Thursday, February 07, 2002
Terrorism

Respiratory Protection of Postal Workers

Rep. Waxman has written to the Postmaster General about the importance of safety mask 'fit tests' in protecting the respiratory health of Postal workers. A fit test is a simple procedure that assesses whether a mask used for respiratory protection fits properly. On November 15, 2001, after the U.S. Postal Service purchased more than 4 million masks, Rep. Waxman asked the Postmaster General to follow CDC recommendations and provide fit tests to all interested postal workers. In January, 2001, however, the Postal Service responded that it would not provide these important safeguards to employees. On February 7, 2001, Rep. Waxman writes to urge the Postmaster General to reconsider this decision and immediately inform all postal workers of the importance of fit tests.