[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 11, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24771-24772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-9346]


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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 
announcing several changes to Department of Defense 6055.9-Standard, 
dated July 1999. The DDESB is republishing the Standard dated 5 October 
2004 with all changes adopted by the Board since the 1999 edition.
    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, ``DoD Explosives Safety Board (DDESB) 
and DoD Component Explosives Safety Responsibilities,'' 29 Jul 1996. 
The Standard to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Military 
Departments (including the Army and Air Force National Guards), the 
Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Defense Logistics Agency, the 
Defense Contract Management Agency, the Coast Guard (when under DoD 
control), and other parties who produce or manage ammunition and 
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.

ADDRESSES: Copies of this Standard may be downloaded from the DDESB Web 
page: http://www.ddesb.pentagon.mil/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more detailed information on 
specific aspects of this Standard, contact Dr. Jerry M. Ward, phone: 
(703) 325-2525; e-mail: [email protected] DDESB, 2461 Eisenhower 
Avenue, Room 856C, 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 depends on 
a formal publication of a change to DoD 6055.9-STD. In order to ensure 
compliance, the Services and Defense Agencies modify their Service or 
Agency implementing procedures and standards accordingly.
    This revision to the July 1999 version of DoD 6055.9-STD 
incorporates decisions made by the DDESB at the 31 6th meeting held on 
20 August 1998 up to and including the 326th meeting held on 3 March 
2004 and votes by DDESB votes by correspondence memoranda dated 3 
December 1998, 5 July 2000, 2 November 2000, 28 December 2001, 26 March 
2002, 21 November 2002, 27 February 2003, 9 June 2003, and 25 September 
2003. Although the decisions adopted by the Board up through the 31 7th 
meeting held on 25 February 1998 pre-date the July 1999 version, the 
Standard was in the publication process, and those changes were not 
included.
    The changes included herein address the following:
     Rewrites the Standard in Plain English, expands the 
glossary to include additional terms used in the Standard, reorganizes 
the content of the chapters with no changes in explosives safety 
criteria, incorporates both metric and English units, and provides 
equations (forward and back calculations) for all tabulated variables.
     Completely revises the Hazard Division (HD) 1.2 quantity-
distance (Q-D) criteria and related HD 1.1 minimum hazardous fragment 
distance criteria as well as incorporates editorial changes taking into 
account new hazard sub-divisions (HD) 1.2.1, and HD 1.2.2). 
(Corresponding changes were made to HD 1.2.1 and HD 1.2.2 criteria in 
NATO).
     Redefines ``Unit Risk HD 1.2'' munitions as ``HD 1.2.3,'' 
and expands and clarifies the criteria for HD 1.2.3 munitions.
     Replaces Chapter 10 ``Theater of Operations'' with 
completely revised Chapter 10 ``Military Operations Other than War, 
Contingency, and Combat,'' includes new Q-D criteria for asset 
preservation, provides site planning process for subject operations, 
defines field storage and handling areas and associated Q-D criteria, 
expands Glossary to include new terms included in the revised chapter.
     Clarifies that hardened aircraft shelter criteria in 
chapter 10 are applicable to peacetime operations as well as 
contingency and combat.

[[Page 24772]]

     Clarifies the application of barricaded intraline criteria 
(18W \1/3\) from ammunition and explosives storage facilities to 
runways and taxiways (used only by DoD Components).
     Establishes criteria for high performance magazines and 
defines ``high performance magazine,'' ``non-robust munitions,'' 
``robust munitions,'' ``fragmenting munitions,'' and ``sensitivity 
groups'' (for HD 1.1 and HD 1.2 ammunition in the Joint Hazard 
Classification System).
     Establishes criteria for non-DoD explosives activities on 
DoD installations and expands Glossary to include new terms associated 
with criteria.
     Establishes criteria for permissible exposure to on-base 
roads from HD 1.1 airblast overpressure and defines ``general public'' 
and ``installation related personnel''.
     Clarifies minimum design requirements for earth-covered 
magazines and the expected (design) blast loads.
     Expands and clarifies safe separation distances for 
primary fragments.
     Replaces and expands the liquid propellant criteria with 
criteria for energetic liquids to include: Energetic Liquid 
Compatibility Groups and associated mixing rules, summary of hazard 
classifications and minimum Q-D for energetic liquids used by DoD, 
criteria for Occupational Safety and Health Administration National 
Fire Prevention Association Class I through Class III flammable and 
combustible energetic liquids, criteria for energetic liquid oxidizers, 
and defines ``Energetic Liquid'' and ``Hybrid propellants''.
     Clarifies Q-D criteria and mixing rules for HD 1.4 
ammunition, and harmonizes criteria for quantities less than 3,000 lb 
with HD 1.3 criteria for like quantities.
     Expands and clarifies criteria for piers and wharfs that 
are restricted loading and unloading ammunition and explosives to and 
from barges.
     Establishes criteria for handling limited amounts of HD 
1.3 and HD 1.4 safety-at-sea and security items.
     Clarifies Q-D criteria for aircraft loaded with HD 1.4 
ammunition and selected HD 1.2.2 and HD 1.3 munitions.
     Removes the list of approved earth-covered magazines (ECM) 
from Chapter 5 and placed in DDESB Technical Paper 15 ``Approved 
Protective Construction,'' added reference for HNDED-CS-95-01 ``Guide 
for Evaluating Blast Resistance of Non-Standard Magazines,'' and added 
definitions for ``Aboveground Magazine'' and ``Earth-Covered Magazine 
(ECM)''.
     Revises HD mixing rules in Chapter 9.
     Clarifies criteria for application of barricaded 
intermagazine distance and intraline distance separation.
     Revises criteria for separation of non-explosives ships 
from explosives ships at anchorages.
     Revises the list of approved munitions for ARMCO 
revetments.
     Clarifies siting criteria for small quantities of HD 1.1 
(<450 Ibs), use of ECM distances for other than 7-bar and 3-bar ECM, 
and application of HD 1.1 of HD 1.2.1 items under certain situations 
involving small quantities (<450 Ibs).
     Defines ``Secure Explosives Holding Area'' and ``Secure 
Non-Explosives Holding Area'' and establishes explosives safety 
criteria associated with them.
     Clarifies situations where explosives safety site 
submissions are not required.
     Completely revises Chapter 3 ``Hazard Classification, 
Storage and Compatibility Principles, and Mixing Rules''.
     Revises storage criteria for inert items in explosives 
areas.
     Establishes explosives safety criteria for 
demilitarization processing equipment and operations for expended .50-
caliber and smaller cartridge casings.
     Establishes Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to 
ordnance (HERO) criteria.
     Defines roll-on roll-off (RORO) operations and establishes 
limits and controls for RORO operations.
     Clarifies conveyance, such as International 
Standardization Organization (ISO) container, loading and unloading 
operations permitted at magazines.
    In adopting these changes, the DDESB has determined that the 
Standards, as changed, are at least as protective as the previous 
Standards.

    Dated: May 5, 2005.
L.M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 05-9346 Filed 5-10-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-M