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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-54A
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-54A
                          **Date:**
            12/23/2011
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Plasticade
                          **Device Description:**
            Lightweight Plastic Drums
                          **View PDF:**
            wz54a.pdf (250.21 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-54A

            	
          	DOT logo
            	U.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration
                400 Seventh St., S.W.Washington, D.C.  20590**
                
          	
			 
			**Download Version**PDF [251 KB]
                
        	December 23, 2011
          In Reply Refer To: **HSST/ WZ-54A**
            Henry Ross
              Director of Government Relations
              Plasticade
              7700N. Austin Avenue
            Skokie, Illinois   60077
Dear Mr. Ross:
          This letter is in response to your request for  the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to review a roadside safety system  for eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.
Name of system:
                Lightweight plastic drums with warning lightsType of system:
                Work Zone Channelizing Traffic Control DeviceTest Level:
                NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 3Testing conducted by:
                N/ADate of request:
                March 7, 2011Date initially acknowledged:
                 March 7, 2011Date of completed package:
                October 5, 2011**Decision:**
            The following device is eligible, with details provided  below:
Lightweight plastic drums with warning lightsBased on a review of the analysis submitted by the  manufacturer certifying the device described herein meets the crashworthiness  criteria of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report  350, and input from the Texas Transportation Institute, the device is eligible  for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.  Eligibility for reimbursement under the  Federal-aid highway program does not establish approval or endorsement by the  FHWA for any particular purpose or use.
The FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United  States Government do not endorse products or services and the issuance of a  reimbursement eligibility letter is not an endorsement of any product or  service.
**Requirements**
  Roadside safety devices should meet the  guidelines contained in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program  (NCHRP) Report 350 or the American Association of  State Highway and Transportation Officials' Manual for Assessing Safety  Hardware.  The FHWA 
Memorandum "Identifying Acceptable Highway  Safety Features" of July 25, 1997 provides further guidance on crash testing.**Description**
  FHWA Letter WZ-54, dated September 15, 2000, included  plastic drums with warning lights as Category I devices.  In Section C, *Drums with Warning Lights*,  there is a table that describes design features of drums in common use at the  time this memo was issued. Features included dimensions, materials, weights,  etc. The weight range for drums is 4.5 kg to 7.3 kg. Some states and government  agencies are interpreting this table as specifying minimums and maximums for  these devices. Since 2000, several drum manufacturers have decreased the wall  thickness at the lower portion of their drums in order to facilitate easier  stacking, without compromising the thickness of the handle or the effective  light mounting capability of the drum. In addition, crash testing under MASH  criteria on lighter weight devices with lights has shown successful results.  The critical issue is the attachment of the light to the device. As long as  this attachment remains consistent and viable, the weight of the device holding  it can vary outside of the weight ranges originally contained in the table.
You requested that drums lighter than 4.5 kg be  considered eligible for reimbursement. We contacted Dr. Roger Bligh of the Texas  Transportation Institute regarding this issue as TTI conducted the early crash  testing of drums with warning lights attached. Dr. Bligh concurred that  reduction in the mass of the drums below 4.5 kg would not have an adverse  affect on the crashworthiness of drums, provided that the strength of the part  of the drum where lights are connected was not changed.
**Findings**
  We concur that plastic drums conforming to the MUTCD  Section 6F.67 weighing up to 7.3 kg are eligible for reimbursement and should be  installed under the range of conditions tested, when such use is acceptable to  a highway agency. Drums with Type A or C warning lights firmly affixed to  adequately strengthened mounts using vandal resistant hardware may be  self-certified as crashworthy by the vendor.
Please note the following standard provisions that apply to FHWA  eligibility letters:
This finding of eligibility is limited to the  crashworthiness characteristics of the systems and does not cover their  structural features, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control  Devices.
  Any changes that may adversely influence the  crashworthiness of the system will require a new letter.
  Should the FHWA discover that the qualification  testing was flawed, that in-service performance reveals unacceptable safety  problems, or that the system being marketed is significantly different from the  version that was crash tested, we reserve the right to modify or revoke this  letter.
  You will be expected to supply potential users  with sufficient information on design and installation requirements to ensure  proper performance.
  You will be expected to certify to potential  users that the hardware furnished has essentially the same chemistry,  mechanical properties, and geometry as that submitted for review, and that it  will meet the crashworthiness requirements of the FHWA and the NCHRP Report  350.
  To prevent misunderstanding by others, this  letter of eligibility is designated as number WZ-54A and shall not be  reproduced except in full.  This letter  and the test documentation upon which it is based are public information.  All such letters and documentation may be  reviewed at our office upon request.This letter shall not be construed as authorization or  consent by the FHWA to use, manufacture, or sell any patented system for which  the applicant is not the patent holder.   The finding of eligibility is limited to the crashworthiness  characteristics of the candidate system, and the FHWA is neither prepared nor  required to become involved in issues concerning patent law.  Patent issues, if any, are to be resolved by  the applicant.
Sincerely yours,

            Michael S. Griffith
            	Director, Office of Safety Technologies
                Office of Safety U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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