Guide to the Ageing of Explosive Ordnance in the Environment

The aim of this guide is to give an overview of what is currently known about the ageing of explosive ordnance and the changes in risk that this presents to EOD operators. Analysis of ageing requires internal examination of the ordnance, a highly technical process sometimes referred to as ‘exploitation’. A brief introduction to exploitation is given in Chapter 1. Different explosive ordnance with differing designs have different predispositions to ageing; this is explained in Chapter 2. How various environmental factors affect the components of explosive ordnance is covered in Chapter 3, more specific changes are detailed in Chapter 4. Such changes can alter the risk that explosive ordnance presents and this is discussed in Chapter 5. Two case studies, one for World War II landmines found in the Netherlands and Denmark, and another for ERW from the same period in the Pacific, add to the many examples from the field included throughout this guide

The Hybrid Thermal Lance: A Promising New Technique for the Destruction of Landmines and UXO by Deflagration

Explosive ordnance can be destroyed by a variety of methods. Destruction in-situ using an explosive charge is generally the preferred means; it is reliable, technically straightforward, and often the safest option. Other techniques include thermite-based tools or low-explosive powered disruptors. However, in a number of current humanitarian mine action (HMA) operating environments, clearance organizations are faced with restrictions on explosive use and/or importation of other energetic materials such as thermite. This may be due to the legitimate security concerns of mine-affected states, or legislative frameworks that do not account for non-military use of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) tools. This takes place against a broadening range of explosive ordnance, particularly given the proliferation of improvised explosive based hazards in the Middle East

GICHD Strategy 2019-2022

“A world in which communities thrive, free from risks from explosive ordnance.” This is the vision that guides the GICHD 2019-2022 Strategy. Its four Strategic Objectives: Supporting the Conventions, Protecting communities from explosive harm, The safe return of land and infrastructure to people, and Gender equality and inclusion, will guide the GICHD’s work over the next four years and enable our partners to reduce the risks of explosive ordnance

The Time Has Come for Digital Explosive Ordnance Risk Education

The increase in the number of civilian casualties from landmines and other explosive ordnance (EO) in recent years has driven the demand for new and innovative ways to provide communities with risk education. Additionally, with access limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian organizations like MAG (Mines Advisory Group) have had to adapt their approach, focusing on digital explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) to reach individuals and communities affected by EO

Open-Source Research and Mapping of Explosive Ordnance Contamination in Ukraine

Due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the scale of explosive ordnance (EO) contamination in Ukraine has reached unprecedented levels, necessitating new methods to assess and track the different types of ordnance and the level of contamination across the country. As the most documented, active war on social media to date, The HALO Trust (HALO) has successfully harnessed open-source research to better plan and conduct survey, clearance operations, and explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) across the country

Tailoring Explosive Ordnance Risk Education: How MAG Addresses Gender/Cultural Sensitivities and Local Risk-Taking Behavior

The relevance of risk education is widely acknowledged as reflected in the Oslo Action Plan (OAP) with its distinct chapter on ‘Mine risk education and reduction’ and five explicit actions. Good risk education must be tailored. MAG’s experience delivering explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) in four-teen countries confirms the relevance of tailoring EORE to the local reality: to people’s risk taking behaviors, to the actual explosive ordnance (EO) threat, to seasonality, availability of people for risk education sessions, and approaches that re-spect gender and diversity and take conflict sensitivity into account

Explosive Ordnance Risk Education: Sector Mapping and Needs Analysis

The dramatic rise in the number of civilian casualties from explosive ordnance (EO) since 2013 has triggered a debate in the mine action (MA) sector about the effectiveness of explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) (often shortened to risk education – RE). This rapid appraisal of EORE approaches, capacity, coordination and resources examines how the EORE sector is responding to new and emerging EO threats and violent operating environments to identify EORE good practices and potential needs. This report, based on document review and interviews with MA stakeholders conducted between mid-May and mid-June 2019, summarizes the research findings

Building National EOD Capacity in Mali

Since January 2013, the United Nations Mine Action Service has worked to build Mali’s national capacity in explosive ordnance disposal

Arms Management and Destruction in Sahel and Maghreb by Chris Loughran, Julia Wittig and Greg Crowther [ MAG (Mines Advisory Group) ]

Since January 2013, the United Nations Mine Action Service has worked to build Mali’s national capacity in explosive ordnance disposal

Safety culture in defence explosive ordnance: developing a safety climate measure

It is increasingly recognised within high-consequence industries that a positive safety culture is strongly linked to various safety outcomes and performance indicators. Explosive ordnance (EO) is an area that demands a high level of safety culture, indeed it is a reputational and operational necessity. This paper introduces a measure of safety climate tailored to the EO domain. The paper describes the background to the study, the development of items, and the subsequent factorial validation of scales on the basis of a sample of 272 EO personnel. The factor structure that emerged was very similar to the postulated structure of 14 climate dimensions. These 14 dimensions were shown to represent three meta-themes in the data: Safety Awareness and Responsibility (8 subscales), Safety Resources issues (3 subscales), and Safety System issues (3 subscales). The authors are confident that the EO Safety Survey is a valid, reliable and powerful tool that will support the goal of holistic reform of the EO domain. The EO Safety Survey will inform and enable tailored safety intervention efforts, improved compliance monitoring, and benchmarking studies that, collectively, will enhance the management of the human factors issues that impact on EO work