OSC Health & Safety Goals, Strategy and Methods:

• Goals:
  • Improved DOT employee health and safety; decreased accidents, injuries and lost time
• Strategy:
  • Raise employee awareness of healthy lifestyles and safe practices through exemplary leadership, education, training and personal accountability
• Tools/Methods:
  • New Employee Orientation - emphasize health & safety expectations and responsibilities
  • Performance Evaluation - stress accountability of employees and supervisors
  • Training - reinforce good health & safety practices
  • Auditing - check compliance
  • Communication - provide information through bulletin boards, health & safety "Alerts", best practices, regulatory updates, wellness "fairs", Web site, etc.
  • Programs - detail and standardize requirements
  • Risk Assessment - determine employee exposure to adverse work conditions

Plow Rally:

The Plow Rally provides another venue for the sharing of safety information and innovations, but also presents the opportunity for NHDOT personnel to share and learn plow handling techniques.

DOT plow on the course.		OSC Administrator Bill Hauser (left) and OSC Safety Trainer Fred Butler man the Health & Wellness display at the Rally.
Plow mounting competition.	Plow wing slalom (avoid that mailbox!).	Demo of "shoulder scraper."
Rally fans watch through the fence.	The scores are carefully compiled, before declaring the winners.	Plow Rally winners receive their trophies from NHDOT Director of Operations Butch Knowlton (right).

District Safety Innovations:

Safety innovation prizes are awarded to those individuals or groups that invent new and innovates methods or tools to assist in performing daily tasks in a safer manner. Winning Ideas include:

Spreader Hydraulic Pressure Reliever
Joseph Cotton, Welding Shop Manager
Bureau of Mechanical Services:

This tool is used to relieve the pressure in the hydraulic system of spreaders when they are removed from the trucks. When the oil in the system expands due to temperature increases, there is no place for the oil to expand to. This results in damage to hydraulic motor seals and oil spilling onto the ground. These units save approximately $350 in damaged motors and are good for the environment.

 

Paint Pourer/Stirrer
Bruce Vanlandingham, Paint Shop
Bureau of Mechanical Services

This tool was developed to safely stir a large quantity of paint and pour from a large quantity container into small quantity containers. The tool allows this to be done without having to lift the large container.

 

 

Guardrail Post Puller
Richard Trempe and Dan Cloutier
District Four, Patrol Shed 414
Bureau of Highway Maintenance

The guardrail post puller allows for the safe extraction of broken guardrail posts from the ground. Pictured here is Ben Crosby.

 

 

Beaver Pipe
Mark Avery and Donald Beaulieu
Bureau of Highway Maintenance

This plastic beaver pipe is designed to control and regulate water flow and prevents beavers from building dams inside or in front of culvert pipes.

 

 

 

Catch basin Frame Remover/Installer
Ken Twombly
Patrol Shed 615 Kingston
Bureau of Highway Maintenance

Appropriately named, this invention is used to safely install or remove catch basin frames.

OSC Health & Safety Links of Interest:

• US DOT Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• NH Department of Labor
• State of New Hampshire Wellness Program
• NH Department of Health & Human Services
  • Tobacco Prevention and Control Program
• Regulations and Policies