NALC Director of Safety & Health Brian Hellman urges NALC branches to alert members that as spring arrives, dogs are outside more often. Now is the time to include dog bite awareness information in your safety and health awareness program.
Hellman says the members need to be reminded that preventing dog bites is important to the safety and health of every letter carrier, every day. As soon you get out on the street, you are immediately exposed to potential harm from dangerous animals. Remember, in many instances, carriers are badly wounded despite pet owners’ insistence the their dog would never bite anyone. The Humane Society of the United States reports that small children, the elderly, and USPS Letter Carriers — in that order — are the most frequent victims of dog bites. In fact, recent statistics show the annual number of dog attacks exceeds the reported instances of measles, whooping cough, and mumps combined. Dog Bite victims account for up to five percent of emergency room visits. Medical expenses, workers’ compensation, legal costs, delivery curtailment, carrier replacement, and other costs associated with dog bite accidents are estimated to exceed $25 million annually for the Postal Service. The cost in employee pain and suffering cannot be measured. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Helpful Tips to Prevent Dog Bites | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tips to help letter carriers:
Tips for dog owners:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
© National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Click to order my free book on Dog Bite Attacks. |
Dog Bite Prevention Week in Mid-May-postal Carriers and Couriers are Often Victims