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Full-Text Articles in Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration

Ddasaccident042, Hd-Aid Jan 1995

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.


Ddasaccident191, Hd-Aid Nov 1994

Ddasaccident191, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The failure to pay compensation is taken to imply minor injury and continued employment.


Ddasaccident192, Hd-Aid Nov 1994

Ddasaccident192, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators concluded that SOPs were not broken and the Section Commander fell because the stick broke. The report noted that he was wearing his safety spectacles, and that they probably saved his eyes.


Ddasaccident193, Hd-Aid Jul 1994

Ddasaccident193, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The weather at the time of the accident was "sunny, clear, slight breeze and 85ºF". The victim was walking along the Safe Lane carrying a radio and notebook and thinking when he walked into a small tree. Two small trees (5cm stem thickness) blocked about 1/3 of the Safe Lane at the place. He stumbled sideways and was not able to hold the tree for support. He placed his foot "10-15"cm outside the Safe Lane and detonated a mine at 12:45. The Safe Lane marking tape survived the blast.


Ddasaccident044, Hd-Aid May 1994

Ddasaccident044, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim was working in an area covered with tall grass and bushes. The soil was heavily contaminated by metal, so detectors were only used to detect trip-wires. He was not using a detector at the time of the accident. The procedure for trip-wires was to report a find to a supervisor and not to touch it. The victim had been tested on this and the procedure had been followed for previous finds in the area.


Ddasaccident194, Hd-Aid Jan 1994

Ddasaccident194, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a "Inadequate equipment” because of the detector failure. The secondary cause is listed as “Field control inadequacy" because the victim trod on a mine that would have been found if appropriate field controls had been in place and if the detector inadequacy had been recognised in a timely manner.


Ddasaccident045, Hd-Aid Jan 1994

Ddasaccident045, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On the day of the accident the victim felt sick and had fainted previously but had refused to see the medic because he was afraid of losing his job. He became dizzy and stepped in front of his end of lane marking stick. He stepped on a Type 72A and suffered injuries to his toes at 08:00. Immediately after the accident he apologised to those attending him for having stepped over his stick. A fortuitous medevac by helicopter was possible and the victim was picked up at 08:25. At 09:30 he arrived at Chimoio where he was taken by ambulance …


Ddasaccident195, Hd-Aid Jan 1994

Ddasaccident195, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a "Field control inadequacy" because it seems likely that the victim was not wearing his safety spectacles and may also have been working dangerously without correction.


Ddasaccident196, Hd-Aid Nov 1993

Ddasaccident196, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Victim No.1 was sitting with his legs splayed leaning forward, holding the mine with his left hand when the booster charge detonated. He lost a finger, the top of two others and part of the thumb on his left hand, and was also injured above the eye. Victim No.2 suffered superficial injuries "to his hand and head" [from which it seems likely that both deminers had a hand on or near the device when it detonated].


Ddasaccident197, Hd-Aid Oct 1993

Ddasaccident197, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The summary sheet recorded the device simply as an AP mine and recorded the injury as a lower leg amputation.


Ddasaccident198, Hd-Aid Oct 1993

Ddasaccident198, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim stood on a mine at approximately 13:10 and was "injured with left leg amputated". He was given first aid and evacuated by ambulance to Rattnak Hospital at 13:25. The victim was then evacuated by helicopter to Mongkul Borei Hospital "at 15:00".


Ddasaccident199, Hd-Aid Oct 1993

Ddasaccident199, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

They were working very slowly and had only cleared 15m2 by 14:00. He had checked the area ahead of the lane for tripwires, then cut the grass. The third deminer then went to rest and Victim No.2 checked the area with the detector and marked three places. Victim No.1 then went forward to prod the marked places. He prodded on one but could find nothing so called Victim No.2 forward to show him exactly where the detector had signalled. Victim No.2 did so and as he walked back he stepped on the mine at 14:05. Victim No.2's "left leg was …


Ddasaccident200, Hd-Aid Oct 1993

Ddasaccident200, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The two victims were walking "through a cleared area to the rest area at the completion of their day's work. They followed a path which was used daily…. the evidence tends to suggest that the mine was laid after clearance by unknown persons". An attached document added that the area where the accident occurred (at 13:10) had been cleared "a month back".


Ddasaccident201, Hd-Aid Sep 1993

Ddasaccident201, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On the day of the accident demining was stopped at 13:45 because of heavy rain. At 14:05 the victim's platoon walked back to the vehicles in single file. The victim was the last of a group of four people and he stepped on a mine.


Ddasaccident202, Hd-Aid Jul 1993

Ddasaccident202, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The UN Supervisor instructed Victim No.1 to straighten the sticks marking where the mines had been destroyed because some had fallen over "due to rain". The victim took two steps and a mine exploded under his right foot. The victim "suffered severe leg injury resulting in amputation of right leg above the knee and splinters on his penis and testicles". The UN Supervisor was knocked over but "did not sustain any injuries".


Ddasaccident203, Hd-Aid May 1993

Ddasaccident203, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident was mentioned on the demining group's own spreadsheet of incidents they had suffered in the country. However, the country office did not have a copy of their own internal accident report.


Ddasaccident204, Hd-Aid Jan 1993

Ddasaccident204, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Victim No,1 was working with Victim No.2 to his right when he saw a bush with a pile of PMN-2 mines beneath it. He crouched to peer under the bush, suspecting the cache might be booby trapped. Having seen no sign of a trap he stepped back and initiated a buried PMN-2 with his right heel. Victim No.2 was "less than ten metres away". He received fragment injuries to his arm and fragments of molten plastic in his leg which cut his tendons.


Ddasaccident295, Hd-Aid Jan 1993

Ddasaccident295, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

After replacing the pin, he turned the mine over and put pressure on the base of the mine to try to force it open. The mine detonated. He lost the hand that was holding the mine and had extensive damage to his leg(s) under the table.


Ddasaccident292, Hd-Aid Apr 1992

Ddasaccident292, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

To save time, breach lanes were reduced in width to 50cms. A Ghurkha deminer, walking in the ‘reduced width” lane activated a PMN (either a Chinese Type 58 copy of the PMN or an Iraqi copy). It seems that the TNT in the mine had cracked up causing a partial detonation.


Ddasaccident291, Hd-Aid Mar 1992

Ddasaccident291, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is believed that the victim was using artery forceps to extract a detonator when he inadvertently prodded into it. The detonators are “stab-sensitive”. The mine activated and he was killed instantly. No details of his injuries were made available.


Ddasaccident290, Hd-Aid Mar 1992

Ddasaccident290, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The record states that the victim was “clearing mines” and stepped on a Type 72 anti-personnel blast mine and lost his foot. It is assumed that he was using his detector at the time.


Ddasaccident289, Hd-Aid Feb 1992

Ddasaccident289, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The driver of a recovery truck was sent to recover broken-down plant equipment in a minefield. Lack of supervision and appropriate instructions meant he walked into a known mined area to check the vehicle. He stood on an anti-personnel blast mine; either a PMN, Type 58 Chinese copy, or Iraqi PMN copy (black), or a Type 72 AP and suffered a lower leg amputation.


Ddasaccident286, Hd-Aid Feb 1992

Ddasaccident286, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

A Ghurkha deminer was working with a Schiebel AN/19 in an area of high salt contamination (Subkha – salt marsh) when he failed to detect a Type 72 anti-personnel mine and activated it with his foot. He suffered a traumatic amputation of his lower leg.


Ddasaccident285, Hd-Aid Feb 1992

Ddasaccident285, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

An ex-pat deminer was checking the edge of “iron bomb of 16 inch Naval shell crater” in a minefield when he trod on a Type 72 anti-personnel mine. The mine has a minimum metal content and he suffered a traumatic amputation of his lower leg. It is presumed that he had his detector in his hand at the time of the accident.


Ddasaccident285, Hd-Aid Feb 1992

Ddasaccident285, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

An ex-pat deminer was checking the edge of “iron bomb of 16 inch Naval shell crater” in a minefield when he trod on a Type 72 anti-personnel mine. The mine has a minimum metal content and he suffered a traumatic amputation of his lower leg. It is presumed that he had his detector in his hand at the time of the accident.


Ddasaccident284, Hd-Aid Feb 1992

Ddasaccident284, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At the anti-tank mine where the accident occurred, one anti-personnel mine was visible, one had detonated, but the mine at 12 o’clock was missing. The victim approached the anti-tank mine from behind, sweeping with his detector. As he advanced, he stepped on the Type 72 anti-personnel mine. He was using a Schiebel AN-19 detector.


Ddasaccident280, Hd-Aid Nov 1991

Ddasaccident280, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim was coming to the end of his shift when he discovered a V-69 and began to expose it for demolition. His partner reported that the victim was racing against the tide to get the job finished, when suddenly the sand gave way and he slid into the hole he was excavating. This may have been because of his heavy weight and the sand getting wetter (softer) as the tide advanced. The mine functioned, bounded and detonated. It is not clear whether it detonated against his lower body or at a distance from it.


Ddasaccident279, Hd-Aid Jul 1991

Ddasaccident279, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The “informal SOP” at the time allowed operators not to drive the machine out of the mined area at changeover times. In this case, the victim tried to change from one track to the other as his replacement operator and his Team Leader approached. As he changed tracks, he stood on the ground between the tracks and trod on a VS50 AP mine. The VS50 is over-pressure protected (a sustained pressure is needed) and so “resistant” to detonation by flails.


Ddasaccident277, Hd-Aid Jun 1991

Ddasaccident277, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

In order to gain access to the PMN mines the victim had to climb over a pile of VS 1.6 (scatterable anti-tank mines). When he jumped down from the tank mines, he landed on three PMNs. This was inferred because three craters were found afterwards. It is thought extremely unlikely that PMNs would sympathetically detonate, so the victim’s colleagues thought it most likely that he landed with some of his weight on all three.


Ddasaccident002, Hd-Aid Aug 1990

Ddasaccident002, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred near a former Soviet hill post. The post had been subject to frequent night attack so the Russians had installed "listening devices" in a ring around the hill as an early warning system. The devices were "briefcase sized" and buried, protected against weather by plastic sheets. They were known to be protected by MS3 mines and the demining group, having no explosives for detonation in situ, had the policy of pulling the devices remotely. In all previous cases, pulling had resulted in a detonation of the MS3 mine or mines, activated by pressure-release. The listening devices were …