ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. — Explosives safety is one of the most essential responsibilities across the Joint Munitions Command’s Organic Industrial Base, shaping every operation from munitions production to storage, distribution, and demilitarization.
Explosives safety is not simply a regulatory requirement at JMC’s 17 arsenals, depots, and ammunition plants. It is a culture, a mindset, and a daily practice that protects lives, preserves readiness, and safeguards national assets. Explosives safety begins long before a single round is produced or stored.
“The cardinal rule of explosives safety is to expose the minimum amount of people to the minimum quantity of explosives for the minimum amount of time. This provides the maximum protection possible to people and property,” said Ralph “Skip” Stuck II, Chief of JMC’s Safety Division. “Safety is not the elimination of all risk but the establishment of an acceptable, mitigated level of risk based on who or what is being protected.
“JMC remains firmly committed to protecting the public across all installation operations and during the transportation of munitions to other military bases and storage sites,” Stuck added.
Collectively, over 13,000 civilians, contractors, and military personnel work across JMC’s OIB every day. Strict explosives safety standards ensure that personnel are shielded from accidental ignition or detonation, that work environments minimize exposure to hazards, and that emergency procedures are clear, rehearsed, and effective.
An explosive incident could hurt or kill individuals and damage or destroy infrastructure that takes years and enormous resources to rebuild. Safety protocols protect these assets and ensure the ammunition pipeline remains uninterrupted. If production or storage facilities are compromised, the ripple effects reach every branch of the armed forces.
“Explosives safety ensures reliable production schedules, secure storage and distribution, and confidence that munitions are handled and delivered without degradation or risk. Readiness depends on continuity and continuity depends on safety,” Stuck said. “When explosives safety is overlooked, commanders may unknowingly put lives on the line and assume mission‑crippling levels of risk, underscoring why disciplined safety practices are essential even outside deployed environments.”
Explosives safety standards, including quantity distance arcs, siting requirements and hazard classification, ensure that even in the unlikely event of an incident the surrounding community remains safe.
“Explosives safety is a national‑level responsibility, not just an installation‑level requirement,” Stuck said. “Every employee who works with or near explosives receives specialized training tailored to their role. This includes hazard recognition, safe handling and storage procedures, equipment operation, and emergency response. Training is continuous reinforcing a culture of vigilance.”
Energetic materials must be handled by trained, certified professionals who understand their characteristics and risks, a principle reflected across the OIB. JMC facilities incorporate earth‑covered magazines, blast‑resistant construction, ventilation and grounding systems, remote‑handling equipment, and fire‑suppression and detection systems. These engineering controls reduce risk at the source.
Explosives safety experts emphasize that the circles drawn on a site plan are not arbitrary. They reflect carefully defined relationships that balance mission requirements with the need to protect people and property.
“Our installations follow a comprehensive framework of explosives safety regulations, technical manuals and occupational safety requirements,” Stuck said. “Compliance is monitored through inspections, audits and continuous improvement programs.
“Quantity distance principles determine how much explosive material can be stored or processed in a given location and how far facilities must be spaced to prevent chain reactions,” Stuck added. “This ensures that even if an incident occurs its effects are contained.”
The Army’s tactical explosives safety guidance reinforces that quantity distance is the balance between net explosive weight and the protection required to shield personnel and assets from blast, fragmentation, and fire effects. When mission constraints prevent full compliance with quantity distance requirements, the Army requires a formal Deviation Approval and Risk Acceptance Document to ensure leaders understand and accept the associated risks.
Explosives undergo rigorous testing, including sensitivity, fragmentation, thermal, and detonation‑behavior analysis, to determine their hazard class and division. These dictate how items must be stored, transported, and handled, and they directly influence the quantity‑distance requirements applied at JMC’s installations.
Employees are required to report hazards, mishaps, near misses and unsafe conditions to the Combat Readiness Center through the Army Safety Management Information System. This proactive approach prevents small issues from becoming major incidents and strengthens the overall safety posture. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also highlights the importance of thorough incident and near‑miss investigations, ensuring that lessons learned are captured and applied to prevent recurrence.
Explosives safety is a shared responsibility across commanders, safety professionals, Quality Assurance Specialist (Ammunition Surveillance) personnel, ammunition managers, warrant officers, and others who support ammunition operations throughout the munitions lifecycle. QASAS play a critical role by inspecting ammunition, monitoring for deterioration, and ensuring that munitions remain safe, reliable, and suitable for use or demilitarization.
“At JMC, explosives safety is not only about avoiding accidents. It is about enabling Soldiers to fight and win,” said Brig. Gen. Dan Duncan, JMC’s commander. “Safe operations ensure a steady supply of high‑quality ammunition, the protection of skilled workers and critical infrastructure, the trust of surrounding communities, and the resilience of the defense industrial base.”