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CWU's Dave Joyce National Health, Safety & Environment Officer, has issued a letter to all CWU branches covering this year's Dog Awareness Week being held next month on 3 – 9 July 2023 Writing in his Letter To Branches (LTB154/23) Dave gives details on a specific issue which Unionsafety reported on last month - that of using a posting peg when delivering letters at addresses where dangerous dogs are known to live, and indeed as a precautionary measure when delivering to any home that has a dog. Click the pic to the right to download the LTB. Here, he refers to the situation of protecting oneself from being bitten:
The key message to all delivery Postmen and Women CWU members this Dog Awareness Week 3 – 9 July 2023 is follow the ‘Golden Rule’ and ‘Never Put Your Fingers Through the Letterbox’. Use a ‘Posting Peg’ whenever you can, especially where there’s a dog at the address. The ‘Posting Peg’ isn’t suitable or practical to use on every occasion due to the type of mail piece being delivered or with certain types of letterbox. However, whatever the circumstances, deliveries should never be made by pushing your fingers through the letterbox aperture so that they protrude through the other side, on the inside of the property and thereby provide a ‘sitting target’ for a dog waiting to pounce on the inside. Remember that not all dogs ‘kick up a racket’ and bark loudly, giving warning signs that they are there. Dogs are intelligent animals and on many occasions when postmen and women have had fingers bitten off, the dog sat in complete silence, obviously not wanting to frighten away their ‘prey or ‘target’. Then as soon as the postman or postwoman’s fingers came though the letterbox the dog launched a ferocious attack biting into or clean through the fingers or hand. In a recent case in Liverpool a postman did the right thing by using a posting peg and as he did so a dog inside attacked and bit clean through the tough hard plastic posting peg (see attached poster photo). On this occasion the trusty posting peg certainly saved the hand and fingers of a CWU member postman from a dangerous dog. The posting peg therefore can, and does, prevent serious injury, saving postmen and postwomen from being bitten by a dangerous dog whilst delivering mail through an unguarded letter box.' Click on the poster below to download on PDF form ready for printing:
See also the Unionsafety E-Library for further information on Dangerous Dogs, plus the full LTB154/23 Source: CWU See also: Posting Peg Bitten By Dangerous Dog Highlights Dangers To Postal Delivery Workers |
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