usDepartment of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

ROADBUSINESS

Address :

Technology Transfer CenterUniversity of New HampshireDepartment of Civil EngineeringTransportation Research & Computation GroupDurham, New Hampshire 03824·3591

Phone:

603-862-4348 or 1-800-423-0060(New Hampshire Only)

Fax:

603·862·2364

Center Staff :

John A Anderson

Charles H. Goodspeed

Jennifer Rand

Edwin R. Schmeckpeper

Director

University Liaison

Admin. Assistant

Research Engineer

Vol. 6 No.2 July, 1991

J )

Above: The City of Keene. NHinstalls the first Con-Span bridgein the state

Precast ConcreteModular BridgeDo you have a need for a shortspan bridge?Do you have a limited budget?Do you need fast installation?

Ifyou answered yes to any of the abovequestions then the precast modular bridge,located in Keene, New Hampshire shouldinterest you. This bridge, which replaced acollapsed metal culvert, was installed onDecember 20,1990 by the Keene Depart­ment of Public Works and ConcreteSystems. Inc. of Hudson Hew Hampshire.

Bridge Installation:

The Concrete Systems crew installedthe bridge components and workers fromthe city of Keene provided support services.The Keene crew constructed the footings,did the excavation, and performed all thework required to prepare the site for theCon-Span bridge installation. As shown inthe photographs on pages 6 and 7, a cranewas used to lift the bridge components fromthe flatbed trailers and set the pieces inplace .

_ The bridge structure is comprised offour sections, each section is 8 feet wide,and extends across the entire stream. Thesections for this bridge have a 24' span and a9' rise at the center. The two end sectionsinclude an integral guardrail support. Thebridge also includes upstream and down­stream wingwalls on both sides of thebridge. "One advantage that this type ofbridge has compared to other prefabricatedbridges," explained Thomas Dutton, KeeneCity Engineer, "is that the guardrails weredesigned to meet the new NHDOTstandards." The new standards specify a30,000 lb horizontal load.

Four NHDOT staff members whoshowed up to watch the bridge beingerected said that there was only oneproblem with the bridge installation..... "Itwent up too fast!" The first bridge unit waserected starting at approximately 9:00 AMand the last bridge section was in place bybefore 10:30AM.

The Con-Span bridge components aresized so that they may be shipped by tractortrailer. For the Keene bridge the endsections each weigh 28 tons and the interior

continued on p. 3

Where Are YourHazardous Materi­als?If you're in charge it's yourresponsibility to inform... If you'rea worker it's your right to know ...

A large number of vehicle maintenanceproducts seem to be hazardous. There arealso paints, adhesives, welding gasses, acids,pesticides, bowl cleaners, aerosols, and avariety of other materials. New Hampshire'sRSA 277-A, the Worker's Right to KnowAct (W.R.T .N.), requires making a yearlyinventory of hazardous materials, and having"Materials Safety Data Sheets" on hand for

continued 011 p. 2

- ALSO IN THIS ISSUE --

• Dam It •• Those Beaversl 4

• Photo Essay·· BridgeConstruction 6

• Policies & Procedures 8

• Local Road LibraryCatalog-- 5

• Are "Super Singles" GoodFor Your Roads 9

• 1990 Edition of "The GreenBook" by AASHTO 10

• How Much Salt Will BeNeeded This Winter? 10

Hazardous Substances...continued from p. 1

all hazardous materials.In addition to W.R.T.N. the disposal

and handling of hazardous materials mustfollow the procedures outlined in RSA 147A-D (for additional information about RSA147 A-D contact the New HampshireEnvironmental Services, Division of WasteManagement, at 271-2900). However,managing hazardous substances is mainly amatter of careful housekeeping: keep track,load from the back, and use it up . Ifyoudon't have any hazardous waste you won'thave to worry about hazardous waste rules.

Making An Inventory

The first step in managing hazardousmaterials more safely is to make aninventory. This involves reading the labelsof products. Hazardous ones often havewarning labels. Most cleaners and solventsare hazardous, as are penetrating oils,gasket and thread makers, rust inhibitors,diesel fuel conditioners and gas line deicers,and epoxy resin adhesives among manyothers. The difficulty behind the inventorytask is that no single comprehensive listexists. Furthermore, reading the label maybe difficult for many items since it iscommon practice to buy products in bulkthen put smaller quantities into othercontainers. Also, labels often deteriorate onolder products. None-the-less, under NewHampshire law every hazardous substancemust be properly labeled.

Should you need assistance in develop­ing your inventory we recommend callingthe Compensation Funds of New Hamp­shire (CFNH) at 1-800-852-3328. Thisorganization handles workers compensationfor most of the towns in New Hampshireand does a tremendous job in the area ofloss prevention. Check with your townoffice, you may already be a part of CFNH.Ifyou aren't give them a call anyway andfind out what they have to offer.

Another great source for assistance isthe New Hampshire Labor Department.We recommend calling Stephen Beyer,Safety Engineer, at 271-2024. We foundStephen to be extremely helpful and willingto answer any questions that we had abouthazardous materials in the work place.

Use It Up

In many highway garages there are a lotof old products in half-empty containers.Most of them are still good but nobody

wants to use them. Disposing of theseproducts makes the maintenance garage ahazardous waste generator. Even one bottleof a hazardous substance must be treated inaccordance with the state's hazardous wastelaws. The key is to use that stuff up beforeit gets too old to use or the containersdeteriorate. Ninety-eight percent of itshould never become hazardous waste. Youmight try closer inventory control so partialcontainers are finished before new ones arestarted and to make sure that products donot stay on trucks for weeks and months at atime. -

Buy Non-hazardous Replace­ments

Many companies now offer non­hazardous solvents and other products. Asyou reduce your inventory, replenish it withnon-hazardous replacements. Ifyoursuppliers don't offer any tell them that youwant them.

Beware of Salespeople Bear­ing Samples

Some garages have a whole shelf offree samples. It may be free when the salesperson offers it to you, but will have to payfor disposal if it is hazardous. We recom­mend never taking samples unless you'resure you will use it. Ifyou do try it, use itup.

WARNING - Hazardous mate­rials present in this work­place!

This sentence commands attention, andit should, because it brings attention toinformation which every employee needs toknow. Awareness caused by this statementcould save a life, which is why in 1983legislation was passed regarding anemployee's right to know about hazardoussubstances in the workplace. This legisla­tion is known as the Worker's Right ToKnow (W.R.T.K.). In general, it states thatemployers must:

1. Train all employees within 30 days ofhire on the nature of the substances towhich they will be exposed , detailingcorrect and safe handling of thesesubstances under any circumstances,and advising employees of the potentialrisks involved.

page 2

2. Post an obvious notice (notice mustcontain the word warning, in largeletters) listing the names of all toxicsubstances to which employees 'may beexposed . This notice must also contain:hazards caused by exposure to thesubstance, known symptoms ofexposure and over-exposure, emer­gency treatment methods for exposureand overexposure, the conditionsrequired for safe use and exposure tothe substance, clean up procedures forleaks and spills, and emergencyprocedures in case of fire or othercircumstances which would increase thehazardous or toxic properties of thesubstance.

3. Post availability of MSDS (MaterialsSafety Data Sheets) on such substances,and provide MSDS within 72hoursfrom an employee request. MSDS areavailable from the manufacturer,producer, or formulator of a substance.

4. Submit MSDS's to local fire depart­ments, as well as inform them as to thelocation of hazardous substances inyour facilities.

5. Ma intain MSDS files for 30 years afterdiscontinued use of a toxic substance.

Employees rights include:

1. Reception of training prior to workinvolving toxic substances.

2. Reception of MSDS's on toxicsubstances in their workplace.

3. Refusal to work with such substancesand to file a complaint with Depart­ment of Labor with no chance ofdischarge or disciplinary action byemployer.

Along with these rights,employees have the right toknow the following informa­tion:

1. The names of toxic substances whichare present in the workplace, andnames of products which contain anytoxic substances (this is not requ iredfor commercial products, but isrecommended by the NH Departmentof Labor).

continued on p. 6

Policies &Proce­duresAtkinson has a new manual worthlooking at

Earlier this year the town of Atkinson,New Hampshire had a manual developedfor them by a consulting firm that is trulyworth sharing with other towns in our state.The manual is designed to assist both theboard of selectmen and the road agent byoutlining the general policies and proce­dures that surround the town's highwayoperations.

The book is basically divided onto twoparts: (1) highway policies & procedures; (2)New Hampshire RSAs specifically related tohighway operations. The first part outlinesthe policy on contracting goods/services, onequal employment opportunity, on conflictof interest, and the roles and responsibilitiesof the selectmen and highway agent. Itcovers operating procedures such as budgetpreparation, project planning and schedul­ing, system record keeping, and roadwayand equip ment maintenance. It lays out anunderstanding of administrative duties suchas departmental monitoring, complaintresponse, personnel practices, and insuranceand liability protection. In addition, themanual covers emergency responseprocedures (including snow & ice control),bridge inspections and maintenance,highway aid and recovery of damages.

The second part of the manual (theappendix) is a copy of pertinent RSAs . Howoften have you wanted to have a single easyto use collection of RSAs that relateprimarily to highway operations?

From this angle the town of Atkinsonhas a good working document in theirhands. We were pleased to find that manyof the items designated as importanthighway operations were things that the T2Center has been working on with othertowns. In particular, the RSMS (RoadSurface Management System) program thatis currently being implemented in numeroustowns, the MEMS (Municipal EquipmentManagement System) that is now beingtested in four towns, and the SIMS. (SignInventory Management System) also in atesting phase in two New Hampshire towns.All of these programs relate to crucialaspects of highway operations. We wereadditionally happy to see that the manytraining programs sponsored by the T2Center over the last four years target otherfacets of highway operations also outlined inthe manual.

For more information on highway trainingor on the specific programs mentionedabove contact the T2Center at1-800-423­0060 or 603-862-4348. For more Informa­tion on the content, use, need and pur­pose of the Highway Operations Proce­dure Manual contactthetown of Atkinson,New Hampshire at 603-362-5266. Forspecific information onthe development,references, and organization of themanual contact DRJ Associates, Incor­porated at 603-898-4219. •

Hazardous Substances...continuedfrom p. 2

2. The physical hazards related to a toxicsubstance; such as flammability, andreactivity.

3. Overall health effects due to over­exposure, and the symptoms of over­exposure, for instance; dizziness,nausea, headache, etc.

4. Intake routes which may cause healthhazards, which are; inhalation,ingestion, absorption, and injection.

5. Safety procedures, which include butmay exceed handling procedures andprotective equipment.

6. Emergency procedures in case ofaccident.

7. A non-technical description of possiblehealth hazards related to the toxicsubstance.

8. Date on which MSDS's were compiled,and the name and address of person orcompany responsible for compiling theMSDS.

It is important to note that these lawsapply only to public sector employees.The private sector must conform toOSHA's Hazard Communication Stan­dard.

Source: Highlightsof RSA277-AW.R.T.K.;WI T2Center Newsletter, Crossroads, Fall1988.•

page 8

c:,) ......"',,C.'UMN

1.005 COMPUTER I~

LRLC - Local RoadLibrary CatalogThousands of short local roadarticles now at your fingertips

Road Businessis just one of 46newsletters distributed around the country.Each of these publications is packed full ofshort practical articles geared toward localgovernment officials responsible for roadand bridge maintenance and construction.

The New Hampshire TechnologyTransfer Center has recently developed anexciting new computer program to assist youto quickly and easily locate any of thethousands of articles now on me at the NewHampshire Technology Transfer Center.Each article listing includes title, descrip­tion, and complete source information.

We refer to this new program as LRLC(Local Road Library Catalog). To runLRLC requires MS-DOS 2.0 (or higher)and a hard drive (if any of this soundsconfusing just give us a call and we'd bemore than happy to show you how simple itreally is). We are offering the program toall interested towns at no cost. Most of youhave some access to a computer at eitheryour town office, your library, or your localschool. If not, you can come in and useours . To receive your copy of LRLC pleasecontact the New Hampshire T2 Center at 1­800-423-0060.

Even the most inexperienced computeruser will find the LRLC program easy tomanipulate. Each article is classified in amanner that will allow users to make eithervery general or very specific topicalsearches. Articles can be searched for bychoosing any number of primary categories,secondary categories or key words. Addi­tionally, one can request that articles besearched for by state and/or year. The endresult is a list of articles meeting yourspecified parameters.

For example, you want to acquire someinformation about culverts - just followthese three steps:(1) Enter culvert as a keyword and in lessthan 5 seconds you can see descriptions

continuedon p. 10