Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures for IDDE and Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping

In April 2003, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s). A total of 45 New Hampshire communities (six fully regulated and 39 partially regulated) became subject to Stormwater Phase II regulations based on their designation as Urbanized Areas according to the 2000 US Census

Government review of the Mod-2 wind turbine (as-built)

The findings and recommendations of the Government committee formed to conduct an as-built review of the three Mod-2 wind turbine units at Goldendale, Washington are given. The purpose of the review was to identify any critical deficiencies in machine components that could result in failure, and to recommend any necessary corrective action before resuming safe machine operation. The review concluded that one of the deficiencies identified would preclude planned attended or unattended operation, provided that certain corrective actions were implemented

Quality assurance program guidelines for application to and use by manufacturers of rail/guideway vehicles, buses, automatic train control systems, and their major subsystems

Guidelines are presented for a quality assurance system to be implemented by the manufacturer in support of designing, developing, fabricating, assembling, inspecting, testing, handling, and delivery of equipment being procured for use in public urban mass transit systems. The guidelines apply to this equipment when being procured for: (1) use in revenue service; (2) demonstration of systems that will be revenue producing or used by the public; (3) use as a prototype for follow-on operational/revenue producing equipment procurements; and (4) qualification tests

Policies to Reduce Lead Exposure: Lessons from Buffalo and Rochester

Lead exposure remains a major issue in cities, such as Buffalo and Rochester, with concentrated, segregated poverty and old, deteriorated housing stock. Exploring and comparing local policies and programs in these two cities, the author suggests that increasing the number of proactive housing inspections in high-risk areas and forming a single-purpose non-profit group dedicated to lead education and advocacy are two valuable interventions. He recommends additional policy steps, such as more stringent inspection standards; state adoption of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renovation and Repair Program; the lowering of state elevated blood level thresholds; a focus on in-person, interactive education by community health workers; and more vigorous enforcement of testing requirements among physicians

The development and deployment of a maintenance operations safety survey

Objective: Based on the line operations safety audit (LOSA), two studies were conducted to develop and deploy an equivalent tool for aircraft maintenance: the maintenance operations safety survey (MOSS). Background: Safety in aircraft maintenance is currently measured reactively, based on the number of audit findings, reportable events, incidents, or accidents. Proactive safety tools designed for monitoring routine operations, such as flight data monitoring and LOSA, have been developed predominantly for flight operations. Method: In Study 1, development of MOSS, 12 test peer-to-peer observations were collected to investigate the practicalities of this approach. In Study 2, deployment of MOSS, seven expert observers collected 56 peer-to-peer observations of line maintenance checks at four stations. Narrative data were coded and analyzed according to the threat and error management (TEM) framework. Results: In Study 1, a line check was identified as a suitable unit of observation. Communication and third-party data management were the key factors in gaining maintainer trust. Study 2 identified that on average, maintainers experienced 7.8 threats (operational complexities) and committed 2.5 errors per observation. The majority of threats and errors were inconsequential. Links between specific threats and errors leading to 36 undesired states were established. Conclusion: This research demonstrates that observations of routine maintenance operations are feasible. TEM-based results highlight successful management strategies that maintainers employ on a day-to-day basis. Application: MOSS is a novel approach for safety data collection and analysis. It helps practitioners understand the nature of maintenance errors, promote an informed culture, and support safety management systems in the maintenance domain

Advanced Gas Turbine (AGT): Power-train system development

Technical work on the design and effort leading to the testing of a 74.5 kW (100 hp) automotive gas turbine is described. The general effort was concentrated on building an engine for test starting in July. The buildup progressed with only routine problems and the engine was delivered to the test stand 9 July. In addition to the engine build effort, work continued in selected component areas. Ceramic turbine parts were built and tested. Burst tests of ceramic rotors show strengths are approaching that achieved in test bars; proof testing is required for acceptable strength ceramic vanes. Over 25 hours was accumulated on the combustor rig in three test modes: pilot nozzle only, start nozzle, and main nozzle operation. Satisfactory ignition was achieved for a wide range of starting speeds and the lean blowout limit was as low as 0.06 kg/b (0.14 lb/hr). Lean blowout was more a function of nozzle atomization than fuel/air ratio. A variety of cycle points were tested. Transition from start nozzle flow to main nozzle flow was done manually without difficulty. Regenerator parts were qualification tested without incident and the parts were assembled on schedule. Rig based performance matched first build requirements. Repeated failures in the harmonic drive gearbox during rig testing resulted in that concept being abandoned for an alternate scheme

Photovoltaic system criteria documents. Volume 2: Quality assurance criteria for photovoltaic applications

Quality assurance criteria are described for manufacturers and installers of solar photovoltaic tests and applications. Quality oriented activities are outlined to be pursued by the contractor/subcontractor to assure the physical and operational quality of equipment produced is included. In the broad sense, guidelines are provided for establishing a QA organization if none exists. Mainly, criteria is provided to be considered in any PV quality assurance plan selected as appropriate by the responsible Field Center. A framework is established for a systematic approach to ensure that photovoltaic tests and applications are constructed in a timely and cost effective manner

Inspections: Software development process for building defect free software applied in a small-scale software development environment

Inspections is a software management technique designed to produce higher quality software and improve programmer productivity. These improvements are achieved through rigorous examination of the products in each phase of the software development life-cycle. While the process has generally been applied to large-scale mainframe projects, this research demonstrates successful implementation of inspections in a small-scale, micro-processor based software development project

Rig check

Rig Check was developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in partnership with safety experts from the oil and gas extraction industry. It is made up of 35 inspection forms. The forms are designed to be used by rig workers to document the inspection of tools and equipment commonly found on rotary and workover rigs. Each inspection form includes instructions for assessing and recording the condition of the equipment. When applicable, relevant federal regulations and industry recommended practices are included. The Rig Check inspection forms are an excellent training tool for short service employees, who may not be familiar with the tools and equipment found on oil and gas rigs. Small companies whose safety and health resources are limited may find Rig Check useful for enhancing their HSE programs. The forms can also be downloaded from the NIOSH website at: www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/oilgas/products.html.Rig Check Monthly Inspection Forms: -- Emergency Response: -- 1. Emergency Response Plan -- 2. Emergency Equipment -- 3. Alarms & Shutdown -- 4. Fire Extinguishers -- 5. Eye Wash Stations -- 6. First Aid Kits -- -- Electrical Safety: -- 7. Energy Isolation -- 8. Electrical Systems -- -- Fall Protection: -- 9. Harness & Lanyard -- 10. Retractable Lifelines -- -- Stairways & Walkways: -- 11. Stairways & Landings -- 12. Handrails & Guardrails -- 13. Gratings & Walkways -- -- Lines & Slings: -- 14. Auxiliary Hoisting Lines -- 15. Static Hanging Lines -- 16. Synthetic Web Slings -- 17. Wire Rope or Cable Slings -- 18. Chain Slings -- 19. Shackles -- -- Tools: -- 20. Hand Tools -- 21. Power Tools -- -- Hoses: -- 22. Hose & Fittings -- 23. Safety Chain & Whip Check -- -- Chemical Hazards: -- 24. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) -- 25. Chemical Storage -- 26. Compressed Gas -- -- Ladders & Platforms: -- 27. Fixed Ladders -- 28. Portable Ladders -- 29. Fixed Platforms -- -- Other: -- 30. Dropped Objects -- 31. Housekeeping -- 32. Tubular Storage -- 33. Pins and Keepers -- 34. Machine Guarding -- 35. Load Path Welds"November 2012."Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (8.08 MB, 74 p.)

Salisbury College: report from the Inspectorate (FEFC inspection report; 86/96 and 20/01)

The Further Education Funding Council has a legal duty to make sure further education in England is properly assessed. The FEFC’s inspectorate inspects and reports on each college of further education according to a four-year cycle. This record comprises the reports for periods 1995-96 and 1999-2000