Postal workers waiting on heat protection more than 2 years after Dallas carrier’s death

WASHINGTON – More than two years after a Dallas postal worker died from heat exposure on the job, letter carriers say the United States Postal Service has yet to take steps required to fully protect them when the temperature and humidity soar.

The 2023 death of Eugene Gates Jr. prompted a federal citation and $15,625 fine against the Postal Service, along with renewed calls from union leaders and lawmakers for stronger heat-safety standards.

Carla Gates said her husband’s death still hangs over their home and has driven her call for stronger heat protections so other workers are not exposed to a workplace “death trap.”

The Postal Service contested the Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation and is negotiating a settlement. Kimetra Lewis, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Lone Star Branch 132, hopes any resolution includes a commitment to real action.

“We would like some strong language that will assure us that the Postal Service will follow all the rules and policies that are put in place and ensure that the letter carriers are safe,” Lewis said.

The case has become a test of whether the Postal Service will move beyond awareness campaigns and training programs to embrace robust safeguards sought by unions that include clearer authority for carriers to pause work during dangerous heat.

It also has sharpened demands for a national standard protecting all workers who toil in high heat, a worry in Texas and other states that experience brutally scorching summers.

The Postal Service has declined to comment on details of the OSHA citation, which alleged it failed to protect workers from high heat, intense humidity and direct sun exposure on June 20, 2023.

Gates, 66, collapsed on the job that day as the heat index hit 113 degrees. An autopsy found he died from the heat and heart disease.

The Postal Service has said generally the safety of its employees is paramount and highlighted its Heat Illness Prevention Program, which includes mandatory heat-related safety training and other measures.

Carriers are reminded to stay hydrated and told to immediately contact 9-1-1 if they experience symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, according to the Postal Service.

‘Not enough’

Critics have said mail carriers are encouraged to keep working in high heat and cited allegations that training records were falsified in some locations.

A 2024 Office of Inspector General report found shortcomings in the Postal Service’s heat safety program, including training that was not always certified or presented correctly in group settings and materials that were not always available to carriers.

Postal Service management agreed with most of that report’s recommendations.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, and other members of Congress sent letters after Gates’ death, advocating more comprehensive protections.

Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, said the union has long pressed for stronger heat-safety protections.

Progress has been made, he said, but the risks from extreme heat have intensified over time, a danger underscored by Gate’s death.

“His loss is definitely still, even a few years later now, a jarring reminder that more has to be done in terms of having protocols in place and just protections for letter carriers that are exposed to that hazard of excessive heat,” Renfroe said.

The adoption of the prevention plan was a welcome move, Renfroe said, but more is needed.

“There’s nothing wrong with what’s in there,” Renfroe said. “It is just not enough.”

Requiring water and rest

The safety program lacks measures recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, he said, such as allowing workers who return to hot conditions after a period away to ease back into their duties, allowing their bodies to adjust.

Another sought-after provision is a highly structured work-rest regimen with breaks triggered after the temperature passes certain thresholds, Renfroe said.

Such an approach would prompt workers to take breaks when needed rather than feel they have to keep pushing to make deliveries in the scorching heat.

“When it comes to safety sometimes you have to protect people from themselves,” Renfroe said. “It’s the type of illness, and we’ve seen this over and over again, that by the time the body really feels it, it’s really too late.”

OSHA proposed a rule in 2024 that would require employers to provide water and rest breaks when temperatures reach specified thresholds. It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will implement the rule.

Gates’ death resurfaced for local carriers in summer 2025 after Jacob Taylor, a Dallas letter carrier collapsed on his route on a day when temperatures were in the 90s.

An autopsy later indicated Taylor, 51, died of natural causes unrelated to heat exposure.

Turning loss to legacy

Gates’ death still doesn’t feel real to his widow, Carla Gates, who visits his grave site every two weeks and still can’t bring herself to donate his boxed-up belongings.

The loss has hung over the holiday season.

“For the last two years there has not been anything Christmas-y about this house,” she said. “I don’t even celebrate Christmas anymore. I just call it a family holiday. That’s how deep it is.”

She said her husband, who worked for the Postal Service for more than 35 years, loved his job and was a dedicated employee.

She said she wants to see federal requirements adopted that will protect other workers from suffering his fate. Doing so would honor his memory and save lives.

“These companies have to protect the people that have to work out in extreme conditions,” she said. “They are essential workers and they need to be protected more.”

Protecting postal carriers

•OSHA heat standard: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is weighing a proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention rule, which the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) endorsed as a needed national workplace standard.

•USPS heat program: The United States Postal Service operates a seasonal safety program outlined in Postal Bulletins, with policy and form updates issued in mid-2025.

•Inspector General review: A USPS Office of Inspector General audit found inconsistent training and incomplete safety postings in the heat program, with management agreeing to most corrective recommendations.

•Congressional pressure: In 2024, 77 members of the U.S. House urged USPS to adopt stricter extreme-heat protections, citing systemic risks to workers.

•Union advocacy: NALC continues to press for enforceable heat-safety standards, arguing voluntary guidance leaves carriers exposed during extreme temperatures.

SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research