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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)
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      Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)


      Mission: Destroy Chemical Weapons Stockpile

      Vision: Chemical Weapons Free by 2023

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      Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP)

      BGCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond, Kentucky.

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      Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP)

      PCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado.

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Safety Culture Leads to Blue Grass Project Recertification

Published: January 14, 2015 | Category: BGCAPP News, Safety
  • The Star Team was responsible for heading up the Voluntary Protection Program recertification effort last year.

    The Star Team was responsible for heading up the Voluntary Protection Program recertification effort last year.

  • Bobby Dehart, left, Star Team chair, listens as the team discusses safety conditions on the Blue Grass site.

    Bobby Dehart, left, Star Team chair, listens as the team discusses safety conditions on the Blue Grass site.

“By far, this is the safest job site I have ever been on,” said electrician Bobby Dehart.

Dehart said that the reason he feels so comfortable on this industrial construction project is because of the Blue Grass plant’s safety culture that led to the project’s recertification under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). The project was originally recognized with VPP Star status three years ago, and recertification is a standard process at the three-year mark.

Dehart serves as the chair of the Star Team, the worker group responsible for heading up the recertification effort.

“Recertification was an approximately one-and-a-half year process,” Dehart said. “It was like a whole new certification. We had to check everything again, go through all of our safety policies and procedures, and put it all in book format for OSHA.”

VPP safety certification involves four main elements:

  • Management, leadership and employee involvement
  • Worksite analysis
  • Hazard prevention and control
  • Safety and health training

The Star Team focused on these four tenets and multiple subcategories as they collected information in response to a 28-page information request by OSHA as part of the recertification process. The same held true as they did mock walk-downs on the construction site to prepare for an OSHA site visit.

The safety culture also extends outside of the construction site. Team members discuss this and other site safety programs with new hires in the project’s new-employee training seminars to ensure the Blue Grass safety culture takes hold from the first day.

“The end result of all of our work, and the driving impetus for us to strive for the VPP certification initially, is the safety of everyone who works on the Blue Grass project,” said Del Powell, safety specialist. “This recertification serves the project well in our goal to make sure every worker goes home safely and in the condition they arrived in at the beginning of their shift.”

More BGCAPP Safety Articles

  • Drill Enhances Emergency Response

    Drill Enhances Emergency Response

    Published: February 9, 2021
  • Program Partner Plays Key Role in Destruction Activities

    Program Partner Plays Key Role in Destruction Activities

    Published: January 28, 2021
  • Plants Operate with Pandemic Precautions in Place

    Plants Operate with Pandemic Precautions in Place

    Published: December 17, 2020
  • Decision Made Regarding Use of Secondary System

    Decision Made Regarding Use of Secondary System

    Published: September 10, 2020
  • Public Meeting Changes to Virtual Platform

    Public Meeting Changes to Virtual Platform

    Published: September 3, 2020
  • A munitions handler marks a box containing mustard agent-filled projectiles prior to destruction in the Explosive Destruction Technology facility at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. Destruction of 50% of the mustard munitions was achieved Sept. 1.

    Half of Blue Grass Mustard Agent Destroyed

    Published: September 2, 2020
  • Testing Simulated Warheads Assists Destruction Efforts

    Testing Simulated Warheads Assists Destruction Efforts

    Published: August 31, 2020
  • Extensive Planning Leads to Successful Operation

    Extensive Planning Leads to Successful Operation

    Published: August 28, 2020
  • Blue Grass plant munitions handlers unpack filters in anticipation of the Explosive Destruction Technology Service Magazine filter changeout at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant

    Workers Complete Filter Change

    Published: August 20, 2020
  • Toxic Area entrants decontaminate the Agent Neutralization System room at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant with a caustic solution after the conclusion of the GB 8-inch projectile campaign. (Still image from closed-circuit television.)

    Workers Start Facility Decontamination

    Published: June 16, 2020
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Recent News

  • Public Involvement Opportunities for Permit Modification Requests

    Public Involvement Opportunities for Permit Modification Requests

    April 5, 2021
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    March 31, 2021
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    February 26, 2021

Safety Videos

  • Blue Grass Plant Medical Staff Stays Prepared

    Blue Grass Plant Medical Staff Stays Prepared

    June 5, 2017
  • Testing Rolls On Inside Kentucky’s Chemical Weapons Destruction

    Testing Rolls On Inside Kentucky’s Chemical Weapons Destruction

    September 23, 2016
  • On-site Medical Facility Prepares to Support Blue Grass Plant

    On-site Medical Facility Prepares to Support Blue Grass Plant

    June 27, 2016
  • Emergency Operations Center Supports Kentucky Chemical Weapons Destruction Project

    Emergency Operations Center Supports Kentucky Chemical Weapons Destruction Project

    April 19, 2016
  • High Angle Training to the Rescue at the Blue Grass Plant

    High Angle Training to the Rescue at the Blue Grass Plant

    January 8, 2016

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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)