The Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) N261 Afloat Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) and Pollution Prevention (P2) Division works within the N2 Engineering Department in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The team supports the implementation of the Navy’s Consolidated Hazardous Material Reutilization and Inventory Management Program (CHRIMP) for afloat customers.
For the past decade, the team’s focus has been working with the fleet and NAVSEA to manage the Ship Hazardous Materials List (SHML). The SHML controls the afloat requisitioning process for HAZMAT aboard naval vessels via Special Material Content Code assignment. Historically, N261 has devoted an extensive amount of time to clean-up SHML data to improve process efficiency. More recently, the team has evolved into a multi-faceted, dynamic group that works with stakeholders in multiple collaborative projects that directly protect and sustain the fleet.
One priority is the installation and roll-out of the new HAZMAT inventory management system currently being installed on certain vessels: the Hazardous Inventory Control System (HICS) 4.X.
“HICS 4.X is an essential technical upgrade for the fleet, replacing a standalone system that included all manual data upload,” Jennifer Shoop, Supervisory Environmental Protection Specialist (EPS). “The new system introduces multiple interfaces to provide real-time, accurate HAZMAT data. This includes easy access to Safety Data Sheets.”
N261 worked collaboratively with NAVSUP HQ and NAVSUP Business Systems Center (BSC) to determine system requirements, data accuracy of SHML and hazardous materials transactions, external data feeds, inventory transfer from the legacy Hazardous Inventory Control System for Windows (HICSWIN) system to the new HICS 4.X, and end-user training.
Over the last two years, the Afloat HAZMAT Team travelled with NAVSUP HQ and NAVSUP BSC project peers to Naval Station (NS) Norfolk, NS Mayport, and Naval Base San Diego in support of HICS 4.X installation and training efforts. During these missions, N261 worked directly with local Fleet Logistic Center (FLC) afloat CHRIMP Technicians and SERCO contractors to implement the HICSWIN data clean-up process for efficient inventory data transfer to the new system.
The team continues to conduct virtual, classroom, over-the-shoulder trainings, and live demonstrations of the system.
Offload Standardization
When FLC Norfolk and NAVFAC MIDLANT requested additional guidance regarding appropriate HAZMAT offload and safety procedures, N261 was quick to respond. Project leads at WSS conducted extensive research regarding process differences within FLCs and collaborated with NAVFAC MIDLANT to determine common goals and develop a way forward. Based on feedback from the fleet, Melissa Miller, EPS, and her team worked with NAVSUP BSC to design an offload module built into the existing Hazardous Material Management (HMM) Tool.
The HMM Tool is a PKI-enabled, web-based system utilized by both afloat CHRIMP Technicians and ashore HAZMAT Minimization Center (HMC) personnel as a HAZMAT resource and serves as a reference repository for both afloat CHRIMP Technicians and fleet users.
“We’re conducting pilot projects to solicit feedback from the stakeholders to improve the offload module and make it an effective tool,” said Miller. “We’re constantly working with NAVSUP BSC to make improvements based off the feedback we’ve received.”
Another N261 innovation, the NAVHAZCHECK phone application, launched in mid-2024, has been disseminated to ashore and afloat users to check storage compatibility between hazardous materials. The intention is that the user can select materials listed within the app and place them in virtual storage locations. The NAVHAZCHECK app assesses the Hazardous Characteristics Code (often assigned by N26) and determines the level of compatibility with other products in the same virtual location to determine if the materials can be safely stored together.
Sean Leshko of N261 explains “NAVHAZCHECK makes working out in the field much easier. Users simply look up information concerning compatibility on the spot. It doesn’t require internet access - placing accessible information at one’s fingertips.”
If the materials are incompatible, the NAVHAZCHECK app immediately alerts the user about the danger.
The P2 team within N261 has an integral part of quantifying metrics for excessive financial loss of HAZMAT purchased with Navy Working Capital Funds (NWCF) aboard aircraft carriers. The P2 team is working through the official NAVSUP Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) with NAVSUP HQ, NAVAIR, and TYCOM. The CPI has progressed to the Improve phase of the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control Process, with a goal of reducing financial loss of NWCF HAZMAT on aircraft carriers by 10% within the next two years.
To meet high demand, the N261 Afloat HAZMAT and P2 organization recently expanded and added two new personnel.
“Our team is at the forefront of research, data communication, and training,” says Abigail Foxwell, EPS. “It is essential for the fleet to manage the P2 program with two key focuses: environmental sustainability and financial responsibility. P2 programs can save the fleet both money and time by reducing waste and minimizing over-purchasing.”
