In a post-9/11 world, encountering dangerous substances while working with the mail stream remains a definite possibility for all employees.
As a part of the Alabama District's ongoing commitment to emergency preparedness, employees at the Birmingham Plant and local rescue personnel participated in a simulated bio-hazard situation.
"An old baseball coach once told me, 'Practice what you do, and you'll do what you practice,'" said District Safety Manager Roy Campbell, who in the picture below points employees to the appointed meet-up site.
Employees evacuated the plant and walked to a centralized location that was several yards away from the main building. "Our procedure is to vacate the building, to account and care for our employees, and to deal with the situation," said Campbell.
"Our primary goal is to care for the safety and health of our people."
Birmingham Plant employees listen to instructions at the main gathering point.
Then, the men and women were separated. In these smaller groups, employees had the opportunity to ask questions.
Translation was arranged for hearing-impaired staff.
Then, everyone lined up to go through the decontamination tent. Once inside, emergency personnel explained what would happen there if this situation had been far more serious than a drill.
Campbell explained that the hour spent completing this drill was not just for postal employees but was also invaluable to the first responders. "This gave them a chance to integrate their procedures with ours so that we could work together in a cohesive fashion," he said.
