Postal staff working in Cheltenham have been banned from wearing shorts on health and safety grounds. It was feared that postal staff who wear shorts in bad weather might get frost-bite, chapped skin or they may suffer worse injuries if they fall on ice or snow than they would do if they were wearing trousers.
However, some of the staff are not too happy about the ban, stating that they would prefer to wear shorts in all weather. As some of the staff can walk up to 10 miles a day on rounds, wearing shorts keeps their legs cool.
One anonymous member of staff said, "I find wearing shorts much more comfortable as I feel more restricted in trousers and my legs do get warm."
The ban was announced following an incident where a member of staff grazed their leg after falling in icy conditions.
Royal Mail spokesman Adrian Booth said, "Our priority is for the health and safety of our staff and risks of frostbite and chapped skin should not be taken lightly. Following a local incident in which a colleague was injured in a fall, we advised our staff in the Cheltenham area not to wear shorts, to reduce the risk of injury during severe local weather."
He added, "Now weather conditions have improved, our staff have been advised that this guidance is no longer relevant."
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