The Advanced Photon Source
a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility

Experiment Hazard Class 6.7 – Explosive and Energetic Materials

Applicability

All experiments involving the use of explosive material for beamline analysis.  Visiting scientists at the APS periodically perform beamline experiments involving explosive material (TATB, HMX, RDX, PETN, HNFX, etc.).  All work with explosive materials must be done under the requirements of ANL LMS-PROC-88 (containing the ANL Site Plan) and DOE-STD-1212-2019 Change Notice No. 1 December 2021, Explosives Safety.

All explosive material brought to ANL/APS for experimental use must be consumed in the experiment or returned to the users’ home institution upon completion of the experiment.  For the return of unconsumed materials the user and/or beamline must make arrangements for the repackaging of the materials in the transport package by ANL Shipping.  The APS User Safety Officer or designee will arrange for transport of the package back to Building 46 for outgoing shipment.

Shipping of Explosive Material

Explosive material must be transported to and from ANL through Bldg. 46, ANL Shipping/Receiving Department (Dan Ferguson, 630-252-4939), in compliance with DOT regulations or applicable DOT exemptions based on the type and quantities of material shipped.  The maximum quantity of energetic material allowed in one shipping container is 25 grams.  The APS User Safety Officer or designee must approve the type and quantity of explosives listed in the ESAF prior to the shipment of the explosive materials to ANL.  The quantities and types of explosives shipped to ANL must match the quantities and types of explosives listed in the ESAF.  The tracking number(s) for the shipment must be supplied to ANL Shipping/Receiving Department and the APS User Safety Officer or designee before the shipment arrives at ANL.  Upon arrival of the explosive material at Bldg. 46, the material may only be transported to the APS and back to Bldg. 46 via an ANL HazMat truck or a government vehicle operated by trained APS staff.

Deliveries of hazardous materials will not be accepted at Argonne National Laboratory on Saturdays, Sundays, or Holidays.

The address for shipping explosive materials to ANL is:

Recipient's Name
c/o Building 46, Hazardous Materials Receiving
APS/ANL
Sector No. ______
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 South Cass Ave.
Lemont, IL  60439

 
Experiment Category
Experiments involving experiment hazard class 6.7 (Explosive and Energetic Materials) qualify for high risk.  The addition of other hazard classes may require a further review of the experiment.
 
Experiment Hazard Control Verification Statements

Engineered Controls – The explosive material must be protected from excessive temperatures, electrical sparks, ignition sources, etc.  In the case of lightning or an approaching storm, and there is a site-wide alarm, all operations with explosives at the APS will cease.  All explosives must be put into storage if it is safe to do so.

Procedural Controls – APS Users who will be working with materials that fall under Experiment Hazard Class 6.7 should submit an ESAF at least 3 weeks prior to their scheduled beamtime.   Additional ESAF review time for experiments involving explosive material is needed in order to verify proper transport method, material handling procedures, and to ensure timely approval by both the host beamline and the APS Experiment Safety Review Board.  Lack of approval by either entity may result in forfeiture of your scheduled beamtime.

An inventory list of the explosive material (obtained from the ESAF) will be sent by the APS User Safety Officer (Nena Moonier, 630-252-8504) or designee to ANL Security, the ANL Fire Department, the ANL Authority Having Jurisdiction for Explosives (Elroy Chang, 630-252-6714), Deputy Authority Having Jurisdiction for Explosives (Shane Flood, 630-252-0600), FMS - Safety & Emergency Systems, and APS Building Management.  The inventory list will include the type of explosive material, name of material, volume/weight/quantity of the material, location of the experiment, storage location of the material, responsible party (with an alternate), institutional owner of the material, and lot or serial numbers, if applicable. The above ANL groups will also be notified upon removal of the explosive material from ANL premises.  The inventory of explosive material at APS will be kept in the ANL CORAL system by the APS User Safety Officer or designee.

Allowed Quantities:  Per experiment a maximum of 3 grams may be worked with at any given time.  Other explosive material(s) must be stored in an explosion proof container.  The maximum quantity of all explosive materials, regardless of their locations, allowed at the APS Experimental Hall is 100 grams.  This 100 grams includes all experiments running concurrently and all explosive materials in storage at the APS.  If additional material is needed for an experiment, separate arrangements must be made.

Design Reviews and Equipment Inspections – All work with explosive materials at the APS will be reviewed by either the APS User Safety Officer or their designee and/or a member of the APS Experiment Safety Review Board and the ANL Explosive Safety Committee on an as needed basis.

The responsible person for the explosive material must determine the toxicity, hazardous properties, and transportation classification of the material using the manufacturer's SDS or other credible information sources.

Any special components or equipment (other than DACs) to be used for containing explosive material during the experiment will be reviewed on an individual basis by the ANL Explosive Safety Committee and other pertinent ANL Committees.  Information about previous reviews at the user’s home institution should be included in the ESAF.

Training – Each experiment must have at least one certified explosives handler that has completed the required explosive safety training at their home institution.  Proof of training will be required at the time of the experiment review.  Depending upon the type of operations being conducted, personnel involved with operations dealing with explosive material may be consulted by the ANL Authority Having Jurisdiction for Explosives (Elroy Chang, 630-252-6714).

Storage and Labeling – When the explosive material arrives at the APS and is removed from the shipping package, sympathetic detonation must be immediately precluded through the storage of the samples within a non-propagating array.  The storage container (e.g., explosives safe or shipping pipe) must be kept in a locked location.  The storage area(s) containing the explosive material(s) must be labeled with an Explosives Storage Sign.   The hutch/area where the experiment is conducted must be labeled with an Explosives in Use Sign and a Worker Occupancy Sign.  All signs can be obtained from the local Floor Coordinator or beamline host.

Personal Protective Equipment – As specified in the SDS for the explosive material.  At a minimum, safety glasses and gloves appropriate for the material are to be worn during any handling of the explosive or energetic material.
 

 
Experiment Authorization
Unless otherwise noted in the approved experiment safety plan, the PSC Deputy Associate Laboratory Director of Operations delegates the authority to authorize an experiment in this hazard class to a member of the APS Experiment Safety Review Board and resident beamline personnel having the authority to authorize experiments as listed in the ESAF system.  Approval by both the host beamline and the APS Experiment Safety Review Board are mandatory prerequisites for experiment authorization.
 
Hazard Control Verification
The PSC Deputy Associate Laboratory Director of Operations delegates responsibility for verifying that required controls are in place to the experiment On-site Spokesperson and Beamline Management.
 
References

ANL LMS-PROC-88 Safe Use of Explosives 05/11/2023 (Internal link)

Contact the APS User Safety Program with any questions or if the internal links are not working properly.

Reviewed: February 22, 2024