While it may not seem like much to the untrained eye, changes in the equipment workers wear to protect themselves are big indicators of the progress being made toward closure at the Blue Grass and Pueblo plants.

“During operations, the Demilitarization Protective Ensemble often was the standard safety gear worn because we were dealing with potential chemical agent exposure and higher risk exposures,” said Brian McKay, safety manager, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “We have been able to reduce the number of those entries needed to accomplish this mission through risk mitigation and the progress we’ve made in operations and closure activities. Someone not familiar with the project, or the types of safety gear we wear, may not notice the changes.”

Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, describes safety gear workers have worn at the project sites from construction through closure. Common in a variety of industries, PPE is divided into four categories, based on the risks to the worker, with Level A providing the most protection and level D the least.

The level of PPE is determined based on the specific chemicals and hazards present, potential exposure methods like inhalation or absorption, and which PPE provides the best protection against those hazards and risks, said Mark Duling, operations support manager, Bechtel Pueblo Team.

“Workers continually assess their environments and can upgrade if additional protection is required,” Duling said.

At the height of operations at both plants, workers made dozens of entries a week wearing Demilitarization Protective Ensembles, or DPE, which include a positive-pressure sealed suit, escape-air tanks and vitals-monitoring equipment, plus boots and gloves, often layered, appropriate to the environment and work being performed. Less cumbersome and restrictive gear that included protective clothing and only an air tank or even just an air-filtering mask, also were used but the DPE was the most recognizable. As closure progresses and the risks are reduced, those trends have reversed.

In 2023, Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, or PCAPP, workers averaged 58 DPE entries and about three Level C entries a week. During a recent week, workers performed 13 DPE entries and 36 Level C entries.

In 2019, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant workers made an average of 86 DPE entries a week. From March to early June 2025, they made two.

“It’s a positive sign of the times; you can track our closure progress by what we are wearing,” said Duling. “Within the month, following successful unventilated monitoring tests in the Agent Processing Building and the Agent Filtration Area, we will be agent-free at PCAPP, and the higher levels of protection will no longer be necessary.”  

Safety remains the highest priority for the Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives during the closure phases at both plants.