26 November 1997 Source: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [Federal Register: November 26, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 228)] [Notices] [Page 63077-63078] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr26no97-45] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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