Post Office delivers winter safety message: Please keep walkways clear

Forecast calls for harsh winter weather, with a strong chance of slips, trips and falls
According to this year’s Old Farmer’s Almanac, winter in the upper Midwest will be colder than normal,

We urge customers to do the right thing, not just for our letter carriers, but for everyone

with precipitation near - or slightly above - normal. Whether one can bank on the Almanac’s weather predictions is just part of the annual publication’s charm.
But ice and snow hold little charm for the letter carriers who deliver millions of cards, letters and packages through harsh winter weather.
“Snow and ice on sidewalks and front porches present a serious safety challenge for our letter carriers across the region,” said Gail Duba, manager of the U.S. Postal Service’s Des Moines-based Hawkeye District. The district covers most of the Iowa and the Illinois communities near the Quad Cities.
“Our employees take their jobs seriously and take pride in reporting to work - regardless of the conditions,” Duba said, “but if access to the mailbox is blocked by snow or ice, we remind them that safety is paramount to delivering the mail.”
The Postal Service is reminding customers to keep access to the mailbox clear. “Our carriers will battle freezing temperatures, ice and snow in many parts of the Midwest,” Duba explained. “We urge customers to do the right thing, not just for our letter carriers, but for everyone.”
By taking these safety measures, a prediction of fewer injuries due to ice and snow is one that everyone can bank on.