SMR Retractable Aluminium Tail Lift (Slide Under)

Post Office Ltd (POL) – Free Flu Jab Vaccination Scheme

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

This is to inform all CWU Branches with Post Office Ltd (POL) ‎members that the provision of ‘Free Flu Jabs’ has been discussed at the POL/CWU National Joint Health and Safety Committee and a communication has now been sent to all POL Branch Offices confirming that the Post Office will offer all Directly Managed Branch employees an opportunity to have a ‘Free Flu Vaccination.’

POL OH Assist have confirmed that ‘Free Flu Vouchers’ will be available for distribution to all staff towards the end of next week, allowing members to use these at participating pharmacies during December. The scheme will run until 31st December.

The final details have only been confirmed by POL’s National Health and Safety Manager last night and the final list of those members wishing to take up the offer will be required by close of play on Monday to ensure the vouchers are issued ahead of December. An e-mail has been issued to all Branch Office Managers calling for prompt action in collecting names of those employees wishing to accept the offer of a ‘Free Flu Jab’. ‎ All responses, including nil returns are to be sent to: Stephanie.c.mulholland@postoffice.co.uk

The ‘Flu Vouchers’ are valid until 31^st December and members will need to check where their local participating pharmacy is.

Members taking up the opportunity of a ‘Free Flub Jab’ will be expected to attend for their Flu Jab in their own time during December and can use the ‘Free Flu Jab Voucher’ at either Lloyds, Superdrug, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and other local pharmacy groups BUT NOT BOOTS who are not participating in this scheme as they run their own separate scheme‎.

The ‘Flu Jab Vouchers’ that will be issued to staff by the end of next week are ‘Prepaid’ and therefore it is important that those requesting a voucher, have every intention of using it by visiting a participating pharmacy and receiving the ‘Flu Jab Vaccination’ in December. The Vouchers will expire on 31^st December 2018.

Those members taking up the ‘Flu Voucher’ offer can check participating pharmacy locations through the website www.fluvouchers.co.uk‎. They can also check that their local or chosen pharmacy has a sufficient supply of ‘Flu Jab Vaccines’ available during December. There is no need to book an appointment but they should also check which days the ‘Flu Jabs’ are administered. In most cases, it will be daily.

This welcomed scheme has been finalised and CWU/HQ notified at extremely short and inadequate notice for effective dissemination of information of this nature and this point has been made to POL. However POL have responded regarding the timescales that this has been a logistical challenge and a late decision was made to introduced the Flu Jab offer and those staff who really want the vaccination will now have the opportunity and should be able to find time between now and the closure date at the end of December as they can simply walk in to a participating Pharmacy and we would encourage members to take up the offer and encourage others who are possibly unsure. Additionally POL have stressed that this is the final part of the Flu Jab programme, for DMB members colleagues.‎ CWU has requested a different and more timely programme next year but the main thing is that the offer matches other bigger employers such as Royal Mail and is therefore welcomed.

CWU Branches and POL Reps may wish to reinforce the message to CWU POL members today to ensure they have the opportunity to accept the offer and let their manager know if they would like a voucher for a ‘Free Flu Jab.’

Any POL managers requiring further advice or information should call Martin Hopcroft Post Office Head of Health & Safety‎ on 07889 045810‎or e-mail: martin.hopcroft@postoffice.co.uk.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB664 Post Office Ltd (POL) – Free Flu Jab Vaccination Scheme

MHFA England Open Letter To Prime Minister And Government To Amend Health and Safety Legislation To Put Mental and Physical First Aid On An Equal Footing

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Branches may have seen reports published in the media that business leaders had joined Mental Health First Aid England in a collective call for the UK Government to update health and safety legislation to protect mental health in the workplace.

On Monday 19 November 2018, an open letter to the Prime Minister signed by 50 leaders of Britain’s biggest employers including Royal Mail, PWC, W.H.Smith, Thames Water, Ford, MACE, Channel 4 etc., was delivered to 10 Downing Street calling on the Government to prioritise its manifesto pledge to amend health and safety legislation to put mental and physical first aid on an equal footing.

In a statement announcing the ‘Open Letter’ to the PM, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England said that the letter signed by industry leaders from across business, education and mental health, comes at a time when one in six people of working age will experience mental ill health including depression, anxiety or issues relating to stress. With over 28 million people in work in England, this represents nearly 5 million people. Mental health issues are also estimated to cost the UK economy almost £35 billion every year and 15.4 million working days are lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. The open letter shows that business leaders clearly recognise the need to support their employees’ mental health in the same way they do their physical health.

The change in legislation being called for would establish a baseline for protecting mental health in the workplace, ensuring no one is left behind. This is just one part of improving approaches to workplace mental health, but it represents an important step forward. Ensuring that first aid support is there for the millions of people who struggle with their mental health every year would make a big difference to people and get them to think about their health as a whole.

The impact of neglecting mental ill health in the workplace is two-fold: with an economic and human cost which should be alleviated.

By investing in the physical and mental health of the workforce it will not only unlock human potential in the workplace, it will reduce the human cost as well as the astronomical costs to the UK economy.

It is imperative the Government takes notice of UK employers, Trade Unions and the public who are standing up and calling for change.

The Open Letter follows the delivery of a petition of over 200,000 public signatures to 10 Downing Street as part of a mental health campaign called ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ founded by Natasha Devon MBE of MHFA England which has received cross-party backing from MPs from across the political spectrum. MPs had originally showed their support for the issue by signing an Early Day Motion tabled by Norman Lamb MP in October 2016.

As part of their 5-Year Mental Health Strategy ‘Because Healthy Minds Matter’, launched in October 2017, Royal Mail Group signed an agreement with the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department recently which commits the Company to have the same number of Mental Health First Aiders across our business as they do physical health First Aiders with the new national training programme of circa 5,500 First Aiders and all CWU Area Health and Safety Reps commencing in April 2019. 1,350 RMG employees, mainly managers but also a number of Union Reps and Mental Health Ambassadors, have so far been trained in MHFA across 1,800 sites, 96% of whom said they felt it helped them develop a better understanding of mental health symptoms and wellbeing.

The CWU has continued to campaign on Mental Health and has supported both the petition and the open letter as we firmly believe that everyone should have access to first aid support for their mental health regardless of where they work.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England is a community interest company (CIC), established in 2009. MHFA is the mental health equivalent of physical first aid training and provides participants with the skills and confidence to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues and effectively guide a person towards the right support, be that self-help or professional services. To date over 300,000 people in England have been trained in MHFA skills. The core principles of MHFA include: spotting the signs of a mental health issue, helping to prevent issues from getting worse and giving confidence in helping someone who is experiencing an issue. As well as the Adult MHFA course, the organisation runs a number of tailored courses including Youth MHFA, Higher Education MHFA, Armed Forces MHFA and Workplace MHFA. MHFA England has a vision to normalise society’s attitudes and behaviours around mental health by developing the skills needed to look after our own and other’s wellbeing. More information about the MHFA England organisation and MHFA courses can be found at www.mhfaengland.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB661 MHFA England Open Letter To Prime Minister And Government To Amend Health and Safety Legislation

Mini case study – Royal Mail – Final

Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre – A Political Protest by CWU Women – Saturday 24th November 2018

Further to LTB 617/18, we are writing to confirm further details in relation to the visit to Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre.

The meeting point on the day will be on Twinwood Road, MK41 6HL at midday.

I would be grateful if you can RSVP fhussein@cwu.org in order that we can have an indication of who will be attending.

The Equal Opportunities Department has contacted the detention Centre to alert them of our visit and we have also made a request to see if a social visit can be facilitated to allow a number of us to gain access into the Centre with a view to speaking with some of the detainees. We are waiting to hear what the response to this request will be. If you are interested in attending as part of an official CWU group, you will need to have an up-to-date passport, EC Identity Card or Photographic Driver’s License. If you do not have one of these, two of the following will also suffice.

• Birth Certificate 
• Marriage Certificate 
• Rail/Bus Pass with Photograph 
• Employer’s ID Card 
• Trade Union Membership Card 

For a full list of ID requirements, please visit www.yarlswood.co.uk. Their website states that “visits are a very important part of the Yarl’s Wood day and we encourage you to come and spend time with our residents as often as you can”.

Please note that anyone going in for a visit will be searched, biometrically fingerprinted and have their photograph taken as part of the visit clearance procedure. All finger prints are deleted after 3 months after the visit.

A programme of activity planned for our visit, will be circulated on the day.

Any enquiries, please contact the Equal Opportunities Department on 0208 971 7388 or 07906636766.

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward

General Secretary

LTB 662 – Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre – A Political Protest by CWU Women – Saturday 24th November 2018