Effective February 14, 2019, the Postal Service™ is revising the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), section 831.332, to include the policy that Postal Service employees must not use a cell phone while driving on duty.
Adding the cell phone policy to the ELM will put the manual in line with the policy in section 3-5.4, Motor Vehicle Safety Rules, in Handbook EL-801, Supervisor’s Safety Handbook.
Although the Postal Service will publish this revision in the ELM at a later date, the standards are effective immediately.
Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM)
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8 Safety, Health, and Environment
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830 Motor Vehicle and Industrial Safety
831 Motor Vehicle Safety
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831.3 Driver Selection, Training, and Supervision
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831.33 Driver Supervision
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831.332 Drivers’ Responsibilities
[Revise the text in 831.332 to read as follows:]
Drivers must:
a. Drive safely and defensively.
b. Practice personal safety.
c. Obey all state and local traffic laws and Postal Service driving policies.
d. Extend courtesy in all situations.
e. Not use a cell phone while driving. Drivers must pull off the road to a safe location before using the phone.
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The Postal Service will incorporate this revision into the next edition of the online ELM, which is available on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:
n Go to blue.usps.gov.
n In the left-hand column under “Essential Links,” click PolicyNet.
n Go to the right-hand side under “Published Forms and Directives.”
n Click Manuals.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Safety and OSHA Compliance Programs,
Employee Resource Management, 2-14-19
