Facilities Explosives Safety

Program Manager: 256-895-1532

Huntsville Center
Published Aug. 17, 2016
Updated: Aug. 5, 2022

Background

The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville’s Structural Branch of the Directorate of Engineering was designated the Facilities Explosives Safety (FES) Mandatory Center of Expertise (MCX) in October 2018.

Projects involving the design, construction, or modification of facilities that manufacture, store, handle, maintain, develop, demilitarize, test, or dispose of ammunition or explosives (AE), and facilities within the Explosives Safety Quantity Distances (ESQD) of AE facilities require the involvement of subject matter experts in explosives safety. Technologies in facilities explosive safety, handling and storage continue to evolve. HQUSACE recognized the need for a mandatory technical center of expertise for facility explosive safety to ensure technical adequacy and safety of our designs and facilities.

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Mission

The FES MCX provides expert explosives safety technical support services to all HQUSACE elements, divisions, districts, laboratories, field operations, Army, and other DOD and non-DOD federal agencies. The FES MCX will also provide technical support to foreign, state, and local governments and authorities when coordinated with, and authorized by HQUSACE, through an Interagency and International Services (IIS) Agreement.

 

Fact sheet image

MCX Mandatory Services (Per ER 1110-1-8169)

• Review the explosives safety aspects of programming document DD Form 1391 during the USACE review and certification stage for all projects involving the design, construction, or modification of facilities that manufacture, store, handle, maintain, develop, demilitarize, test, or dispose of ammunition or explosives, and facilities within the explosives safety quantity distances of AE facilities.

• Review projects related to explosives safety for projects involving the design, construction, or modification of facilities that manufacture, store, handle, maintain, develop, demilitarize, test, or dispose of ammunition or explosives, and facilities within the explosives safety quantity distances of AE facilities.

• Participate in planning and design, procurement and construction stages of projects to ensure that explosives safety requirements are included.

• Review design submittals to ensure that adequate details are provided accurately to facilitate review and approval from the Military Service-Level Safety Centers and the Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board (DDESB).

• Support the district and resident engineer offices by providing construction support by reviewing submittals related to explosives safety components of the project, such as lightning protection systems, grounding and bonding systems, fire protection, heating and air systems, and protective construction (hardened) structures used to mitigate explosion effects.

• Review project’s explosives safety site plan.

• Review all variances from explosives safety requirements and the associated explosives safety risk assessments.

 

Download the Facilities Explosives Safety Fact Sheet (PDF)

(As of August 2022)