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OSHA Strategic Partnership Program >
List of Current Partnerships >
USPS/APWU AFL-CIO/NPMHU |
 Printing Instructions
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United States Postal Service/American Postal Workers Union
AFL-CIO/National Postal Mail Handlers Union (#257) |
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Partnership Overview:
This Partnership will focus on implementing a process to aid in the
early identification of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), and control of the
risk factors that can cause injuries and illnesses to postal employees.
Partnership Goals:
- Improve the safety and health environment so that OSHA,
United States Postal Service (USPS), National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU),
and American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO (APWU) can work together to reduce
MSDs.
- Identify tasks and conditions where MSD incidents occur
and develop and implement ergonomic control processes to reduce or eliminate
MSD incidents.
- Train USPS local managers, supervisors, NPMHU and APWU
representatives, and the local Joint Labor-Management Safety and Health
Committees to ensure comprehension of ergonomic risks and control processes.
- Reduce the number of MSD related incidents, thereby
reducing the number of days away from work for both lost workday and
restricted duty cases associated with MSD incidents.
- Develop and evaluate best proven practices to be
implemented in other postal facilities with similar ergonomic issues. Share
best proven practices with applicable USPS operations with similar ergonomic
issues.
- Train local employees as appropriate to participate in the
ergonomic risk reduction process.
Partnership Objectives:
The USPS, NPMHU, APWU, and OSHA will work cooperatively to implement an ongoing
process to identify MSDs early, and control the risk factors that can cause
injuries and illnesses to postal employees.
This project will focus on implementing a process to aid in early identification
of musculoskeletal disorders, and control of the risk factors that can cause
injuries and illnesses to postal employees.
Results:
This partnership is clearly yielding positive results. Following are excerpts from the Annual
Partnership Evaluation Report covering 27 sites that have been utilizing ERRP for the full three
years. We have seen the most dramatic reductions in ergonomic–related injuries and illnesses:
- a 38% reduction in the MSD Recordable rate
- a 40% reduction in the Handling & Lifting rate
- a 38% reduction in Days Away, Restricted Work Day Case rate
ERRP sites continue to be successful in having much greater reductions in
ergonomic-related injury and illness rates compared to non-ERRP sites:
- MSD rates are 35 % less in ERRP sites
- Handling & Lifting rates are 18% less in ERRP sites
- Days Away Restricted Work Day rates are 71% less in ERRP sites
In the past three years, this has translated into a savings of approximately
$1.8 million in Workers’ Compensation Medical costs (a 39% reduction).
Training
The workforce is being trained to properly evaluate MSD related hazards:
- Over 77,000 of the 110,000 employees at these 85 sites have been trained
- Approximately 86,000 hours of training has been provided to these workers
Ergonomic Interventions
The ERRP has been successful in identifying a wide range of ergonomic interventions:
- Nearly 7,000 ergonomic task analyses have been conducted
- Ergonomic risk factors have been identified in 70% of these task analyses
- Ergonomic controls have been implemented in more than 50% of these task analyses
ERRP is changing the culture – one facility at a time – by creating self-sustaining ergonomic skill
sets and competencies to identify and control ergonomic risks. The key to the success of ERRP is top
management support and active employee involvement through the Joint Labor-Management Safety and
Health Committees and the Site Core Teams.
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