Posted By Allan St.John Holt Having had a number of queries recently from fellow safety people - at a guess Merv is going to receive some interesting Christmas parcels this year! - I thought readers might like to know that there is a Royal Mail handy guide (that runs to 8 pages) on what people can and cannot send through the mails. If anyone would like a copy of the Word version, please email me direct and I'll forward you a copy within the week. Allan

Posted By Allan St.John Holt Amazing! Whatever you post on the Forum, however helpful you try to be, there's always somebody waiting with a sideswipe! It's really simple - if it's bigger it costs more to send. Another (unofficial) way of looking at this is that if you have to bend the item to get it into the standard pillarbox slot, you most likely need the extra stamp. Sorry about the C word, though. I was just wondering why there was a sudden interest in what you can send, and thought of food parcels to Merv as an obvious solution. Can't think what made me mention the C word, I do agree with general feelings on this subject! Allan

Posted By BeSafe Allan, I recently had to post an A4 envelope and must admit that I couldn't remember how much postage to put on under the new system! If you have a Royal Mail guide covering this, that would be handy. I have also got three different editions of your very useful Principles book on my desk going back over about the last 12 years, but not the latest one. Please feel free to trial the new postage system by sending me a complimentary copy of your latest book if you wish!! Steve

Posted By Jeffrey Watt Jim A colleague worked in the Canadian postal force for about 10 years. Process for stealing whisky sent by post. 1 Procure large funnel 2 Hang large funnel on shelving in post room with spout downwards. 3 Place large jug below funnel 4 Gently tap wrapped bottle of whisky on steel shelve to break the neck of the bottle taking care not to damage brown paper. 5 Hang bottle in funnel allowing whisky to drain and brown paper to filter out any shards of glass 6 Decant from jug into lemonade bottle 7 Set broken bottle on radiator to allow brown paper to dry 8 Return bottle into post lanes to final destination recipient being none the wiser. Jeff

Posted By Allan St.John Holt That's the short version available to the public. What I was offering is a lot more detailed - but I have to say it's essentially the same material. The problem with all summaries such as the reference you give contains is that whatever you want to send doesn't seem to fit the categories exactly. My version has more examples! Allan

Posted By Jeffrey Watt anon Portable fluoroscope, every home should have one. Jeff

Posted By Robert K Lewis Allan I would like to get my hands on the cut out version which is meant to be available in all Post Offices. I have two loacally, because I live in a rural town!!! Neither has a copy - any sugestions By the way Yes I would like the full version Bob

Posted By Jim Walker Poor ol Allan! Can you imagine the conversation starting "what do you do for a living?" Me, I never admit to being in H&S, what must it be like to admit H&S AND post office. I bet he lies and says he is ..........an Estate Agent!

Posted By Merv Newman Allan, thanks for reminding people that I should be on their presents list. And I would not necessarily limit folks to the festive season. Any time will do. Merv

Posted By Allan St.John Holt Sorry for the delay in response - working for a living takes me out of the office occasionally. Well Jim, I'm sure you had your tongue in your cheek, but in all seriousness I'm really proud to be working with and for one of the top brands in the country, trying to make a difference and change a culture. I never ever deny my profession, because I'm proud of what we all do, and I'm keen to push the 'sensible safety' approach whenever I can. I don't know about you but I think we need more people to stand up and be counted, to rubbish the knee-jerkers and those who take safety in vain when they are really promoting other agendas. I think it really is possible for one person to make a significant difference to an organisation (however large) because of their personal contribution. If I didn't think that I wouldn't be working where I am, and I wouldn't spend quite a lot of my spare time passing the message on to newcomers to the profession. As for Royal Mail, it aspires to be a great place to work and I believe the great red machine is actually getting there. Sorry about the rant and off-topic comments! Allan