Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Ddasaccident439, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Narrative: The deminer [Name excised] was carrying out one man one lane manual demining drills in accordance with [Demining group] Sri Lanka manual demining SOPs for 100% excavation. He was using the axe hammer tool to excavate the face of his lane down to a depth of 15cm, when the detonation occurred. The mine detonated on the left hand side of his lane as he was using the axe hammer.

Ddasaccident518, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Details of this accident have been withheld by the demining NGO that employed the Victim. A spreadsheet including the Victim’s name and very brief details of the accident was made available in 2007. Some details can be inferred from the information released. For example, the limited injury implies that the victim’s PPE was being worn in the correct manner.

Ddasaccident418, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

A bulldozer and crew contracted by the GA and managed by the AGA was working in Malvil on the day of the incident. [Victim No.1], Bulldozer driver, [Victim No.2], Driver’s Assistant and [Victim No.3], AGA appointed foreman were tasked with levelling the SLA bunds and clearing excess vegetation around the village. Immediately prior to the incident the bulldozer was on the dirt road running through the village and attempting to turn around. As the bulldozer moved off the road in its attempt to turn, an explosion occurred under the right hand track, tipping the bulldozer over and throwing the three …

Ddasaccident441, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Narrative: During the removal of rubble, sand and rubbish in a holding area inside a building (area has been cleared with metal detector and excavation drills in April 2003 by [the same demining group]), the deminer was walking backwards and reaching the rear wall to fill his shovel again, as an uncontrolled detonation occurred. The detonation caused the traumatic amputation of his left foot.

Evaluation Report On Echo Funded Humanitarian Mine Action Pilot Projects In North-West Of Cambodia, Marcel Durocher, Agim Hoti, Mok Tonh, Keo Vut

Global CWD Repository

The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) has been actively involved in mine action programs in Cambodia since 1996. ECHO recognized that there was a clear and urgent need to develop new approaches to address the needs of the most at risk communities. In mid 2002 it decided to fund three pilot initiatives with the objective of reducing mine/UXO risks and casualties in North Western Cambodia while taking into account the needs of local communities. This is an area, which recently witnessed a large influx of families from other parts of Cambodia. Many of these newcomers opted to take the …

Development And Test Of The Humanitarian Demining Sifting Excavator, Christopher Wanner

Global CWD Repository

The Humanitarian Demining Sifting Excavator has been developed to address the problem of finding and clearing deeply buried, mixed minefields. The motivation for the development came from a 2002 site assessment by the team of an existing mine problem in Honduras. Areas were identified containing both antipersonnel and antitank landmines buried up to 0.5 meters in mineralized soils. Conventional mine clearing techniques employed in the areas of interest had uncovered widespread evidence of these deeply buried mines, however, these techniques were unreliable for consistently finding mines buried at these depths. The Sifting Excavator was proposed and chosen as the best …

Ddasaccident543, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

A BM-12 smoke shell was reported near the Safe UXO Store of [Demining group] teams working in Logar province. The acting TL briefed the SL to take the UXO away and demolish it. Mr. Paya-I-Din was climbing a hill while taking the UXO to the demolition pit, slipped and the accident happened. It is worth-mentioning that the UXO he was carrying did not explode and apparently a BD RPG7 fuse caused the injuries.

Ddasaccident421, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident happened 21 September 2003. The truck was carrying deminers to work along the cleared section of the road. At 09:00 in the morning, the truck crossed into the uncleared area by a short distance and its left side front wheel detonated a TM-57 AT mine.

Ddasaccident386, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On the 16th of September 2003 at 12:04 hours the Armoured Grader, assisting in route clearance operations on the road from Chiede to Malungo wa Shikongo, set off an anti-tank mine.

5th Meeting Of The States Parties To The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (2003), Apmbc

Global CWD Repository

The Final Report of the Fifth Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction,

Bangkok, 15-19 September 2003

A Risk Strategy For Mine Action, Julian Williams

Global CWD Repository

A generic risk management methodology has been derived, and aspects of it were used to develop risk management strategies for Cambodia and Bosnia. These countries presented different problems and so required very different approaches. In Cambodia, the available resources are wholly inadequate to remove the risk from landmines in the medium-term. Moreover, the mine treatment options that might be practicable, even if they were available, are limited, because of the poor infrastructure and type of terrain where they would be applied. Nevertheless, there is some scope for using risk assessment to identify where the practicable mine treatment options (mainly manual …

Vapour Sensing Using Dogs In Bosnia: A Test Of Detection Capacity, Rune Fjellanger, Ian Mclean, Havard Bach

Global CWD Repository

We report results of a pilot study designed to investigate the possibility that REST (Remote Explosive Scent Tracing) technology could be used to find mines in Bosnia. The find rate for mines on 88 filers was 68%. Detection success was linked to humidity and temperature at the time of sampling, and to location within Bosnia. Detection success was not linked to when the filter passed across the mine during the sampling period, or how long the filter was held over the mine. Two mines were found at similar rates (PMA3, TMA4). Success was lower for a third type (TMM1) but …

Landmine Victim Assistance In South-East Europe: Final Study Report, Sheree Bailey

Global CWD Repository

In December 2002, Handicap International Belgium, in co-operation with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines' (ICBL) Landmine Monitor research network, began a research project on behalf of the Reay Group, which was funded through the ITF by Canada and the US State Department. The study should provide the ITF, donors, and service providers, with a clearer picture of the state of victim assistance in South East Europe. It is a starting point that should encourage relevant actors, including government authorities, donors, and local and international program implementers, to share information, to make informed decisions on where to direct resources, or …

Ddasaccident517, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a “Field control inadequacy” because it seems that the Victim was disarming a mine designated “no-touch” by the demining group, and may have been doing so without wearing appropriate PPE. The secondary cause is listed as a “Management control inadequacy” because the management of the demining group declined to make the accident details available. Although this is sometimes done to protect the Victims, in this case the Victim’s name was among the limited detail made available. It is possible that the managers have chosen to avoid transparency because they are afraid …

Ddasaccident516, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a “Field control inadequacy” because the accident occurred in the “post-clearance” phase so the mine had either been missed during clearance, or was outside (but close to) the cleared area, so implying inadequate survey. The fact that four deminers were injured implies that the Field controllers believed they were in a safe area, or that safety distances were being ignored. The spread of injuries indicates that protective visors were not being used.

Ddasaccident398, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

As he excavated closer to the position of the signal he stopped and swept again with the detector. After again, pinpointing the signal he continued the excavation drill where upon a short time later there was a detonation at 0707 hrs.

Opportunities For Regional Cooperation In Mine Action In Southeastern Europe, Ian Mansfield

Global CWD Repository

The goal of addressing landmine problems in southeastern Europe (SE Europe) with a regional approach entails the cooperation of countries on a number of complex issues. The following article discusses some of the primary issues involved in the process of incorporating a regional approach to landmine problems in SE Europe.

Ddasaccident515, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a “Field control inadequacy” because it seems that the Victim was burning off an area that needed to be cleared and did not maintain an appropriate safety distance when the fire might have initiated a mine/device. The secondary cause is listed as a “Management control inadequacy” because the management of the demining group declined to make the accident details available. Although this is sometimes done to protect the Victims, in this case the Victim’s name was among the limited detail made available. It is possible that the managers have chosen to …

Ddasaccident390, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The Deminer [the Victim] begins work at 05:15 hrs and he continued work for 45 minutes in this lane 1 metre wide. At that time, he was cutting vegetations as per SOPs. At approximately 06:00 hrs, an uncontrolled detonation occurred in the clearance lane where Deminer MEHIC was working.

Ddasaccident426, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The propellant was determined to be the most immediate problem. In order to safely access the rest of the ordnance in the bunker. [The victim] was tasked with the removal and destruction the propellant. And [Name excised 2] would continue to supervise the operations inside the bunker. A burn area was located 600m east of the bunker task site at Lat 30, 26’, 40” Long 47, 43’, 47” a dirt berm with three enclosed sides. [The victim] had burned twice before during the morning. An hour and half after the last burn [The victim] set up for the final burn …

Ddasaccident429, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The UN Mine Action Service assigned the task to [the Demining group] by the UN Mine Action Service. [The Demining group] has been on the site now since 1 Jul. And were in the final phases of the clearance task. [The Victim] was in the process of clearing the last of the propellant that was on site. Once collected he had a small pile less than a meter in diameter. He then prepared a propellant trail leading into the main body of the propellant. [The Victim] used a combination of projectile propellant and black powder from a charge bag in …

Ddasaccident427, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

According to the deminer statement He has cleared the line about 1 m to 1,5 meter and made search for signal in one location he got more signals and have made a deep hole to try to located the signals when he was satisfy with the investigation of the hole he has moved his base stick and got up from his knee position to take the gardening shear in order to cut side vegetation at that time his left leg twisted skid towards in the previous excavation hole . Immediately he heard some noise and sand and dust all over …

Ddasaccident514, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

This incident is classed as a “Missed-mine accident” because it seems that the device that detonated was inside the area cleared. If it was not, then this would become yet another “Survey accident” (the demining group had several in Iraq at this time). The primary cause of this accident is listed as a “Field control inadequacy” because the victims went to place markers in an area that was believed to be safe but which was not. Those responsible for the work should have kept an accurate record of the safe area. It seems that the field controllers may also have …

Ddasaccident388, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On 10th June 2003, [demining group] EOD Team Echo 3 were conducting a clearance operation on a building used by the Iraqi Forces to store ammunition of mixed natures. At approximately 10:35hrs, a fierce fire was detected outside the building immediately after the demolition by detonation of 2 Sagger missiles. The fire spread rapidly to inside the building and several loud explosions where seen and heard to take place.

Cida Central And Eastern Europe Branch: Canadian Mine Action Programme In The Balkans, 1998-2003, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This evaluation describes the Canadian Mine Action Programme (CMAP) in the Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Croatia) from 1998 to 2003 and is focused on the key results achieved and lessons learned, with particular emphasis on validating the design, implementation and effectiveness of the numerous projects that comprised the programme. It intends to improve the programme development as well as the project selection, design and implementation. The focus of the CMAP was principally on the provision of direct humanitarian assistance, the enhancement of peace, security and stability, the building of institutional mine action capacity, and the creation of indigenous …

Information Requirements For Explosive Remnants Of War, The Views Of The Clearance Community, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Access to relevant information is vital to the establishment and operational effectiveness of any clearance and risk education programme designed to alleviate the effects of explosive remnants of war (ERW). Where that information is available, it can have a direct and almost immediate impact on operations, and helps to ensure that the threat from ERW is dealt with efficiently, mitigating the risk for civilians. However, the type and level of information needed will vary depending on the parties to the conflict, nature of the conflict, and the location of ERW. Information, such as the nature of the munitions used and …

Ddasaccident466, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Details of this accident have been withheld by the demining NGO that employed the Victim. A spreadsheet including the Victim’s name and very brief details of the accident was made available in 2007. Some details can be inferred from the information released. For example, the limited injury implies that the victim’s PPE was being worn.

Ddasaccident397, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At approximately 1520 hrs QA MDD Officer [the Victim] was leaving the [Demining group] Office proceeding along the corridor; he reached into his pocket for his cigarettes as he intended to have a smoke. When he placed his hand in his pocket he “felt the other component i.e. the detonator”, he then proceeded to take out the detonator and because he had been told that it was safe “proceeded to fit it back together, then there was a loud explosion noise”.

Ddas: Imas And Ppe Requirements, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

This paper explains the personal protective equipment (PPE) that a demining group must use in order to comply with the United Nations’International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).

My views in this paper are based on extensive field experience, the detailed investigations in the Database of Demining Accidents (DDAS) and on the many follow-up interviews of accident victims that I have undertaken.

Mine Action In Afghanistan: Transitional Options, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This report examines the options for transition from a United Nations Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (UNMACA) to one under national government management. The report was commissioned by the UNDP Bureau of Crisis Prevention and Recovery in February 2003. It discusses four options for transition, and provides background to the conclusions and recommendations.