Report on a review of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety Program and the Elevator and Escalator Safety Program administered by Iowa Workforce Development for the period July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2010

Report on a review of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety Program and the Elevator and Escalator Safety Program administered by Iowa Workforce Development for the period July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2010

Drivers' Behavior at Railroad Grade Crossings: Before and After Safety Campaign, HR-335, 1992

In April 1991 the Iowa Department of Transportation, the CNW Transportation Company, the SOO Line, and local agencies and business in the Mason City/Clear Lake area initiated an Operation Lifesaver program to attempt to increase public awareness of safety issues and safe behavior at railroad-highway grade crossings. This document reports an initial study of data on traffic characteristics at a selected set of grade crossings in Cerro Gordo County taken before and after the safety program. Twenty-two crossings were studied. The 13 crossings at which collisions were reported for the five years prior to the study were included in the sample of sites. Two field observations were made at each study crossing before the Operation Lifesaver campaign was in full swing, and two observations were made after the conclusion of the main effort of the campaign. The summary of each data set is contained in a companion volume. The research shows that Operation Lifesaver altered drivers' behavior in the following ways: (1) reduced approach speeds and crossing speeds at crossings with low speed limits, (2) reduced the percent of drivers approaching the crossing at speeds in excess of the posted speed limit, and (3) increased alertness of drivers to railroad crossing hazards as evidenced by more drivers looking for a clear track. Thus, Operation Lifesaver enhanced safety in street and highway traffic operations in the vicinity of railroad-highway grade crossings.

Drivers' Behavior at Railroad Grade Crossings: Before and After Safety Campaign, HR-335, Survey Data Summaries, 1992

Summaries of the data gathered for this project.

Feeding and the Equilibrium Feeder Animal Price-Weight Schedule, June 2005

The feeder animal price is a derivative in the sense that its value depends upon the price of animals for the consumption market. It also depends upon the biological growth technology and feed costs. Daily maintenance costs are of particular interest to the husbander because they can be avoided through accelerated feeding. In this paper, the optimal feeding path under equilibrium feeder animal prices is established. This analysis is used to gain a better understanding of feeding decisions, regulation in feedstuff markets, and the consequences of genetic innovations. It is shown that days on feed can increase or decrease with a genetic innovation or other improvement in feed conversion efficiency. The structure of comparative prices for feeder animals at different weights, the early slaughter decision, and equilibrium in feeder animal markets are also developed. Feeder animal prices can increase over a weight interval if biological feed efficiency parameters are low over the interval.

Emerging Biofuels: Outlook of Effects on U.S. Grain, Oilseed, and Livestock Markets, 2007

Projections of U.S. ethanol production and its impacts on planted acreage, crop prices, livestock production and prices, trade, and retail food costs are presented under the assumption that current tax credits and trade policies are maintained. The projections were made using a multi-product, multi-country deterministic partial equilibrium model. The impacts of higher oil prices, a drought combined with an ethanol mandate, and removal of land from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) relative to baseline projections are also presented. The results indicate that expanded U.S. ethanol production will cause long-run crop prices to increase. In response to higher feed costs, livestock farmgate prices will increase enough to cover the feed cost increases. Retail meat, egg, and dairy prices will also increase. If oil prices are permanently $10-per-barrel higher than assumed in the baseline projections, U.S. ethanol will expand significantly. The magnitude of the expansion will depend on the future makeup of the U.S. automobile fleet. If sufficient demand for E-85 from flex-fuel vehicles is available, corn-based ethanol production is projected to increase to over 30 billion gallons per year with the higher oil prices. The direct effect of higher feed costs is that U.S. food prices would increase by a minimum of 1.1% over baseline levels. Results of a model of a 1988-type drought combined with a large mandate for continued ethanol production show sharply higher crop prices, a drop in livestock production, and higher food prices. Corn exports would drop significantly, and feed costs would rise. Wheat feed use would rise sharply. Taking additional land out of the CRP would lower crop prices in the short run. But because long-run corn prices are determined by ethanol prices and not by corn acreage, the long-run impacts on commodity prices and food prices of a smaller CRP are modest. Cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass and biodiesel from soybeans do not become economically viable in the Corn Belt under any of the scenarios. This is so because high energy costs that increase the prices of biodiesel and switchgrass ethanol also increase the price of cornbased ethanol. So long as producers can choose between soybeans for biodiesel, switchgrass for ethanol, and corn for ethanol, they will choose to grow corn. Cellulosic ethanol from corn stover does not enter into any scenario because of the high cost of collecting and transporting corn stover over the large distances required to supply a commercial-sized ethanol facility.

Mobility and Safety Impacts of Winter Storm Events in a Freeway Environment Final Report, February 2000

Several factors influence a driver’s decision to travel, choice of vehicle speed, and the safety of a particular trip. These factors include, among others, the trip purpose, time of day, traffic volumes, weather and roadway conditions, and the range of vehicle speeds on the roadway. The main goal of the research project summarized in this report was the investigation of winter storm event impacts on the volume, safety, and speed characteristics of interstate traffic flow.

Integrated Risk Management for Improving Internal Traffic Control, Work-Zone Safety, and Mobility during Major Construction, TPF-5(081), 2012

Highway construction is among the most dangerous industries in the US. Internal traffic control design, along with how construction equipment and vehicles interact with the traveling public, have a significant effect on how safe a highway construction work zone can be. An integrated approach was taken to research work-zone safety issues and mobility, including input from many personnel, ranging from roadway designers to construction laborers and equipment operators. The research team analyzed crash data from Iowa work-zone incident reports and Occupational Safety and Health Administration data for the industry in conjunction with the results of personal interviews, a targeted work-zone ingress and egress survey, and a work-zone pilot project.

Safety and Mobility Impacts of Winter Weather --Phase 3, SPR RB01-012, 2014

Highway agencies spend millions of dollars to ensure safe and efficient winter travel. However, the effectiveness of winter-weather maintenance practices on safety and mobility are somewhat difficult to quantify. Safety and Mobility Impacts of Winter Weather - Phase 1 investigated opportunities for improving traffic safety on state-maintained roads in Iowa during winter-weather conditions. In Phase 2, three Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) high-priority sites were evaluated and realistic maintenance and operations mitigation strategies were also identified. In this project, site prioritization techniques for identifying roadway segments with the potential for safety improvements related to winter-weather crashes, were developed through traditional naïve statistical methods by using raw crash data for seven winter seasons and previously developed metrics. Additionally, crash frequency models were developed using integrated crash data for four winter seasons, with the objective of identifying factors that affect crash frequency during winter seasons and screening roadway segments using the empirical Bayes technique. Based on these prioritization techniques, 11 sites were identified and analyzed in conjunction with input from Iowa DOT district maintenance managers and snowplow operators and the Iowa DOT Road Weather Information System (RWIS) coordinator.