[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 26, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63077-63078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30996]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Revision of the Department of Defense 6055.9--Standard,
Department of Defense Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standards
AGENCY: Department of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of change.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board (DDESB) is
today announcing several changes to Department of Defense 6055.9--
Standard, dated October 1992. Because of the length of time since the
Standard was last published in full, the DDESB is republishing the
Standard with all changes adopted by the Board since 1992 incorporated
therein.
The DDESB is taking this action pursuant to its statutory authority
as set forth in Title 10, United States Code, Section 172 (10 U.S.C.
172) and DoD Directive 6055.9, ``Explosives Safety Board (DDESB) and
DoD Component Explosives Safety Responsibilities,'' July 29, 1996. The
Standard is applicable to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the
Military Departments (including the Army and Air Force National
Guards), the Defense Nuclear Agency, the Defense Logistics Agency, the
Coast Guard (when under DoD control), and other parties who produce or
manage ammunition or explosives under contract to the DoD. Through DoD
6055.9-STD, the DDESB establishes minimum explosives safety
requirements for storing and handling ammunition and explosives. Copies
of this Standard may be obtained from the U.S. Department of Commerce,
National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road,
Springfield, VA 27161.
[[Page 63078]]
For more detailed information on specific aspects of this Standard,
contact Ray Sawyer by calling (703) 325-8625 or by writing to
Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue,
Room 856-C, Alexandria, VA 22331-0600.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dating back to 1928 when Congress directed
the Secretaries of the military departments to establish a joint board
of officers to ``keep informed on stored supplies of ammunition and
components thereof * * *, with particular regard to keeping those
supplies properly dispersed and stored and to preventing hazardous
conditions from arising to endanger life and property inside or outside
of storage reservations,'' the DDESB (formerly known as the Ammunition
Safety Board) has periodically revised or updated the Standard based on
new scientific or technical information and explosives safety
experience. The implementation of a change to DoD 6055.9-STD does not
depend on formal publication of a change to DoD 6055.9-STD. Changes to
the Standard are effective when adopted by the Board, or as the Board
may otherwise direct. In order to ensure compliance, the Services and
Defense Agencies modify their Service or Agency implementing procedures
and standards accordingly.
This revision to the October 1992 version of DoD 6055.9-STD
incorporates decisions of the DDESB made at its 307th through 314th
meetings held from July 1992 through February 1997. Although the
decisions adopted at the 307th meeting of the Board in July 1992 pre-
date the October 1992 publication, the Standard was already at the
printer and those changes could not be included. This revision also
reflects the recent assignment of the DDESB to the Office of the Under
Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology.
The changes included herein address the following:
Expands the Scope of the Standard to include application
to any energetic material (U.S. titled or otherwise) on DoD owned or
leased facilities.
Eliminates high explosives limits for training military
working dogs for explosives detection and maintains evacuation
distances applicable to personnel who are not involved in the training
activity.
Establishes quantity-distance criteria for non-essential
personnel and establishes protection level criteria for essential
personnel for use at ammunition and explosives burning sites.
Expands and clarifies quantity-distance criteria for the
location of steel tanks used to store hazardous materials or water with
respect to ammunition and explosives locations.
Establishes criteria for sites where explosives loaded
containers may be moved from a rail to a road transport mode, and vice
versa.
Modifies lightning protection criteria into performance
oriented criteria that are consistent with current National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) standards.
Establishes criteria that apply to locations where
inhabited building quantity-distance arcs are allowed to extend beyond
DoD boundary lines.
Clarifies the application of explosion propagation
prevention measures when storing Storage Compatibility Groups B and F
ammunition with other compatibility groups ammunition.
Expands the exemption from quantity-distance requirements
for specific combat aircraft weapons loads.
Establishes quantity-distance criteria for Navy Maritime
Pre-positioning Ships based on test results for specific ship
explosives load configurations.
Expands and clarifies the standards applicable to real
property containing ammunition, explosives, or chemical agents,
including providing for specified depth criteria in the absence of a
site-specific assessment.
Specifies the conditions that would allow limited opening
of boxes loaded with ammunition while inside storage facilities.
Clarifies the quantity-distance criteria applicable to
training facilities occupied by military personnel.
Clarifies the criteria for types of ammunition and inert
materials that may be stored in modular storage units and sets
explosives limits for modular storage cells.
Based upon tests results and analysis, reduces the
quantity-distance criteria for U.S. 3rd generation harden aircraft
shelters.
Allows commanders to determine the appropriate separation
distances between aircraft parking areas, combat aircraft parking
areas, the associated ready ammunition storage facilities, and
ammunition cargo areas.
Based upon test results, clarifies the criteria used to
satisfy the quantity-distance requirements for underground ammunition
and explosives storage facilities.
Establishes requirement to retain the explosives facility
site plan package at the installation.
Establishes quantity-distance criteria for siting range
control points with respect to other potential explosion sites.
Expands and clarifies quantity-distance criteria to
include separation of combat- and explosives-loaded aircraft from
taxiways and runways.
Revises the definitions and quantity-distance
requirements, particularly inter-magazine separation requirements, for
earth covered magazines.
Clarifies the requirements for location of overhead
electric services lines with respect to ammunition and explosives
facilities.
Expands and clarifies the requirements for transporting
materials contaminated with chemical agents.
Clarifies the criteria for containers that may be used to
monitor protective clothing that may be used in chemical agent areas.
Modifies public traffic route distance criteria by
expanding traffic density evaluations to include rail and ship traffic,
basing density on passengers per day, and providing guidance for
evaluating traffic density to clarify the use of minimum fragment
distances.
Corrects inconsistencies with current Hazard Division 1.6
ammunition criteria, and harmonizes U.S. criteria with NATO criteria.
Establishes criteria applicable to the use of revetments
to separate ammunition stored on pads or hung on aircraft.
In adopting these changes, the DDESB has determined that the
Standards, as changed, are at least as protective as the previous
Standards.
Dated: November 20, 1997.
L.M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 97-30996 Filed 11-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5000-04-M