Dear mailman, in case of a dog, run! An annual survey found that 6,549 U.S. Postal Service (USPS) workers were attacked by dogs in 2015.
The USPS annual survey ranks cities according to the frequency of dog attacks reported by USPS workers. The 2015 list has 51 cities in the top 30 as some cities have the same number of reported dog attacks.
In the 2015 dog attack ranking, Houston, Texas nabbed the top spot with a total of 77 dog attacks, followed by San Diego, California, and Cleveland, Ohio, which were tied in second place with 58 dog attacks each.
In third place, we have Chicago, Illinois and Dallas Texas with 57 dog attacks each.
The U.S. agency also shared two new measures aimed at improving employee safety.
The new Package Pickup application on the USPS website will ask customers to disclose if the address indicated has a resident dog. This new feature took effect starting May 13.
"The Mobile Delivery Devices that letter carriers use to scan packages to confirm delivery will include a feature that allows carriers to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address," shared USPS Safety Director Linda DeCarlo.
The Mobile Delivery Devices will help the substitutes for regular letter carriers who are on scheduled leaves. This feature will roll out in spring.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 4.5 million people in the country suffer from dog bites each year. The agency added that one out of five cases becomes infected.
Children, especially those aged 5 to 9 years old are the most at risk for dog bites across all demographics. The CDC said that men are also more likely to get bitten by dogs compared to women.
Surprisingly, many dog bite cases happen at home. Even more bizarre is the fact that many of these cases involve pets that are most familiar to the victim.
Together with the American Humane Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Veterinary Medical Association, State Farm Insurance and the Insurance Information Institute, the USPS is helping spread the message that dog bites are "a nationwide issue."
Moreover, education can help reduce dog bite incidents and even prevent such attacks among people regardless of age and gender.
Photo: Steve Garner | Flickr
