Public Policy Commons^™

Ddasaccident130, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the deminer was resting while his partner worked when he saw a fuse in the uncleared area at the side of the lane. He picked it up and "started playing" with it and it exploded. The Section Leader was covering for another deminer who had gone to urinate [so was not observing].

Ddasaccident125, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

This accident was listed in UN MAC records as a non-mine casualty and no accident inquiry had been instigated. [It was recognised that it was a mine accident when the MAC was asked to explain why it was not treated as such.]

Ddasaccident052, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At 12:40 the victim was kneeling behind his base stick and demining in a heavily overgrown area. While cutting grass in front of his base stick he noticed some smoke ahead of him. He stood up to run and was only a metre away when something detonated behind him.

Ddasaccident252, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the victim was clearing a lane when he found a detector reading, marked it, and started to excavate with a pick. He hit the mine with the pick at 09:35 and sustained injuries to his hands and right shoulder.

Ddasaccident131, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the victim was working on the ridge of a stony hill [photographs showed it was very steep and rocky]. He was given permission to leave the area to urinate and went into an area declared clear by a dog survey team. The investigators expressed the view that the area was unsuitable for dogs to clear because it was too steep for them to "sit" when indicating a signal.

Mozambique Mine Awareness Education Module, Cisr

Global CWD Repository

Mine Awareness Education Module - Mozambique is based on information acquired through a variety of expert sources. The document incorporates information gathered through

• a review of ecological theories,
• an extensive review of existing humanitarian demining mine awareness and prevention programs,
• a review of effective strategies of community-change efforts,
• and interviews with persons conducting mine awareness programs in Mozambique and other sub-Sahara countries.

In addition, interviews and briefings were conducted with personnel from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict, US. Army Special Operations Command, 4th Psychological Operations Group and Special Operations …

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 1998, Itf-Enhancy Human Security

Global CWD Repository

ITF Annual Report 1998

Mozambique: A Listing Of Organizations Conducting Humanitarian Demining/Mine Awareness Activities, Cisr

Global CWD Repository

The following list describes organizations that have been active in conducting humanitarian demining activities in Mozambique. The list includes NGO’s, IO’s, commercial firms, governmental and military organizations. Printouts for some organizations with websites are included in Appendix A and are coded with an asterisk in the list.

Ddasaccident132, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the victim was investigating a reading in a pile of soil deposited by the back-hoe when the mine went off. The investigators reported that the victim claimed to have been using a bayonet but that his lack of injury made them think this unlikely.

Ddasaccident134, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that Victim No.1 was investigating a pile of spoil deposited by the back-hoe when he got a continuous detector reading and started excavating with a long handled shovel. He detonated a mine. The mine was identified as a PMN (by "found fragments").

Ddasaccident133, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators decided that the victim got a detector reading and investigated it but found nothing. He checked with the detector and still got a reading, so squatted to prod thinking it was a fragment. The device which exploded was assumed to be an MUV fuze because of the presence of POMZ fragments in that minefield.

Ddasaccident020, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

When the deminer came alongside the first mine, he located another, and called the victim again. The victim decided to prepare the mines for destruction, took the deminer's "spade" and sent him away. When the deminer reached the safe area the detonation occurred at 09:55.

Ddasaccident135, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators decided that the victim found a detector reading, marked it, and started to excavate with a pick – contravening a UN MAC directive to stop using a pick for excavation. The mine was identified as a PMN (from "found fragments").

Ddasaccident136, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

No investigation on behalf of the UN MAC was made available. An initial letter informing the UN MAC of the accident was found. The following summarises its content.

Ddasaccident359, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The operator had returned to Pit 1 and was in the process of checking the pit fully when the EOD specialist arrived. As he left the pit to meet him, one of the fuzes functioned. 2 fragments had entered through the side and rear of his boot.

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.

Ddasaccident137, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victims were in a vehicle that detonated an AT mine with a front wheel. The ground was a dirt road in grazing land. A photograph showed a flat earth area with water in puddles. "The front wheel of the truck and the cabin were destroyed". [A photograph showed the cab separated from the truck and severely damaged.]

Ddasaccident166, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim's partner placed a start stick about 25cm away from the marked edge of the safe lane from which they were advancing, and a second stick half a meter in front of that (so marking the working area). The victim checked his detector, then started to sweep the first 50cm in front of the start stick. This took about one minute. On finding the area clear he bent down to pick up the start stick and moved it forward, taking a step forward as he did so. He stepped on a mine that had been in front of or …

Ddasaccident009, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim had been a deminer for seven years. It was ten days since he had last attended a revision course, and two days since he was last on leave. The ground being cleared was described as the medium-hard bed of a dry lake. The victim's bayonet was destroyed and the visor damaged. The investigators claimed to have found fragments to confirm that the mine involved was a PMN.

Ddasaccident139, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators checked the Team's detectors and found five to be not "in proper working condition". The victim used one of these detectors. At the end of the working day the victim was taking his equipment to the store and either stepped into an uncleared area or stepped on a missed mine (due to the faulty detectors).

Ddasaccident139, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators concluded that the victim was feeling unwell and had requested leave, so he might not have been concentrating when he stepped into an uncleared area. He might also have stepped on a missed mine.

Ddasaccident054, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The team started work at 07:30 and was working in a crater on the road when the accident occurred at 10:30. The soil in the crater was "a friable sandy clay" that allowed detectors to be used. There was a UXO (specified only as "rocket") lying against the side of the crater. The team had cleared and marked two one metre wide lanes across the large crater. Shortly before the accident Victim No.1 was seen to raise and re-tune his Ebinger detector. Victim No.2 was 25 metres away but reported that he heard Victim No.1's detector bleep immediately before the …

Ddasaccident024, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On the day of the accident the victim started work at 07:00 clearing "a line to the spot were they earlier had found the POMZ and started 10 metres from the spot". His lane was one metre wide and required the cutting of foliage with a machete before clearing. When he was about a metre from the spot a detonator (MUV-2) exploded (at 07:30). "He got small stones in the face and head which gave him small wounds".

Ddasaccident116, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred at 11:15 in an area that was undulating and steep with dry earth and rock. The victim was investigating a detector reading with a prodder when the mine exploded. He suffered minor blast injuries to his chin and small fragment injuries to his right hand, his right thigh and knee joint. His helmet and visor took most of the blast. The victim was blown back and rolled several metres down a slope. He was evacuated, with two deminers of the same blood group, to the "Emergency" Hospital.

Ddasaccident006, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The team started work at 07:30 and at 09:30 it started to rain so they stopped work. The rain was light but it prevented the deminers from seeing through their visors until 10:55 when they started work again. At 11:10 the victim found a mine and was starting to mark it. He turned to his No.2 to request some pickets and as he did so he slipped and fell backwards onto the mine. The victim was holding his detector at the time. He was thrown into a mined area so a safe lane was cleared to reach him. He was …

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.

Ddasaccident023, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The team began work at 05:45. One dog was found unfit for work and returned to kennels (a tick bite in the eye was the cause). The other dog passed the routine 10 minute pre-work test and started work at around 06:30. Work continued (with two rests) until 09:00 when the dog was given another routine test. The victim entered the cleared area to complete his survey report and at 09:05 and stepped on a mine. He was evacuated to hospital in Maputo and arrived at 10:24. His injuries were severe trauma to left leg resulting in below knee amputation …

Ddasaccident053, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim began work at 07:00 and had worked with a ten minute break each hour until 12:34 when the accident occurred. The method involved excavating "to a depth of 20cm using a sideways sweeping motion" with the hoe [pick]. He had found one mine that morning and as he worked forward he encountered a rock ledge at only 5cm depth. He uncovered the rock for three metres until the ledge ended. At the edge of the rock was a tree root that the deminer tried to cut with the hoe. Either the movement of the tree root initiated the …

Ddasaccident140, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators decided that the victim was working with the detector and got a reading. He placed one mark and squatted to prod without wearing his helmet correctly. His bayonet was “destroyed” in the accident.

Ddasaccident025, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

There was a safe lane at the bottom of the embankment and deminers were working uphill from it. The victim had been working for fifteen minutes when he decided to clear a wire that was in front of his cleared area. He checked with the Schiebel detector and picked up a reading that he thought was the wire, so ignored it. He entered the uncleared area, cut the wire, and slipped back down the embankment.