The health and safety of U.S. Postal Service employees and customers is a priority. Over the past few years, our office has done a series of audits to determine if USPS management is adhering to building safety, maintenance, and security standards at its facilities.

Last spring, we issued an audit report that capped our reviews of processing facilities, and the previous year we focused on post offices. But our work didn’t stop there. Recently, we selected facilities to review based on a checklist we developed around building maintenance, safety, and security. Facilities with a number of deficiencies were selected first.

At three facilities in the Indiana District, we identified 33 deficiencies, ranging from minor to serious violations. At three post offices in the Mid-Carolinas District, we found that building maintenance and safety were not up to standards, with 20 deficiencies identified. Among them: rusting, damaged walls; missing ceiling tile, crumbling concrete on loading dock; damaged sidewalk and potholes; and restrooms in need of major repair. At one post office we noted a buckling of floors and uneven metal plates, as well as a substance on walls that appeared to be mold.

We recommended immediate corrective action with clear evidence that actions have been completed. Also, we recommended regular housekeeping duties inspections be undertaken, and remediation plans established for those items needing long-term corrective action.

As noted, our work in this area will continue as we identify additional facilities with many deficiencies, or improvements, based on our checklist. Have you observed any maintenance, safety, or security problems at Postal Service facilities?

Source / Comment: USPS Office of Inspector General