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Information Resources

Volpe Center Highlights

Safety

Promote public health and safety by working toward the elimination of transportation-related deaths, injuries, and property damage.

Panel Chaired on Study of Breath Alcohol Testing (NHTSA)

The Volpe Center provides ongoing support to NHTSA in discharging legislatively mandated responsibilities by conducting studies of techniques for measuring alcohol on the breath and in blood. The studies include evaluation of breath-alcohol testing procedures and practices of state law-enforcement agencies. As part of this work, Dr. Arthur Flores, of the Center's Safety and Environmental Technology Division, recently participated in the Eighth Annual Conference of the International Association for Chemical Testing, held in Milwaukee, WI. He chaired the panel entitled "Study of Breath Alcohol Tests Under Variable Conditions," which included representatives from the Arkansas Department of Health, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Nebraska Crime Commission, and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene. By participating in the Conference, Dr. Flores obtained valuable up-to-date information on a broad range of topics of concern to managers of state alcohol countermeasures programs.

Presentation to System Safety Society (FTA)

Mr. William T. Hathaway, of the Volpe Center's Safety and Security Systems Division, recently presented to the Boston Section of the System Safety Society, a presentation on accident investigation in mass transit, including discussion of a Center-developed week-long training course on rail accident investigation. During the past several years, the Center has also participated in a number of safety investigations. Mr. Hathaway's presentation discussed the purpose, objectives, and process involved in conducting investigations for both major and minor accidents, as well as the types of accidents investigated and how contributing factors and probable causes are determined.

Testing of Crane for Use in Removal of Nuclear Missiles from the Former Soviet Union (DOD)

The Volpe Center's Infrastructure Systems and Technology Division is supporting the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) in the development of railroad equipment for removal of nuclear missiles in the former Soviet Union. Mr. Tim Newfell has been advising DNA as to the acceptability of a heavy (225 ton) rail crane for use in the missile removal process. This crane will be used in the event of derailments and loading and off-loading of missiles onto rail cars that will be sent to facilities for disposal as part of the U.S. - Former Soviet Union disarmament program. With representatives of DNA and the former Soviet Union, Mr. Newfell recently conducted a successful technical acceptance and load test of the first 225 ton rail crane at the Kirow Company site in Leipzig, Germany. An operational test in Brest, Poland is planned in May while this rail crane is being shipped to Perm, Russia.

Submission of Hazardous Materials Transportation Report (RSPA)

The Volpe Center's Environmental Engineering Division is providing analytical and technical support on the safe transport of hazardous materials to RSPA's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS). An important focus of this support is the flow of hazardous materials by truck, water, and rail within the United States. As part of this effort, the Center has been examining commodity flow studies, and as a result recently submitted to OHMS the final report entitled "Guidance for Conducting Hazardous Materials Flow Surveys." At the request of OHMS, this report has been made available to the general public. The report provides guidance on how to conduct a commodity flow study for hazardous materials moving by highway. A case study example is included that illustrates how to perform a hazardous materials flow survey. OHMS plans to use the report in upcoming presentations and training. In a related effort, the Center is currently engaged in developing a series of reports on bulk truck shipments of 147 large-volume, non-fuel chemicals that together account for at least 80 percent of U.S. truck shipments of hazardous chemicals. The Center recently submitted to OHMS a draft of the second report in the series, "Truck Transport of Dodecene-1." Dodecene-1 (also called propylene tetramer)--with an estimated U.S. production of 200,000 short tons in 1987--is an intermediate product used in the production of chemicals for agricultural products, plasticizers, surfactants, and lubricating oil additives. Dodecene is combustible, can irritate the skin and eyes in the case of exposure, and is harmful if swallowed. The principal contributions of the report are the identification of producers of the chemical and their major industrial customers, estimates of the ton-miles and truck-miles of bulk truck shipments of the chemical by state, and maps of the expected flows of the chemical by specific highway routes.