Explosive Storage Regulations: A Comparison of the American Table of Distances to Quantitative Risk Assessment Methods

In 1914, the Association of Manufacturers of Powder and High Explosives1 published the American Table of Distances (ATD) based on a study of one hundred and seventeen explosions between 1864 and 1914. The ATD established standoff-distances from explosive storage based on the quantity of explosives stored. At the time, the ATD was one of the world’s first attempts to develop a science-based consequence model for accidental explosions. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) currently uses ATD in the regulation of explosive storage. The cornerstone of models like the ATD is the protection of the public; however, ATD was based on areas of extreme structural damage, not public injuries or fatalities. The ATD, therefore, accepts an undefined non-zero risk to the public. This unspecified risk, combined with the significant changes in the explosives industry over the last 100 years, have compelled representatives of the explosives industry to develop an alternative model. The new model, based on quantitative risk assessment (QRA) methods, quantifies the risk to the public and accounts for the significant safety strides the industry has made over the preceding 100 years. Paper is restricted