Background Postal Service employees who sustain a work-related injury or occupational disease are covered by the Federal Employeesâ Compensation Act (FECA). These benefits include wage-loss compensation, medical and rehabilitation services, and death benefit payments to surviving dependents. The Department of Laborâs (DOL) Office of Workersâ Compensation Program has the exclusive authority to administer, implement, and…
May 17, 2023 Effective May 12, 2023, the Postal Service has discontinued all Covid-19 specific protocols, including all memoranda of understanding, policies, and work practice restrictions and requirements. However, we must all understand that COVID-19 and other communicable diseases still pose a threat. Many members in their line of work are susceptible to these illnesses,…
May 11, 2023 A federal court determined that a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee who had filed an injury report in 2019 was âwrongfully fired,â OSHA announced. According to a news release, the employee, who was still in the new hire probation phase, told supervisors about the injury âand applied for workersâ compensation benefits.â Before…
Rising temperatures can put employees at risk for heat illnesses. When the body is unable to cool itself by sweating, heat illnesses such as heat stress, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke may occur. Symptoms range from mild and easily correctable to severe and potentially life-threatening. The United States Postal Service (USPS) implemented the…
March 16, 2023 The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has paused all new applications for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program. Unenrolled individuals cannot apply for the program. The suspension period, which will run for 24 months from Dec. 19, 2022, is designed to give OPM and the John Hancock Life and Health…
March 10, 2023 The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission recently vacated four Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for letter carriers in Benton, Arkansas; Houston and San Antonio, Texas; and Martinsburg, West Virginia, exposed to excessive heat. The commissioners concluded that OSHA failed to identify economically and…
Background The Safety and Health Program is intended to provide guidance through effective training to support and sustain the U.S. Postal Serviceâs work environment. Industrial accidents involve personal injuries as well as property damage that can include motor vehicle damage under certain conditions. Nationwide, most industrial accidents involved mail carriers assigned to retail and delivery…
OSHA News Release – February 7, 2023 Investigative Findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an inspection at the U.S. Postal Service’s Chesapeake facility on Aug. 30, 2022, responding to an allegation that the employer did not provide potable water to the facility or an operating bathroom. OSHA inspectors learned…
