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CHEMICAL WORKERS ‘SETTING NEW BENCHMARKS IN SAFETY’

By Amy Riggin/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday, April 3, 2009 10:00 AM CDT

Workers disposing of the last batch of chemical agent stored at the Pine Bluff Arsenal since the 1960’s have had no loss-time accidents since December 2006. They’ve also reduced Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordable accidents to one, and logged an entire year without an accident resulting in a day off work due to illness or injury.

Pine Bluff Commercial/Ralph Fitzgerald Conrad Whyne, (left) director of US Army Chemical Materials Agency, awards the U.S. Army Accident Prevention award for the first time ever to Lt. Col. Clifton Johnson, (center) Commanding Officer PB Chemical Activity Command and Mary Wilson, Safety Committee co-chairman Thursday afternoon at the Arsenal.

For those reasons, among other accolades, the Pine Bluff Chemical Activity was presented Thursday with the U.S. Army Accident Prevention Award of Accomplishment in Safety from the U.S. Army Material Command.

“PBCA has the distinction of being the first recipient of this award from the Army Material Command and the fact that the PBCA work force has accomplished it while transporting chemical warfare material for destruction makes it even more impressive,” said Conrad Whyne, director of the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency. “But what makes me incredibly proud of this Pine Bluff team is that even as you look toward the end of your storage and destruction mission you continue to lead the way.

“It’s energizing and invigorating to lead a team that continues to raise the bar ... You set the standard within the CMA, the AMC and the Army.”

Whyne was on hand at an awards ceremony at the arsenal, along with other Army and government officials, such as Pine Bluff Mayor Carl A. Redus Jr., and a room full of employees.

The award was presented to Lt. Col. Cliff Johnston, commander of the Pine Bluff Chemical Activity, who lauded employees at the disposal facility.

“This is not easy work,” Johnston said. “These employees are out there driving fork lifts; they’re driving large trucks; they’re moving equipment and munitions that weigh tons.”

He said employees are diligent in preventing potential accidents, and noted specifically a safety committee formed to do just that.

David Morrow, director of PBCA risk management, said the committee is “owned by the employees that volunteer their time, that participate, that make it work.”

“Our program is about crews loading munitions, whether it’s in the middle of August in 105 degrees or the middle of January when it’s 20 degrees,” Morrow said. “They do the hard work, and they don’t take shortcuts and they look out for each other.”

Also Thursday, Mary Wilson, co-chair of the safety committee and a toxic material handler, was named safety employee of the first quarter, while Candy Birkholtz, a protective equipment inspector, was named the facility’s 2008 safety employee of the year.

Wilson said the safety committee, which is chaired by Glen Heinzelman, has a 40-percent participation rate.

“If you’re on site and you see a safety hazard, every one of us ... has the right to halt operations and stop until we get it taken care of,” Wilson said. “It’s a team effort. Not only are we honored by this award, I’m honored to be working with them every day.”

Whyne noted that the facility had already “made nerve agents shadows of the past here.”

The facility completed destruction of rockets and landmines containing VX nerve agent in June and finished disposal of rockets containing sarin nerve agent in May 2007. Disposal operations began in March 2005.

The facility had destroyed 268 ton containers of mustard blister agent as of Monday. That number represents roughly 7.24 percent of the mustard stored there and 22 percent of the total chemical agent.

Disposal of mustard is expected to be completed in 2011 or 2012.

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