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Duo controls hazardous materials at Scott

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joshua Eikren
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  

When it comes to hazardous material, two men keep Scott Air Force Base supplied and safe to complete the mission.

 

The Hazardous Materials Pharmacy, better known as HAZMART, is managed by Gary Bush and Jeff Comrey, 375th Logistics Readiness Squadron material handlers. Both have served more than 20 years as enlisted Air Force servicemembers and have more than 20 years combined working in the Scott HAZMART.

 

Bush said, "We are responsible for tracking all of the hazardous material at Scott Air Force Base. We receive all base hazmat from depot and government purchase cards here, then we inspect it, store it, maintain shelf life and issue it out for shop or personnel use."

 

Hazmat is defined as solids, liquids or gases that are dangerous to people, other living things, property or the environment. These things can be anything from make-up to compressed gases and the most common hazmat on the base are cleaning supplies, hydraulics, paints, oils and adhesives.

 

Bush adds, "You might not think Windex is a hazardous material, but it is and that all depends on how it's being used. If you are using it as directed by the manufacturer then that's fine, but if you are using it for other than its intended purpose then it must be tracked through our system."

 

All hazmat is tracked by Bush and Comrey through two systems: Enterprise Supply System, an LRS system, and the Enterprise

Environmental Safety and Occupational Health Management Information System, a Civil Engineer Squadron system.

 

"Both systems have to match in terms of the location and quantities of the material," said Bush. "We do a warehouse quality inspection once a month to make sure everything matches. We also check our material's Safety Data Sheets and if they are more than two years old, we check to see if new ones have been released by the manufacturer. SDS are maintained for use by all customers and for all stocked items within the HAZMART."

 

The SDS contains information on the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and environmental) and how to work safely with the chemical product. Shops are required to have SDS for any items that are considered hazmat and HAZMART can issue them to anyone in need of them.

 

Bush said, "We had an incident on base where people were using a cleaner and a lady got dizzy from it, she was one in a thousand to have a reaction from it. This item was on the 'green list,' but they didn't have a SDS for it so they called us and we sent them one right away. That's why we always tell people no matter what it is you should have a safety sheet on hand because you never know what reaction people can have."

 

Cormey added, there are all different kinds of items that have SDS, even for things like deodorant, toothpaste or even water.

 

Beyond managing what is on the base and getting people the right information, the shop also communicates with other bases to limit excess spending through the Air Force.

 

Bush said, "We have a forum called the Air Force Hazmat Forum where people can put questions out there to get answered. It is also a great place to go if people need materials that they can't get through the supply system fast enough. Someone may have excess of the item and be able to get it to them faster. Anyone can go on there and see if another base needs something or vice versa."

 

These processes have proven to be beneficial during events such as the Air Show in September of 2012 where Cormey and Bush saved the base more than $10,000 on smoke oil for the Thunderbirds and other performers.

 

Cormey said, "We went through the Hazmat forum and contacted the base that had the airshow before us, asked if they had any excess free issue items, offered to pay the shipping and then we got it.  We're just redistributing it."

 

Hazardous material can not only be costly but harmful to the environment if not taken care of properly. All shop hazmat authorization requests are sent through bioenvironmental, safety and environmental to be authorized before it can be ordered, purchased and used.

 

Bush said, "If you purchase a gallon of paint and don't use it then you have to pay to have it disposed of. A gallon of paint costs $20, but to get rid of it costs $2 a pound and it weighs 11 pounds. That's why we do a balancing act here. We make sure we have just enough materials on hand to prevent it from going to waste, but still meet the mission."

 

Cormey is the shelf life expert, he makes sure hazmat is kept up to date and good for users.  He also tries to find other users who can use the product before it goes bad so it stays out of the waste stream and doesn't end up costing more money.

 

Bush said, "We're here to help people meet their mission with what they need and when they need it. We are also responsible for the environment and by making sure shops and personnel don't get excess amounts; 'smaller is better' that way hazmat does not expire and then have to go to hazardous waste."

 

For any questions on hazmat or in need of SDS the HAZMART has their doors open or personnel can call at 256-5962.