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Post by allanorn on Jan 16, 2019 18:15:06 GMT
BBC LinkWhile reading over today's news, I found a bill introduced in Parliament to mandate higher-height letterboxes going forward, allowing 70-170cm (27.5-67 inches) from the ground. Apparently there have been consistent issues with mail carriers being bitten/scratched by pets and back troubles from bending over to deliver the post. The US equivalent of the UK letterbox is the mail slot in doors ("door slots"). USPS has guidelines and standards for both mailbox height and door slots, but they may not carry the weight of law.
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Post by Mia on Jan 16, 2019 18:26:17 GMT
I just saw this. My slot isn't low down, but I remember a childhood friend's front door was mostly glass, and that the slot was right at the bottom.
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Post by Gary S on Jan 16, 2019 20:26:33 GMT
Whether they have force of law or not the rural carriers won't deliver to a mailbox that doesn't meet their height restrictions. They have a form that they will leave in any non compliant mailboxes which states you have a limited number of days to fix the issues and after that time your only option is to pick up your mail at the post office or face having it returned to sender. We got one when I was a teenager after the road grader snapped off our mailbox post at ground level and my dad simply reset what was left of the post in the ground. The form even tells you how deep to set your post and recommends that the post be of a small diameter so that anyone striking it with a vehicle will not be injured. Needless to say my dad ignored those instructions and cemented a 3 foot diameter post 5 foot deep in the ground and dared the road grader to hit it again. He did and it took a two inch deep gash out of the post but failed to move it in the slightest. I assume the road grader learned his lesson as that has been the only mark we've ever found on the pole in 30 years. It has been struck by cars that slid off the roadway but I have no idea if the drivers were injured. The post certainly wasn't.
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Post by Gary S on Jan 16, 2019 20:43:22 GMT
My question is what is considered too low and why homeowners should have to meet more stringent requirements than actual post offices do. I found an older and newer image of US post offices that show how even newly designed post offices place letter boxes just inches above the floor. Is it the same over there in the UK?
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Post by distractedmom on Jan 17, 2019 15:28:44 GMT
Whether they have force of law or not the rural carriers won't deliver to a mailbox that doesn't meet their height restrictions. They have a form that they will leave in any non compliant mailboxes which states you have a limited number of days to fix the issues and after that time your only option is to pick up your mail at the post office or face having it returned to sender. We got one when I was a teenager after the road grader snapped off our mailbox post at ground level and my dad simply reset what was left of the post in the ground. The form even tells you how deep to set your post and recommends that the post be of a small diameter so that anyone striking it with a vehicle will not be injured. Needless to say my dad ignored those instructions and cemented a 3 foot diameter post 5 foot deep in the ground and dared the road grader to hit it again. He did and it took a two inch deep gash out of the post but failed to move it in the slightest. I assume the road grader learned his lesson as that has been the only mark we've ever found on the pole in 30 years. It has been struck by cars that slid off the roadway but I have no idea if the drivers were injured. The post certainly wasn't. That's a great story!
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Post by Bob on Jan 17, 2019 17:44:50 GMT
BBC LinkWhile reading over today's news, I found a bill introduced in Parliament to mandate higher-height letterboxes going forward, allowing 70-170cm (27.5-67 inches) from the ground. Apparently there have been consistent issues with mail carriers being bitten/scratched by pets and back troubles from bending over to deliver the post. The US equivalent of the UK letterbox is the mail slot in doors ("door slots"). USPS has guidelines and standards for both mailbox height and door slots, but they may not carry the weight of law. Thank you for posting the guidelines. Until viewing them just now, I had not idea my door slot is not compliant. Thankfully Manny intervened last year, and I had an approved mailbox put up outside. The color image midway down the page (it also shows up in the carousel) shows one result of his intervention. insert code here
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Post by rosesnbrambles on Jan 18, 2019 1:37:35 GMT
My question is what is considered too low and why homeowners should have to meet more stringent requirements than actual post offices do. I found an older and newer image of US post offices that show how even newly designed post offices place letter boxes just inches above the floor. Is it the same over there in the UK? I'm just guessing but I think a person renting a letter box at the local post office can request a box that isn't on the floor - particularly if they have health concerns/mobility issues that make bending that low problematic (assuming another box is available of course). I'm not surprised there are regulations for homeowners to follow regarding the height of the mail box. There are regulations for placing fences and plants on your property line along roadways, fence height, etc.
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Post by Gary S on Jan 18, 2019 4:27:37 GMT
I was pointing out that if the post offices are requesting that homeowner's mail slots be required by code to be placed higher on the homeowner's door then who's back is the PO sacrificing to load the mail into those postal boxes a foot off the floor in their own building? I realize if you have mobility issues you can request a higher mailbox, if any are available, but unless the mail room is two foot lower than the rest of the building those workers are bending and stooping anyway. I just respectfully think they should fix their own issues first before pointing out the problems with door slots out on the postal rounds as being the culprit for all their back injury claims.
It seems to be a case of do as I say not as I do with the post office higher ups. Of course I have never been inside a post office in the UK so their boxes may well be all waist high or higher unlike here in the states. I realize space is at a premium inside a building located in a major metropolitan area but if you're serious about removing possible sources of potential back injuries then you have to show a willingness to sacrifice in designing your own new buildings.
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Post by rosesnbrambles on Jan 19, 2019 3:26:51 GMT
I understand what you are saying. It might be interesting to ask a postal worker how those lowest boxes get filled. I've always assumed the postal workers stuffing those mailboxes sit on a stool. When I shelve picture books for kids, I absolutely use a stool for the lowest shelves because I don't want to bend and straighten so often throughout the day. I also set aside the books that go on the lowest shelves down one aisle and do all of those when I've finished the other stuff on that aisle. I've been known to sit in the floor and slide sideways along the aisle when I couldn't find a stool. I think the regulations for height of residential mailboxes have more to do with car windows and how inefficient it would be for the mail carrier to have to get out of the car or at least open the door every few stops along the route to reach a mailbox that is too low or too high. I can understand how it would be helpful to have door slots at a designated height for carriers who walk their route and are obliged to use the letter slot on doors. I have to admit letter slots on doors don't get used much where I live (rural area of the NC Piedmont region)
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