Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 18 of 18
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Ddasaccident220, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident220, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators concluded that the accident was "preventable". The mine should have been found during excavation but the appropriate SOPs were not being used. Supervision was inadequate and the control of movement in cleared areas was not in accordance with SOPs.
Ddasaccident221, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident221, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators decided that Victim No.1 probably believed the area was safe because it had been checked by the dog. They were "unable to draw any meaningful conclusions about the dog's performance on that day". They felt that Victim No.1 was "not sufficiently systematic" in his detector search.
Ddasaccident222, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident222, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators concluded that the demining group had insufficient "lead-time" to properly plan the task, that the base-line was not marked and marking of cleared areas was inadequate and that the mine was below the depth that prodding and excavation would normally find it.
Ddasaccident223, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident223, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The investigators found no fault with the company's SOPs but said that "insufficient planning and lead-time was allowed for the clearance team to be prepared…". They thought that the "contractual pressure created an atmosphere of unnecessary urgency", that communications between the demining company and the [QA] were inadequate and that the parties involved were all interpreting the contract differently.
Ddasaccident224, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident224, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The team were finishing their shift for the day and the victim was asked to mark the edge of the area that had been surveyed that day. As he walked to that point he trod on an undetected PMA-3. The victim was later told that the mine had been laid too deep for the detectors to locate. The victim was wearing military boots, leggings, a frag-jacket, and a helmet & visor.
Ddasaccident237, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident237, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The document stated that the victim had been recently trained by the group he was working with. He was working in an area known to contain PMA-1 and PMA-3 mines. He was not wearing a helmet and visor and was prodding for mines. He was prodding with "a vertical stabbing motion" when he detonated a PMA-3.
Ddasaccident225, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident225, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
At 12:40 the two victims were at an appropriate place to site a spur, so the Team Leader instructed them to start a lane off to the left. The deminers changed roles, exchanging leggings and marking tape when they did so [only one set of leggings was issued per pair of deminers]. As Victim No.2 was withdrawing his partner asked him to pass the machete. He returned and did so, then walked away again. He was about five metres away when the mine detonated.
Ddasaccident226, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident226, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
A local farmer had reported a UXO to the police. The team located the farmer, then parked their vehicle 50m from the accident site and walked with the farmer towards the suspected UXO. The farmer entered the field with Victim No.1 following. The farmer indicated the rough direction of the device and Victim No.2 moved up behind him. All three began to search, all within 1.5 metres of each other. The medic returned to the vehicle to be near to the medical kit. "Statements indicate that at the moment of detonation Victim No.1 bent over slightly and the other two …
Ddasaccident234, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident234, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The Team Commander knew that there were mines present. "After thorough checking [he] had ordered the removal of 15cm of topsoil, followed by a second 15cm. The mine was still 15cm below the surface. This was too deep for the detector to pick it up and too deep for the prodder to reveal its presence… the ground compacted under his weight and set off the mine."
Ddasaccident236, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident236, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The document stated that the victim was called to confirm the presence of a mine by one of his colleagues. He turned to comply, and as he did so his foot slipped "on a piece of wood" and he fell over. As he got up "he put his foot outside the cleared lane and detonated a PMA-3 which was buried and not visible".
Ddasaccident235, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident235, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The document stated that the deminers were working on a bare and stony slope. They were "familiar with the ground" and the minefield record. The victim stood at the edge of the mined area, stepped into it and saw a GORADZE mine. He asked a deminer behind him (the report records that the second man was "unprotected") to confirm the identification and moved forward. As he did so he stepped on a mine that he had not seen. As he fell backwards he detonated a second mine that he had failed to detect.
Ddasaccident227, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident227, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The victim [who was wearing protective equipment including leggings] took over clearance at the new end-of-lane and had cleared about five metres when he stepped on a mine that may have been "concealed below a small rock". The Team Leader was close to the victim. Three other deminers hurried along the lane to his assistance and they carried the victim to the Control Point where the medic attended him. The victim suffered "bruising and flesh injuries to his lower leg and fractures to his left foot". He was not expected to require amputation. It took "approximately 15 minutes" to reach …
Ddasaccident228, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident228, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
Prior to the accident the Team Leader had "used a machete to clear foliage and to inspect uncleared ground" in the accident lane. He did not use a detector or prodder. He advanced ten metres in this way, then handed over to the victim. The ten metres were counted as "cleared". The Team Leader was reported to have "used this system on other occasions to encourage deminers to clear areas faster". He was not wearing any protective equipment. During this time he missed what the report states was a "PMA" [I infer a PMA-3]. The deminers returned to work and …
Ddasaccident231, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident231, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The document stated that the team was active demining in an area with a "mixture" of AP mines including improvised MRUD directional fragmentation mines. A deminer was defusing a MRUD and working directly in front of it. A second deminer was walking towards him to help and a third was observing "from about 10 metres away, also in direct line-of-sight". "The mine detonated killing the two…closest to it and severely wounding the third."
Ddasaccident230, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident230, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The document stated that two teams were due to begin demining in adjacent mined areas at Grid reference CQ 088 850. The team commanders held records of the mined area and had a discussion about the accuracy of those records. One of them said the records were inaccurate but that he knew where the mines were. He led two of his men to show them where the mines were. At 10:45 one of the three men surveying the area activated a PROM-1.
Ddasaccident232, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident232, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The document states that the demining team were working in a gulley in a wooded area. "They had used prodders to prove the ground from which they were lifting mines. They also used detectors to sweep the area to 15m beyond the area which had been prodded". A member of the demining team who had been involved in laying the mines during the war "walked into the area which had been swept by detectors and detonated a PMA-3".
Ddasaccident233, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident233, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The document stated that the demining group were working in a wooded area known to be mined. The SFOR monitors offered to lend the group protective equipment but they declined the offer. They did accept the offer of prodders. While prodding a deminer detonated a PMA-3.
Ddasaccident229, Hd-Aid
Ddasaccident229, Hd-Aid
Global CWD Repository
The team decided that the work had moved away from the direction of the path, so work would start three metres behind the end of the lane and go in a slightly different direction. This was in the area that had been probed, not checked by a dog. The deminers walked to the new start point, then began to return to the change-over point. Victim No.1 was behind Victim No.2 when he stepped on a PMA-2. He suffered a "traumatic amputation" below his right knee. Victim No.2 had "less serious" injuries.