USPS worker in kitchen steak interior with mail truck

PHOENIX (CNN) – Arizona Representative Shawnna Bolick (20th District) is calling for an investigation into what she describes as dangerous working conditions for postal workers, KNXV reported.

Bolick sent a letter to the president of the American Union of Postal Workers, Mark Dimonstein, urging him to investigate reports of unsafe working conditions for factors due to the heat in Arizona .

"It's shocking to hear about the postal workers who have to withstand the extreme temperatures of Arizona that drive delivery trucks, many of which do not have air conditioning, consistently exceeding the 128 degrees" Bolick wrote. "Working conditions must be improved immediately to ensure the safety of the factors that experience these dangerous temperatures."

She says that many workers do not have adequate air conditioning in their vehicles, which causes dangerous conditions.

According to Bolick, a worker in her district sent her daily updates of temperature readings inside a courier vehicle, averaging 128 degrees.

According to Bolick, a worker even used his dashboard to cook a steak at an internal temperature of 142 degrees, which shows how hot the vehicle is during the day.

When asked to interview, no representative of the USPS was available, but they sent the following statement:

"We want to point out that the postal service works to protect its employees all year long through a solid health and safety program.It includes instructions for sending messages via scanners. mobile phones, frequent interviews on the recognition of heat-related illnesses and shadowing or hydration, as well as street monitoring, which check carriers during the day. work hard and we appreciate this effort in all conditions. "

Bolick said several postal workers in the Phoenix area had recently been sent to the hospital for treatment after becoming confused at work.

She ended the letter by asking the postal service a cause of action "to remedy the current situation".