Guide
for Handling Mail and Packages
This
Guide provides procedures for the handling of improperly addressed and
suspicious mail. The Guide provides ways to decrease the risk of potential
exposure to explosive devices and chemical or biological agents by college
employees who receive and sort mail and packages coming into our Central
Mail/Receiving at EpiCenter as well as those who receive mail and packages at
other College sites. These procedures will reduce the threat of exposure to
chemical or biological agents for all College employees and students who receive
mail via the College’s interoffice and intercampus mail. To be successful and
provide a reliable process, these procedures must be implemented uniformly
college-wide without exceptions.
1. All interoffice mail is to be
addressed to identify the sender as well as the receiver
Example: “To:
Jane Doe, Library, SP/G” ---- “From: John Doe, Library,
CL”
Since
this technique clearly identifies both parties and can be easily traced, it
removes suspicion if the contents of a package or letter make it appear odd
shaped or bulky.
2. All outgoing hand addressed mail
must have a complete mailing address and return address. This procedure has been
required by US Postal Service regulations for all out-going presorted College
business mail for several years.
3.
Mail
that is received by EpiCenter Mail/Receiving that does not have a complete
address and return address will be bagged as suspicious mail. The department or
person to whom the mail is addressed will be contacted to attempt to determine
whether the mail is legitimate or suspicious. If the suspicion and potential for
a health threat cannot be eliminated, law enforcement will be contacted to
investigate and determine what should be done with the suspicious
mail.
4.
The
administration urges all College employees and students to do their part to
reduce the anxiety and fear of receiving explosive devices or chemical or
biological agents through the mail by exercising the utmost care in addressing
all mail.
In
addition to improving the safety for all College employees, these procedures
will improve the efficiency of the mail sorting and delivery process. The number
of suspicious letters and packages will be greatly reduced and the mail sorting
process will not be delayed while staff attempts to determine where improperly
addressed mail should be delivered.
Response To Suspicious Packages, Letters and
Containers
Purpose: To provide guidance for all Mail/Receiving, Security and site Facilities Services staff for the safe handling of incidents involving suspicious packages, letters, or containers.
For the purpose of this guide, suspicious items may be defined as follows:
1. Letters and packages that have been identified by the mailroom or others, which meets criteria in Identifying Suspicious Parcels and Letters below.
2. Containers that are discovered in locations where they would not be expected under normal conditions. Some examples could include; unlabeled chemical container, medical vial, brief case, luggage, book bag, or a closed box with no identifiable markings located near entranceways, exits, hallways, cafeteria or vending areas, student lounge, or outside buildings.
3. Any item that appears out of place and cannot be identified or traced to someone or some activity.
1.
Do not panic. It is important for all of your actions to be careful
and deliberate.
2. Do not move or disturb the item.
3. If you know or suspect the item to be an explosive device or to contain a hazardous substance, isolate the area and evacuate all personnel from the immediate area or building.
Do Not Permit
Reentry until potential for personal injury has been
eliminated.
4. Contact Security and your supervisor as soon as possible.
5. If you cannot reach Security or your supervisor, call 911 immediately from a landline telephone. Do not use radios or cell phones. Turn off all cell phones, radios and pagers.
NOTE: This area is now
a potential crime scene; therefore, it is absolutely
essential that you prevent the area from being
disturbed.
If in doubt and an immediate
decision must be made,
Call
911
Isolate The Area
Evacuate The Area/Building
1. If the suspicious letter, package or container is not suspected to be an explosive device and there is no obvious danger of coming in contact with an unknown hazardous substance, i.e. powder, liquid, or solid material, put on disposable gloves and bag the item in a zip lock type bag or clear trash bag.
2. Remove gloves and place in a zip lock type bag or clear trash bag and keep in the same location with the suspicious item for law enforcement and health officials.
3. Wash hands with soap and warm water. Do not use bleach or other disinfectants.
4. Advise anyone who may have come in contact with the suspicious item to wash his or her hands.
5. Make a list of names and contact information for all persons who were working in the area. Note those who are known to have come in contact with the suspicious item. Provide this information to law enforcement and health officials.
1. Do not touch, move or attempt to clean up the unknown material.
2. Isolate the area immediately and prohibit entry by anyone except emergency services personnel.
3. Place gloves and any other items worn, i.e. shoes, outer clothing, that have come in contact with the unknown material in zip lock type or clear trash bags. Keep all items for law enforcement and health officials.
4. All persons who may have had contact with the unknown material should wash their hands with soap and warm water. They should shower with soap and warm water as soon as possible. Do not use bleach or other disinfectants.
5. Make a list of names and contact information for all persons who are known to have come in contact with the unknown material. Provide this information to law enforcement and health officials.
6. Carefully follow the instructions provided by law enforcement and health officials.
Be
wary of suspicious packages and letters.
They can contain explosives, chemical or biological agents. Be
particularly cautious of the following typical characteristics postal inspectors
have detected over the years. The following are characteristics of parcels or
letters, which should trigger suspicion and include those
that:
Are
unexpected or from someone unfamiliar to you
Have
no return address, or have one that can’t be verified as
legitimate
Are
marked with restrictive endorsements, such as “Personal,” “Confidential” or “Do
not x-ray”
Have
protruding wires or aluminum foil, strange odors or stains
Show
a city or state in the postmark that doesn’t match the return
address.
Are
of unusual weight, given their size, or are lopsided or oddly
shaped
Are
marked with any threatening language
Have
inappropriate or unusual labeling
Have
excessive postage or excessive packaging material such as masking tape and
string
Have
misspellings of common words
Are
addressed to someone no longer with your organization or are otherwise
outdated
Have
incorrect titles or title without a name
Are
not addressed to a specific person
Have
handwritten or poorly typed addresses
With
suspicious envelopes and packages other than those that might contain
explosives, take these additional steps against possible biological and chemical
agents.
Refrain
from eating or drinking in a designated mail handling
area.
Place
suspicious envelopes or packages in a plastic bag or some other type of
container to prevent leakage of contents.
Never sniff or smell suspect mail.
If
you do not have a container, then cover the envelope or package with anything
available (e.g., clothing, paper, trash can, etc.) and do not remove the
cover.
Leave
the room and close the door, or section off the area to prevent others from
entering.
Wash
your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your
face.
Report
the incident to Security and your supervisor, who will notify police and other
authorities without delay.
List
all people who were in the room or area when this suspicious letter or package
was recognized. Give a copy of this list to both the local public health
authorities and law enforcement officials for follow-up investigations and
advice.