Letter carriers are on the front line of severe weather conditions. Doorstep deliveries, painted porches and steps quickly grow hazardous, which is why Leroy Middleton, the postmaster of Boston, reminds us, “If letter carriers cannot reach your mailbox, they cannot deliver your mail.”

To help keep postal workers safe while making their appointed rounds, Middleton encourages residents to include their mailbox in their snow removal routine. “While salting and rubber-backed mats help, we rely on you to clear the snow,” Middleton says. “If there’s a warm spell, and the melting snow puddles, a quick freeze can make a sidewalk slick again.”

Residents that receive delivery to roadside mailboxes also must keep the approach to, and exit from, the mailbox clear of snow or any other obstacles, like trash cans and other vehicles. “The carrier needs to get in, and then out, without leaving the vehicle or backing up,” says Middleton. “The area near the mailbox should be cleared in a half-moon shape to give the carrier full visibility.”