Order Issued after Work Refusal by Postal Workers Modified

Two postal workers initiated a work refusal, claiming, among other things, that at numerous rural mail boxes, they had to make deliveries with part of their vehicle parked on the street, putting them at greater risk of getting hit from behind. They also had to remove their seatbelts and deliver mail through the passenger window, increasing their risk of injury. An OHS inspector investigated the refusal, found there was a danger and issued an order, which the employer appealed. The OHS Tribunal noted that both routes had been assessed using a traffic safety assessment tool and boxes that posed a safety risk were relocated. Other safety measures imposed after the assessment reduced the risk of an accident to a minimum. So it deleted that portion of the OHS inspector’s order [Canada Post Corporation v. Vivian, [2014] OHSTC 6, May 30, 2014].