HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09281993 - X.2 X.2
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Adopted this Order on_September 28, 1993 by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Powers, Smith, Bishop, McPeak, Torlakson
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
SUBJECT: Safety Issues at the Concord Naval Weapons Station
Board members discussed with Captain Nibbs of the U. S.Naval Weapons Station, Concord,California,
allegations regarding safety at that facility. There was consensus of the need to refer this matter to the Disaster
Council.
Therefore, IT IS BY THE BOARD ORDERED that the Disaster Council is REQUESTED to review and
report to the Board following the examination of files and reports of incidents at the Concord Naval Weapons
Station.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the County Administrator is REQUESTED to confer with Captain Nibbs
as to how to furnish this information to the Disaster Council.
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE A
TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION
TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE
DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED: _September 28, 1993
Phil Batchelor,Clerk of the Board of
Supervisors and County Administrator
By Deputy
U
Cc: County Administrator
Disaster Council
NAVAL WEAPONS STATION F'"I'lic Affairs Office"
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Naval Weapon., Station
4 Y CONCORD, CALIFORNIA Concord. CA 94520 (3
Telephone: ( 115) 2146-�`�
F`AX: ( 115) 246-2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 27, 1993
In response to the allegations concerning ordnance safety at the Naval
Weapons Station Concord last night on KTVU, Channel 2, commanding officer
Captain Alan M. Nibbs, USN, assures the community that managers, employees
and military personnel conduct the station' s business in accordance with
stringent safety standards
"Incidents involving ammunition and associated items are not kept
secret. These incidents, regardless of how trivial, are reported in
accordance with Navy regulations and are thoroughly investigated, " he
said.
"We recently passed an Explosive Safety inspection that rated our
safety training program as the best the inspectors have seen, " Captain
Nibbs pointed out.
"We train and certify our ordnance handlers regularly and require them
to follow set procedures known as 'standard operating procedures.
"We have an explosive ordnance explosive disposal team on station that
is trained in procedures to handle ammunition involved in any type of
incident. They investigate any incident that occurs to determine the
condition of explosive material and the proper procedure for handling it, "
the captain said.
He said that any accident or incident which occurs that might be a
. I
threat to the public safety would be reported immediately to public
safety officials, and our specially trained emergency response team would
go into action
executing the Federal Response Plan in cooperation with other agencies to
minimize or eliminate any potential risk to the public.
"I am extremely proud of the station's excellent safety program,
Captain Nibbs. said.
He pointed out that at the close of Desert Storm, the station had
transshipped more than one million tons of ammunition without significant
accident or incident.
Captain Nibbs said that the Naval Weapons Station has an exceptional
Safety Department that works hard to keep safety procedures "sharp and a
workforce that takes those procedures to heart, making sure that safety is
the number one concern of every one.."
In closing, the captain said that there has not been an accident at
the weapons station which exposed anyone to a radiological hazard. He
also noted that the train accident involving four cars with. material
destined for the weapons station occurred in Manteca, Calif, -not on the
weapons station and that none of the explosive material was damaged.
Investigators determined it was caused by broken tracks.
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