Nancy Workman Analysis

Each morning, letter carrier, Nancy Workman said she arrives at work 7:15 a.m., and sorts mail for about three hours. She said she then delivers the mail, which take about four to four and a half hours, and then returns to the office to make preparations for the next day until 3:15 p.m. According to Workman this has been her schedule for the last five and a half years as an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. Workman’s mail route covers approximately 23 square miles and she estimates that she walks about 12 miles each day.
Though carriers are able to choose their own delivery routes based on seniority, Workman said she opts for walking routes when most carriers prefer driving ones. “Most letter carriers prefer driving routes, but
She says winter is a particularly hard time to deliver mail not only because of the cold, but because there are less people to talk to. Because of the nature of Workman’s job she said she closely monitors the weather forecasts. “Once you are out there, you have no shelter. There’s no place you can hide. The worst thing is sitting at home the night before a major storm. I have problems sleeping on those nights, just thinking about the coming storm,” Workman said.
Workman said encounters with dogs are a minor job hazard and that she always carries a can of dog mace.
“I’ve only had a dog bite me once, and it was very minor, more like a mosquito bite. Dog poop though, can really ruin your day,” Workman said.
Workman said what she considers her most unusual experience as a letter carrier occurred when she noticed on of her patrons had failed to pick up his mail for several days.
“I didn’t want to overreact. But then I noticed the front door of his house was covered with flies. I went next door and asked the man’s neighbor to call the police. The police discovered that the middle-aged man had died of a heart attack several days ago. I was hoping I was wrong I was wrong, but I had an eerie feeling about the whole situation,” Workman