Public Policy Commons^™

Ddasaccident525, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as “Deminer inattention” because the Victim slipped into the cleared area. Questions arise about the suitability of his footwear. 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 that the circumstances of the accident would reflect badly on their organisation.

Ddasaccident578, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Initial reports state that [the victim of the first accident] was working in his lane when he initiated an unknown item. The size of the blast would indicate a partial or fuse assembly. A few seconds later, a larger explosion was heard, where [the Victim of this accident] had moved from his lane to assist [the first Victim]. [The Victim of this accident] moved using the shortest possible route, through uncleared area.

Ddasaccident425, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

[Name excised] and [name excised] will be sending you a very detailed report in the next few days. After seeing the site and the deminer I am going to ask him to buy my lottery ticket in the future!!. He was extremely lucky. He detonated an M4 mine 200g HE less than arms length away. He sustained a broken thumb and lacerations of his first two fingers and his face was badly bruised due to the visor hitting him due to the blast effect.

Ddasaccident545, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On May 19, 2004 all deminers were called back to restart clearance operations on the minefield 603 in Darlaman after the first 10 minutes break. [The Victim] also went to his lane and started operations. Using the mine detector he found a signal and marked the area by a red marker. He was setting in kneeling position in an up hill and sloppy [sloping] portion of the field and while he had his personal protective suit and visor on started to prod the area using a bayonet and during the prodding he touched the mine and it went off.

Ddasaccident531, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

[The Victim], deminer, at the time of the accident his role was to act as vegetation remover. At approximately 10:20 hrs after completing vegetation removal drill, he called his peer to conduct detection drill, then he told his peer that he would go to the toilet. The toilet in the cleared minefield was constructed at the north of the cleared area, but he went outside the minefield boundary into the uncleared area instead of going to the toilet. Then he stepped on a mine just one step from the minefield boundary, buried in the walking track that villagers frequently use …

Ddasaccident530, 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 detail can be inferred from the information made available. For example, the fact that six people were injured during excavation of a small AP blast mine implies that safety distances were being ignored and field discipline was low. The main Victim also suffered head injuries that indicate that his head protection and visor were not being worn.

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.

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 …

Ddasaccident375, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

NGO-2 were engaged in a clearance task. NGO-1 was coincidentally working close by making a survey. At 09:15 a deminer from [NGO-1] Team No.6 hit a mine and [NGO-2] Team 3 heard the detonation.

Ddasaccident428, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Referring to demining sequence, deminer no. 1 conducted vegetation removal drill (skipped tripwire drill due to none of tripwire); upon completion of the vegetation removal drill, deminer no. 2 [ the victim] conducted detector drill. These drills had been repeated two to three times already to the time of accident occurred. Mr. [name excised], the victim's peer, told that he found deminer no. 1 removed the cut salvages once then the second time and then he heard an explosion and found [the victim] falling backward into the cleared area. Then he called section commander for help, section commander called to …

Ddasaccident461, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Stood on PMN mine, after accidentally stepping over the front of lane marker. Mine did not function properly and so injuries not consistent with those expected from type of mine.

Ddasaccident364, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The soil was rocky, highly metallic and with dense vegetation, but still he carried on working only with the detector. After he finished that lane he returned to the second lane, which he had cleared that same morning. He was walked to the East in order to cut the vegetation of the third lane from another angle when his left foot stepped on a mine and detonated it. This was a PMN mine.

Ddasaccident278, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

During the work, an unnamed TCN decided to light a PMN booster apparently “to frighten his mates”. The resulting explosion slightly damaged soft tissue on his hand.

Ddasaccident278, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

A commercial company was awarded an extensive contract that included the clearance of trenches along the coast in Kuwait city. The UXO that was safe to be collected was removed by “gangs” of ex-pat supervised Thai workers. Called “TCNs” (Third Country Nationals) the Thai workers were reported to have been given a one-day UXO handling course. They were not issued protective equipment.

During the work, an unnamed TCN decided to light a PMN booster apparently “to frighten his mates”. The resulting explosion slightly damaged soft tissue on his hand.

Ddasaccident332, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The Victim had just replaced his partner after 30 minutes rest. His metal detector gave 5 readings within a metre of the mine (which was “normal” for this field). The accident occurred while the Victim was prodding using a bayonet on a hillside in a grassy part of the minefield.

Ddasaccident583, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On 17th January 2001 demining was being conducted around a former helicopter base in San Francisco Libre, near Managua. A deminer stepped on a PMN mine just outside the marked area while moving between the front and back of the lane. He was “going to prod” so had presumably returned to the back of the lane to remove his metal-detector.

Ddasaccident313, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On 7th July 2000, the victim was continuing his clearance along the wire. The victim started work in the new lane and removed a metal bracket and piece of the barbed-wire. He then did a further two check sweeps with his detector before starting excavation with his enxada (digging tool, [hoe]). On the 3rd scrape (moving from left to right) an unplanned explosion occurred which threw the victim directly backwards into the safe area behind.

Ddasaccident339, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The Victim marked a detector reading and when he investigated it, found some fragments. He put the detector aside and moved to collect stones to construct a Turning Point and mark the cleared survey lane. While walking in the survey lane (within the safety margin or “overlap”) he stepped on a PMN mine.

Ddasaccident337, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The demining team had been working at the site since February. The Victim was working in a breaching lane and set off a PMN mine.

Ddasaccident318, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred while carrying out a Survey Level 2 at Save minefield and the first deminer was tasked to make a cut into the minefield to a visible anti-group mine. He removed a piece of metal, then checked again with his detector. Having got another reading, (heard by his Section Commander who was 10m away) he started to excavate with his “shovel”. He hit another PMN which detonated.

Ddasaccident335, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred on land described as “agricultural, soft ground”. The demining group was engaged in Surveys (Levels 1 and 2). He found mines one on each side of the boundary lane and showed these to the supervisor. He was told to move the markers indicating the safe lane. As he turned, he stepped on a missed mine that was between the other two.

Ddasaccident315, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred at 10:45 on December 24th 1999 during the manual demining of power lines between Maputo and Komatiport at the 88th tower about 8km from Moamba Town. The deminer was injured in an area considered to be densely mined during an attempt to enlarge the cleared area from 20 square metres to 40 square metres. While trying to cut some shrubs he made a "false move" and activated a mine outside his lane with his left foot. The mine was outside the "ring" and below a tree.

Ddasaccident305, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred in a minefield called Palkie that was laid in 1970s. The contamination was such that a metal detector could not be used in some places and a “clearance by excavation” method was used. In one place where a shell had dropped, the victim was excavating using a Russian bayonet when he initiated a mine.

Ddasaccident582, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

A deminer detonated a mine while about to undertake prodding/excavation of a metal-detector indication. It is thought that the light plastic cross used as a marker for the metal-detector indication got moved by the wind and he knelt directly onto the mine.

Ddasaccident312, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Work on the left lane was obstructed by a tree so the victim cleared 1x1m boxes from the side of the right lane. At 10:45, the victim was nearing completion of the 3rd box, and was just standing up to remove some grass that he had cut, when an unplanned explosion took place at his feet. It transpired that he had inadvertently detonated an explosive device.

Ddasaccident334, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The Victim was working in a breaching party making a lane to the top of the hill. He had been working for 20 minutes when he registered a detector reading. He then either moved to mark the reading and stood on the mine or marked the reading and stepped back, stepping on the mine.

Ddasaccident268, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

"There are clear hints that he entered the uncleared area to a length of 5.3m along the tape of the left hand side. He entered also the area where should be the next lane. The distance from the left marking (tape) to the accident place is 2.15m. The accident place could not be reached by detector from the last marked safe place in the clearance lane as well as from the cleared area. After the explosion the legs of the injured person were laying in the uncleared area. His right neighbour cleared the area around the body to have access …

Ddasaccident016, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The nurse described this accident saying that a deminer was leaning forward to cut vegetation and put his foot on a mine. He suffered "traumatic chest injuries" when the front of his foot was driven into his chest. He died in the field before evacuation. The nurse claimed that an autopsy report was with the Country MAC [no one there knew of it] and that the mine was a Gyata-64 (AP blast, 210g TNT). Apparently the accident occurred when the victim was following a “mine-clearance machine” [unspecified].

Ddasaccident253, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the victim was investigating a detector reading wearing his helmet and in a squatting position as he and his partner cleared an uphill breach. He was prodding with his bayonet when the mine detonated at 10:45. The investigators decided that "he was not wearing his helmet properly".

Ddasaccident251, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the victim and his partner were clearing a lane into the edge of a canal that was partly filled by a collapsed wall. There was a sheet of metal partly buried in the canal so the victim started to clear the earth away from it with a pick "layer by layer". At 08:45 he detonated a mine with the pick and sustained injuries to his eyes and hands.