Grand Rapids — The unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal service states “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

In the last few weeks, letter carriers have been delivering in the record breaking heat that for many of us would be unbearable. The majority of us work in air conditioned facilities, but letter carriers are among those groups of people whose jobs require them to work outdoors in all kinds of weather including the unforgiving heat of late.

To make sure that the letter carriers are properly informed and prepared for working in the heat, the Postal Service has been giving heat related service talks about working in extreme conditions.

Additionally they have been encouraging carriers to bring water with them on their routes, and to take their breaks and lunches in shaded and/or cool areas.

The Postal Service also gives the same precautions to other employees who are exposed to the heat in their jobs, but letter carriers are the largest group among these employees.

The Postal Service applauds the dedication of these and other employees who continue to deliver for our customers.

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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 — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office™ Boxes. The Postal Service™ receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.