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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Ddasaccident181, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident181, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
In the absence of any detail about how the accident occurred, the primary cause of this accident is listed as "Inadequate equipment" because the only identifiable failing is that the group did not provide the victim with effective eye protection (whether it was worn or not is not known).
Ddasaccident033, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident033, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The demining platoon had "cleared 5,1602 metres and eight mines at Homoine before the accident". The mines were laid in a narrow belt but not in a pattern. The mines found before were PMN, PMN-2, PMD6 and POMZ2M. The victim was in a crouching position with his arm outstretched (holding a trowel) when he initiated a PMN with his right foot. He was not using his detector (which was 12 metres away). He was taken to hospital at 09:35 and arrived at 10:05. A blood shortage meant that other deminers had to donate three litres of blood.
Ddasaccident034, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident034, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim lived 400 metres from the working area. While walking home from work he found an MVZ57 fuse [believed to be an MV-5 fuse]. He took it home for safekeeping. Before work the next morning he was examining it on a concrete table outside his home when he accidentally dropped it 20cm onto the table and it detonated. He contacted the platoon medic by radio and asked for assistance.
Ddasaccident071, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident071, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
A senior official with the demining group reported in informal discussions during December 1998 that an accident had occurred at Luchimba (spelt phonetically) Bridge in Malanje in 1995. In this accident an expatriate Technical Advisor was using a Schiebel detector in an uncleared area and detonated a Type 72 blast mine. It did not have a booster charge so he only initiated the percussion cap and escaped unhurt. He left Angola soon afterwards.
Ddasaccident031, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident031, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
A director of the demining group was interviewed about this accident on 15th December 1998. From memory he reported that the victim was the Team Leader and had just made a radio report. He was returning to the working area and for some unexplained reason took a short-cut across a corner, stepping into an uncleared area. He trod on a Gyata-64 and lost his lower leg.
Ddasaccident182, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident182, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim was a Team Leader and had noticed that a length of marking tape was broken. He put in a new post and was trying to connect up the tape when he slipped and fell over at approximately 10:30. His body landed in the cleared area but his left foot initiated a PMN-2 mine 36cm into the uncleared area.
Ddasaccident035, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident035, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
On October 10th at 05:30 the victim initiated the mine in his tent within the camping area, seriously injuring his right arm, left leg and "breast". Nobody else was injured. First aid was given by the medical co-ordinator and two paramedics.
Ddasaccident183, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident183, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At 12:45 he initiated a mine with his detector, causing him to stagger backwards and collapse about 4 metres behind. After first aid the victim left by ambulance, arriving at Battambang Provincial Hospital at 13:30. The victim was not wearing his safety spectacles, which were found in his hand (he claimed that he was about to put them on). The detector was "completely destroyed".
Ddasaccident036, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident036, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At 09:25 the victim was clearing a lane using a combination of detector and excavation (with a "digging trowel"). While in a kneeling position he reached out to dig at the edge of the lane and initiated a PMN. He suffered traumatic amputation of his right arm "at the elbow" and lacerations to his face, right leg, and left arm. He walked to a safe lane where paramedics gave first aid. He was then driven to Sabie and taken by air to Maputo Central Hospital, leaving at 10:17 and arriving at 11:02.
Ddasaccident070, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident070, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
Because the demining group’s SOPs do not permit them to "handle" devices, it is inferred from the injuries that the accident occurred while prodding or excavating. The demining group approved squatting to prod and/or excavate at a later date and are assumed to have done so at this time.
Ddasaccident037, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident037, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators stated that at 09:50 on 10th July 1995 Victim No.2 initiated an OZM-3 that was behind a tree. He heard the "click" and threw himself to the ground suffering minor abrasions. "The mine may not have reached its intended height on detonation". Victim No.2 was not significantly injured despite being less than two metres from the blast. Victim No.1, another deminer working 31 metres from the accident, was struck by a single fragment in the neck causing fatal injuries.
Ddasaccident184, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident184, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim stated that he was aware that he had breached SOPs by carrying the fuse out of the mined area after the whistle sounded for the start of the rest period. He did not know why it exploded.
Ddasaccident038, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident038, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
Work began on 18th May 1995 and one side was cleared that day, with a POMZ-2 located and destroyed. On 19th May 1995 the section started clearing the other side. At about 10:00 a mine exploded in a cleared lane about two minutes after a deminer walked there. No injuries occurred. Work continued and a further three mines were found using detectors. On completion the victim went to destroy the mines.
Ddasaccident039, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident039, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At 09:15 Victim No.1 was injured by stepping on a mine "in a recently cleared area while engaged in clearance duties….". Victim No.2 was also injured. "Both men were wearing protective clothing – cotton overalls, leather boots and protective eye glasses" [sic]. The men were treated on site and evacuated at 11:24 by air to Maputo airport. (The requested plane landed in the wrong place and lost radio contact: a second plane had to be sent.)
Ddasaccident185, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident185, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim was investigating the source of a detector reading in an area where the ground had a high level of natural soil contamination. The victim was reported to have been lying down to work. He used his prodder, but because the ground was very hard he also used a trowel to break up the surface. At 11:27 he initiated a Type 72A mine. After first aid the victim was taken by ambulance to Battambang Provincial Hospital, arriving at 12:40.
Ddasaccident013, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident013, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim was a detector man for his platoon and was working in his lane when at 10:57 the site manager blew a whistle to signal the beginning of a break period. The victim stood up and uncleared area and detonated a PMN-2 with "his head". He was blown back into the cleared lane and died instantly. turned to return to the rest area but suddenly fell. He landed with most of his body in an
Ddasaccident040, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident040, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
On the day of the accident the demining group's ex-pat country Manager went in to investigate the accident of the previous day (7th March 1995) and confirmed that the mine involved had been a PMN. He found parts of the device that he thought indicated that there had been two mines, but those parts were lost during subsequent events. When he went into the area a second time he spent ten minutes examining the area, then called out for people to gather together for a briefing. Immediately thereafter he was seriously injured by an explosion [no reason why he went …
Ddasaccident003, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident003, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At approximately 11:20 the victim discovered a mine. This was his third that day and the first day that he had found any at that site. Instead of informing his Section Leader as he was required to do, he investigated it on his own. "For some reason the mine (or perhaps mines) detonated leaving him very seriously injured". [See Medical report.]The victim was casevaced by helicopter to Quelimane hospital arriving one hour after the accident occurred. He died at 16:30 that day. The death certificate gave "haemorrhage" as the cause of death. The helicopter was deemed fortuitous, and some suggestions …
Ddasaccident187, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident187, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim was working as a detector man and at 10:25 he changed roles within the team. Instead of returning to the rest area he walked along the adjacent cleared lane and tried to move a branch lying in an uncleared part of the road to the side of the lane. There was a stone about 50cm from the lane and, judging that there would be no mine underneath, he stepped on it to reach the branch. On his return journey his foot slipped off the stone and detonated a Type 72 mine. He suffered a traumatic amputation of the …
Ddasaccident188, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident188, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At 08:20 the victim located a mine and bent down to place a marker. At that point he had a dizzy spell and fell towards the mine, initiating it with the side of his head. He suffered serious injuries to his head and eyes and a broken arm (photographs elsewhere in the file also showed small bandages applied to his abdomen and right knee).
Ddasaccident189, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident189, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The Section Commander was doing the prodding himself because he considered the work dangerous and wanted to be sure it was done properly. He was working in a kneeling position and not wearing safety spectacles. He did not use water to soften the ground despite the fact that it was very hard. "The explosion occurred when the Section Commander was prodding a mine 50cm outside the safe lane, his prodding tool slipped from the grassroots and landed on a Type 72 mine". He was said to have sustained temporary vision loss.
Ddasaccident190, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident190, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The mined area was laid by the District Police and Militia to protect a dyke from attack. The reconnaissance team warned of booby trapped 60mm mortars and B40 RPGs. At 13:45 on the day of the accident Victim No.1 located a device similar to one that had been found two hours before. He called his Section Commander to identify it. The Section Commander, Victim No.2, arrived and stood to his right behind him. The Section Commander removed his safety spectacles to wipe sweat from his eyes and get a better view. Victim No.1 began to probe again and Victim No.2 …
Ddasaccident041, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident041, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The Deputy Country Director was interviewed by the researcher on 18th November 1998 and later send a one page summary of the accident and two others (dated 01/11/95). He said that the victim had initiated a PMN mine at approximately 12:45 whilst prodding with his three-pronged fork. At the time an internal investigation [not made available] concluded that he had not used his detector in that area prior to the accident, which was against instructions from his supervisors. “If he had been using the detector the accident would probably have been avoided.”
Ddasaccident042, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident042, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim set off an OZM-72 bounding fragmentation mine at about 12:27, and was killed. An internal investigation concluded that he had been rolling up a trip-wire as he was working his way towards the mine. This contravened safety procedures, according to which deminers should not touch trip-wires at all but should call a supervisor.