With much of the nation experiencing a heat wave, the Postal Service is reminding employees who work in hot conditions to take the following steps:
• Hydrate before, during and after work — even if you don’t feel thirsty.
• Wear light-colored, loose-fitting and breathable clothing.
• Avoid direct sunlight whenever possible. Apply sunscreen of at least SPF 30 and use shaded areas to stay cool.
The Postal Service’s Heat Illness Prevention Program is designed to ensure that employees are educated about heat-related illness and includes a heat safety awareness poster that is available for all facilities to download from the MyHR website.
The program is in place each year from April 1 through Oct. 31 and is triggered at any other time when weather reports issued by the National Weather Service for a particular work location indicate that the outdoor heat index temperatures are expected to exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit during a workday or work shift.
