To the Editor:

The daily routine of a carrier puts them on the front line in harsh weather. We can be the first to visit a home before snow removal or salting begins. And we may use stairways, porches or walkways that a family does not frequent during the winter months. That’s why the U.S. Postal Service reminds local residents to not overlook regular upkeep of residential mailboxes and walkways as part of any snow and ice removal routine.

Not only will that help avoid any delays in your mail delivery, but it can save a great deal of pain and suffering for letter carriers and costly expenses for everyone who uses the Postal Service.

Carriers are not required to deliver to locations where safety issues -- such as icy steps, snow-packed paths or icy overhangs -- create perilous conditions. That’s why we encourage customers to consider the best location for that mailbox, which may mean moving a box down from a porch.

For those with service at the road, it means clearing around the mailbox sufficiently to permit a postal vehicle to drive up for delivery. A carrier cannot leave that vehicle to service a mailbox.

Painted porches and steps are particularly hazardous. While salting or rubber-backed mats help make them less slippery, we rely on our customers to clear the snow before a letter carrier arrives with the mail. We know that this is an ‘extra effort’ for many of our customers and, sometimes, it is not possible. On a day like that, we may not be able to deliver at all.

Injuries can take a physical toll on a carrier. But the costs of injuries take a financial toll on the Postal Service as well. The average fall-related injury costs about $4,300 in medical and compensation expenses. Postal customers bear those costs.

We need you to be good neighbors this winter. Provide safe access for your letter carrier to make mail deliveries. We welcome the opportunity to serve you with excellence every day and thank you for your help!

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.