Social Distancing – Guidance for Collection Operations

Dear Colleagues, Disclaimer : Although these are adequate guidelines to adhere to regards safety on duty please note this is a royal mail document and not CWU agreed. Thank you

Dear Colleagues,

Social Distancing – Guidance for Collection Operations The Government guidelines on social distancing are that people should stay two meters apart in order to prevent spreading or catching infection. Our operational goal is to look at how we can achieve that for our people. Please ensure you let staff know that these changes are being implemented through small touchpoint huddles – no WTLL to take place New Ways of Working One person, one van rule. (no coaching/training) There should be only one person in a Royal Mail vehicle at any one time.

Everyone should wash their hands when coming in to and leaving the office, as well as at regular times during the day

. Cease WTLL sessions, and implement small touchpoint huddles adhering to social distancing rules.

Arrange indoor and outdoor operations to adhere to the two metre social distancing guidelines * * * Guidance: Below is a list of options that can be used in different collection hubs to support localised solutions. This list is not exhaustive and there may be better options for your units. General: Look at staggering start times to reduce contact and helps with hand washing when people arrive / leave.

Stagger meal reliefs if taken indoors to reduce the number of attending the canteen at a given time.

Arrange the canteen to ensure seating is 2 meters apart or if the canteen is too small, shut the canteen so people need to take breaks out on delivery Indoor operations Locker/Keys & Tabs: Ensure there only one person in a Key/SD locker or confined room etc, unless there is sufficient room to operate whilst maintain the two-meter advised social distancing.

When handing out keys apply a marker two metres away from the counter. Instruct people to stand behind the line and wait for keys, log books etc to be placed on the counter then wait for the colleague behind the counter to step back two meters before collecting the items.

Put in place a verbal baton passing for collecting items at the locker to prevent a queue forming i.e. walk 1 goes up first then let’s walk 2 know they can go up (maintaining the distance guidance) Outdoor Operations General: There should be only one person in a RM vehicle at any one time. Ensure that there are two sets of keys in use for the vehicle if possible On Collection: Reduced collections may provide more vehicle opportunity for Delivery- scope collection vans not used until later in the day should be fully utilised were possible.

MC collection vehicles to be used for delivery fully utilising window before collections start

Look at combining an LAT duty with a collection duty

All other safeguarding SOPs on outdoor processes should continue to be followed.

Avoid stopping to greet/talking to people on route, acknowledge them from a distance with a nod or a wave. If you need to pass someone on collection, move in to a driveway/path until the person has passed and is two meters away

• Particular care needs to be taken around the elderly and other vulnerable people, they will be more at risk from our employees than our employees are from them. • Move to a staggered shift pattern. Where possible people should continue with their normal duty Letter & Parcel Boxes Please be mindful of any members of the public that may be in the vicinity, be polite and ask them to give you a safe distance to collect the mail. If someone is approaching to post mail, step a safe distance away from the box and ask them to post the mail and then move a safe distance away so you can continue with your task. POLs: Distancing rules will need to be adhered to when collecting parcels over the counter and the associated paperwork. There should be a marker on the customer side of the counter highlighting two metres distance.

Ask any customers in the vicinity to remain 2m until the process has been completed. The POL representative must look to remain two metres apart at all times, ask them to place the collection mails on the floor at the 2m point and place associated paperwork on top of it. The POL representative must then return behind the counter any you can continue with moving the mail to your vehicle.

Return any paperwork by following the same process. Business: When collecting from a business premises, follow the same guidelines as above, maintain the 2m social distance as appropriate. UTR All other safeguarding SOPs on CSP processes should continue to be followed.

Cease multiple people working on the same sorting frames When segregating mail colleagues should stand one person to one table and leave 2m clear between each individual.

Only one person to despatch at any time.

Stagger meal breaks around tie down to reduce the number of people in the aisle at any one time.

Load/unload assist duties to ensure social distancing guideline are met when unloading at collection hubs and segregating into direct yorks