Under which circumstance would an ESSP be updated?

Updating an Explosive Safety Site Plan (ESSP) is critical when there are significant changes to the conditions that may affect the safety surrounding explosives. When an increase in the explosion limit of an existing Primary Explosive Storage (PES) occurs, it represents a substantial alteration to how explosives are stored or managed. This change could impact safety zones, risk assessments, and corresponds directly with regulations and guidelines surrounding explosives safety.

The ESSP needs to reflect these updated limits to ensure that all personnel are aware of the new safety parameters and measures that need to be implemented to mitigate risk. The updated plan can help prevent accidents by ensuring that all safety protocols, emergency response strategies, and operational guidelines align with the new explosion limits.

Changes that involve reducing explosive limits, disposing of old explosives, or even increasing military training activities do not necessitate an immediate update to the ESSP in the same manner as increasing an explosion limit. Those circumstances, while important for overall safety and compliance, usually pertain to managing risk rather than adjusting the fundamental parameters established within the ESSP framework. Therefore, the update remains concentric to factors that fundamentally alter explosive handling and storage conditions like the increased limits on existing storage facilities.