Armament Technology Facility nominated for safety award

By Picatinny Arsenal Public AffairsNovember 16, 2015

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PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. (November 16, 2015) -- The Armament Technology Facility (ATF) is the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center's (ARDEC) small and medium caliber weapon systems Research, Development, Test and Evaluation facility, staffed with highly trained engineers, technicians, gunsmiths and specialists.

Employees at Building 7, the ATF, conducted their annual Safety Stand-down Day training on Oct. 8 at the Homeland Defense facility. This was the second of two yearly safety stand down days mandated by the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC).

The ATF team training focused on carbon monoxide detection, hazard communication, workplace lead (Pb) awareness, hazardous materials management and self-contained breathing apparatuses. Each hazardous operation's standing operating procedure was reviewed by the group as part of the training.

According to Mark McFadden, Chief of the ATF, outstanding instructor support was provided by the Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department, the ARDEC Risk Management Office, the Garrison Safety Office, the Picatinny Environmental Affairs Division and the Industrial Hygiene Office.

This past March, the team also conducted the first phase of safety stand-down that focused on adult first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillation.

The ATF has a pool of dedicated specialists in the areas of safety, security, environmental, facilities and logistics in addition to technical specialists. These employees ensure mission compliance to numerous laws, regulations and policies in their functional areas.

The recent AMC Safety Rapid Review Team (SRRT) visit during the week of Oct. 26, 2015 resulted in positive feedback for the ATF safety program.

David Castellano, Executive Director of the Weapons and Software Engineering Center, commended the ATF team during the recent ATF Safety Stand Down Day on its commitment to safety, safety culture and strict adherence to internal management controls and processes.

Also, Castellano said he was extremely proud to nominate the ATF for the Department of the Army Excellence in Explosive Safety Award for 2015.

John Hedderich, the ARDEC Director, endorsed the award nomination. The ATF will now compete for the 2015 Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) and AMC explosive safety awards. Hedderich's memorandum to AMC described the ATF as "The pride of ARDEC."

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The U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

Related Links:

Army Technology Live

U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center

U.S. Army Materiel Command

Army.mil: Science and Technology News

U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command

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