**Industry Best Practices for Mail Security**

Professional mailers use well-developed security practices. This is a
summary of best practices used by the mailing industry and shared with
the USPS. These suggestions may not apply to all businesses. Mailers
should determine which are appropriate for their company and conduct
periodic security reviews of their operation to identify needed
improvements. The list below contains general security concepts and a
few specific examples of how to accomplish them.

**Securing the Production Facility**

-   Control access to the plant site/work area.

-   Limit facility access to employees, known visitors and escorted
    visitors.

-   Lock all outside doors. Prohibit doors from being propped open.

-   Require deliveries to be made in a restricted area.

-   Restrict drivers to an area that is separate from the production
    facilities.

-   Use video cameras inside and outside the facility.

**Transportation Security**

-   Clean trucks, trailers, and mail transport equipment between
    shipments.

-   Seal all inbound shipments of supplies. Record the seal number on
    the bill of lading.

-   Use trucking companies certified by and registered with the U.S.
    Department of Transportation and that are fully insured.

-   Seal all outbound trailers that move among mailer facilities and
    between mailer facilities and USPS facilities with numbered seals.

-   Record the serial numbers of the seals on the bill of lading and
    have the driver check them upon arrival.

-   Note on the bill of lading if a shipment arrives with a broken seal,
    and investigate the shipment.

-   Use DSAS and other systems to track the location and expected time
    of arrival for all shipments. Investigate any delays.

**Employee Security**

-   Maintain good hiring practices.

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-   Perform background checks on all employees prior to hiring.

-   Make exclusive arrangements with one or two temporary employment
    agencies to ensure that a restricted, pre-screened group of
    individuals are available when needed to supplement the workforce.

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-   Establish an employee identification program.

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-   Require employees to wear photo ID badges.

-   Instruct employees to challenge any unknown person in a facility.

-   Provide uniforms with names and logos stitched on them for employees
    to wear at work.

-   Provide a separate area for personal items (e.g., coats and purses).
    Prohibit employees from taking personal items into the main
    workspace.

**Mail Preparation**

-   Use tinted stretchwrap around bundles and pallets. The shrinkwrap
    identifies the mail as coming from a professional mailer and allows
    for easier detection of tampering.

**Recommendations for Mailpiece Design**

-   Use safety seals and tamper-proof envelopes.

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-   Use transparent envelopes.

-   Use closed window envelope rather than open window envelopes.

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-   Use a postmark or indicia that matches the city and state of the
    return address.

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-   Use a full return address and recognizable company logo on the
    outside of mailpieces.

-   Include a contact name and phone number or email address in all
    correspondence.

-   Discontinue using \"handwritten\" fonts.

-   Include a toll-free number and web site on the outside of the
    mailpiece.

-   Use indicia or metered postage instead of live postage stamps.

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-   Inspect all pre-printed inserts.

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-   Assess use of premiums such as pens and magnets, which make
    mailpieces lumpy and misshapen.

-   Review production processes to eliminate any substances that could
    be misidentified as a biohazardous material by employees or
    customers.