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.”

With the heat index and humidity hovering in the nineties letter carriers will be delivering mail in record breaking temperatures that for many would be unbearable. While the majority of us work in air conditioned facilities, letter carriers are among those groups of people whose jobs require them to work outdoors in all kinds of weather including the unforgiving heat.

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 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, however 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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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

A self-supporting government business, 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 nearly 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, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance, out of the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, Oxford Strategic Consulting. 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.

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