Safety Alert Archive
Suspicious Mail Notice
How to Respond to Suspicious Mail and Threat
Letters or Packages
The following information and recommendations (collected
from various sources) are provided to help you
safely and effectively handle these types of
incidents.
-
All campus personnel should
maintain an enhanced awareness of receipt of suspicious
letters
or packages.
Some common things to look for include:
-
Packages
with no return address or excessive postage.
-
Misspellings of common words or restrictive markings such
as “personal” or “confidential”.
-
Items
protruding from the envelope or package,
wet areas, openings, or
strange odors.
-
Unusually
heavy envelope and/or the presence of small
bulges of powder
or granules.
If you are concerned
about a particular
envelope or
package,
DO NOT OPEN
IT. There is little
risk of a release
of materials or risk of
exposure to you
if the envelope or
package remains
intact.
Call 711 (University
Police) and inform
them that you have a suspicious
envelope
or package.
-
If you open an envelope or package
and you find a letter
that contains a threatening
message or states that
you have been contaminated
with anthrax or some
other biological
substance, and no substance is
found:
-
Replace
the letter in the envelope and place the
envelope in a plastic
bag.
-
Wash
your hands with soap and water.
-
Call
711 (University Police) and remain at your
work location until they arrive.
-
If you open an envelope or package and you
observe some
type of powder, or powder
spills out.
-
Slowly and carefully put
it on a table or the floor, leave the material
alone and Call 711 (University Police).
-
If
there is material on your clothes, do not
brush it off as this may
disperse material into the air. Remain in place,
carefully remove your outer clothing,
and leave them on the floor.
-
Wash
your hands with soap and water.
-
Do
not walk around the office to show other
people or ask co-workers
to come in and take a look.
-
Do
not clean up the material.
-
Put
up a sign or warn others to stay away.
-
Remain
near your work location until University
Police arrive.
-
If there is a small explosion or release of material
from a package:
-
Walk
out of the space immediately, close the door,
and put a sign on the door to
prevent others from entering.
-
Call
711 (University Police) and remain nearby
to provide information to the
Police when they arrive.
-
Treat
yourself and your clothing as in #3, above.
People who may have been present in the room, but did not directly contact
the letter or substance, are at minimal risk for exposure. Individuals not
in the room at the time when the envelope or package was opened are not at
risk.
-
For
further information, please contact UMB Police
at 6-6882 or Environmental
Health and Safety at 6-7055.
-
These
recommendations will be updated as new information
is provided by
national and local authorities.
042203 Graphic courtesy of ATF
Your help in improving safety at the
University is appreciated!
Safety Alert # 0822
Safety Alert Archive