Outline of Statutes and Regulations Affecting the Workplace

Report submitted to the Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations.Report_DOL_062193.pdf: 1615 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program: Program Update 1998

Annual report on the Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program (CCT Program). The report address the role of the CCT Program, implementation, funding and costs, accomplishments, project descriptions, legislative history, program history, environmental aspects, and project contacts. The project descriptions describe the technology and provides a brief summary of the demonstration results

Operational Evaluation Test Report on Beaver Micro-Vegetation Cutter

The Micro-Vegetation Cutter (MVC) system was tested in the late summer and early fall of 2004 at a U.S. Army Countermine development site in central Virginia. The MVC project was funded by the U.S. Army’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Countermine Division, Humanitarian Demining (HD) Research and Development Office located at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. The MVC system, consisting of a remote-controlled vegetation cutter vehicle and a command vehicle, is the product of the project engineer, Mr. J. Michael Collins. Mr. Collins was responsible for the concept, its design, and directed the MVC’s fabrication. All work was performed in the Modeling and Mechanical Fabrication Shop located at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. During the annual Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Requirements Workshop, sponsored by the U.S. Army’s Humanitarian Demining Program Office, located at Ft. Belvoir, and attended by representatives of demining organizations throughout the world, one of the more frequently requested equipment needs was for systems that can be used to prepare areas for demining operations. While there are many commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) pieces of equipment available, most are large and expensive. Thus, there was still a need for a small, affordable, robust system having cross-country mobility and the capability to clear light to moderately heavy vegetation and remove surface ferrous metal scrap in preparation for demining activities. With this objective, the Humanitarian Demining Program Office funded the design and fabrication of a concept developed by Mr. J. Michael Collins, a mechanical systems engineer in the Program Office. The concept, consisting of a multiattachment, remotely controlled, boom and stick work vehicle, named the Beaver, and an armored control vehicle, named the Duck, comprise the Micro-Vegetation Cutter (MVC) System. Fabrication was completed in the summer of 2004. A pre-evaluation test was conducted in March 2004 at Ft. Belvoir to insure that all systems functioned as intended. The results of the MVC system pretest are included as this report’s Appendix. After completing the system assembly and addressing some of the issues raised during the pretest, an operational evaluation test was scheduled for late summer 2004

Report on the Mine Clearing Rake Test

The purpose of the operational evaluation test was to assess the ability of the mine clearing rake (MCR) to enhance the effectiveness of a humanitarian demining mission. To this end, the HD PM purchased an MCR and initiated the testing process. Operational Demining Tasks Considered for the MCR: Based on the claims made regarding the MCR\u27s performance, three distinct HD phases were considered for assessing the MCR\u27s capabilities. These were the area preparation, demining, and quality assurance phases. Of the three, the area preparation and demining phases were considered poor choices for the MCR since it required driving the primary power source for the MCR, in this case a tractor, over potentially mined ground, creating a significant safety risk for the driver and vehicle. The quality assurance task, while still posing some risk was considered an acceptable risk. Based on the performance of the Mine Clearing Rake during this operational evaluation test, it should not be considered for use in Humanitarian Demining operations

Performance Evaluation Test of the Orbit Screen Model 68A and the Komplet Model 48-25 Rock Crusher

At the request of the Demining Center of Ecuador, the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program at Ft. Belvoir, VA., undertook a performance evaluation of the Orbit Screen Model 68A and the Model 48-25 Rock Crusher, two pieces of equipment that could be used to remove antipersonnel land mines from riverbank minefields along the border of Ecuador and Peru. Although these devices could conceivably be used in tandem as a system, this evaluation focused on the performance potential of each unit to operate as a stand-alone system. A test was also conducted to see how long it would take the ASV SR-80, a small rubber-tracked loader, to process 90–100 m3 of material, spread to an average depth of about 50 cm (representing a minefield), through the orbital screener. The Quick Combo Bucket was used with the ASV SR-80. Finally, a demonstration was conducted to determine if the orbital screener and rock crusher could be used in tandem as a system. The Orbit Screen Model 68 (Figure 1) is a stand-alone sifter that separates large material from soil or sand. Material to be sifted is first loaded into the sifter’s hopper, located at the top of the machine, then conveyed into the orbital screen. As the dish-like screen rotates, the rock and soil are tumbled within the screen, allowing soil, sand, and small particles to fall through the mesh. These smaller particles are conveyed away by the belt at the rear of the machine, creating a mound of soil and small particles. Larger objects (i.e., those objects that did not fall through the screen) are tumbled out of the screen onto a separate conveyor belt, which moves these items to a pile at the side of the machine. Various size interchangeable screens are available to suit a job’s requirements. Table 1 gives the specifications of the Orbit Screen Model 68

Operational Evaluation Test of Mine Clearing Cultivator and Mine Clearing Sifter

As the result of field experience gained in Egypt and Angola, the Humanitarian Demining Program Management Office (HDPMO) of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) undertook the design and fabrication of a heavy-soil cultivator to lift buried antitank (AT) and antipersonnel (AP) mines to the surface and move them off to the side in windrows. This unit was designated the Mine Clearing Cultivator (MCC). In addition, in 2002, the HDPMO also tested the ability of a modified agricultural sifter to remove mines from moderately loose, sandy soil, separate the mines from the soil, and accumulate the mines to one side of the track being cleared. It was thought that by combining the two pieces of equipment in a toolkit fashion, the cultivator and the sifter, that 100% of the mines in an area could be recovered. The objective of this test program is to determine the ability of the Mine Clearing Cultivator and Mine Clearing Sifter (MCC/MCS) to clear a minefield by bringing buried AT and AP mines to the surface and accumulating the mines in windrows to both the left and right of the cultivator. The mines remaining in the cultivated soil but not visible to test observers or equipment operators, as well as mines buried in the windrows, will be removed by the soil sifter. While the sifter can be configured to deposit mines to either the left or right, for this test, the sifter was configured to deposit mines to the left. The transportability and mobility of the system for logistical purposes and human factors issues (e.g., camera visibility and operator training) were examined. Maintenance and equipment factors (e.g., fuel/oil consumption and implement changing time) were recorded

Operational Evaluation Test of Mine Neutralization Systems

During the Fiscal Year 2003 Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program Requirements Refinement Workshop, expert deminers expressed a need for a costbenefit and performance analysis for currently available deflagration (burning) and high-order (non-explosive binary mixture) mine neutralization systems, which carry fewer shipping restrictions compared with tradition explosives commonly used for mine neutralization. In response to this request, the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Acquisition Center-Washington, D.C., published a Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) (formerly Commerce Business Daily) announcement (solicitation number W909MY-04-T0003) on 21 January 2004 on behalf of the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Command (CERDEC), Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Countermine Division, Humanitarian Demining Branch, stating that the government was seeking sources for nondevelopmental, high-order or deflagration mine neutralization systems suitable for use in humanitarian demining operations. U.S. and foreign companies responded to this FBO announcement. In addition to mature, nondevelopmental systems, three developmental systems were submitted for consideration. These newer systems were deemed promising enough to be evaluated for their demining potential. A description of these devices and a summary of test findings are included in Appendix B. Of the mature, nondevelopmental systems submitted for consideration, 6 deflagration systems, which included 7 different devices, and 7 high-order systems, which included 11 different devices, were selected for further evaluation. Although the original intent had been to evaluate only non-explosive binary mixtures for high-order neutralization, two of the seven high-order systems used RDX-propelled shaped charges. A capability demonstration of these deflagration and high-order systems was conducted at a government test facility during the August to October 2004 time frame. This demonstration evaluated only hand-held systems. The results of this mine neutralization capabilities demonstration are the subject of this report

Performance Evaluation Test of the Nemesis M3

In its continuing program to provide a complete size-range of area-preparation systems to the world’s humanitarian demining community, the United States Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program, located at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, developed a lightweight area-preparation system around the ASV Inc. SR-80 rubber-tracked crawler with a family of attachments. The system, assembled by Applied Research Associates, Inc., and named the Nemesis, is intended to cut and mulch up to Category 3 (difficult, up to 10 cm diameter trees) vegetation and to remove cutting debris. Attachments used during this evaluation test were the Bradco, Inc., Mini-Mag Mulcher Model XL 165-6; the Quick Attach Attachment, Inc., 4-in-1 bucket and Eagle Talon Grapple; and the Coneqtec, Inc., Universal AP1000 Cold Planer. Testing of the Nemesis took place during the spring of 2008 at a central Virginia military test site. The government’s system and test engineer was Zeke Topolosky from the Humanitarian Demining Program staff; the system operator was Todd Sellmer. Test site support was provided by John Snellings and Arthur Limerick. Photography support was provided by Tanekwa Bournes of the Camber Corporation. Test data collection, test data analysis, and writing of this report were done by Harold Bertrand and Jennifer Soult of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). Tom Milani (IDA) edited the report. The purpose of this performance evaluation test was to determine if the Nemesis, an off-the-shelf, self-propelled area-preparation system, and its attachments can be operated under absolute control, at distances up to 400 m, through the use of a radiocontrolled remote operating system. The performance evaluation included the remote deployment of the Nemesis, the cutting and clearing of varying vegetation categories, the use and control of a grapple and 4-in-1 bucket to clear an area where heavy vegetation cutting had occurred, and the use of an off-the-shelf pavement cold planer to potentially engage and destroy antipersonnel land mines buried to a depth of 15 cm (6 inches)

Performance Evaluation Test of the Peco Tracked Brush Blazer

Area preparation for demining remains one of the dangerous yet necessary tasks for organizations undertaking humanitarian demining missions. To date, the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program has provided a number of area preparation systems. The emphasis, however, has been on light (1–2 ton) to heavy (5–15 ton) platforms with a wide range of working attachments. There was a need for a robust, lightweight cutter to complement the heavier assets available from the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program. One such system that appeared to be a good addition to the area preparation tools available under the U.S. program was the Peco Tracked Brush Blazer, or Peco Cutter, a lightweight cutting system capable of removing vegetation up to 10 cm in diameter. A Peco Cutter was procured and modified with the addition of a radio-control system. Configured as tested, the Peco Cutter can be operated either manually or by remote radio control, thereby providing stand-off safety margins of up to 400 m. The performance evaluation test was conducted in October 2007 at an Army test facility in central Virginia. The test director and test engineer was Mr. Ronald Collins. Test site support was provided by Mr. Mel Soult, the test site manager, and his staff. The test plan, test data, and this report were prepared by Harold Bertrand, Isaac Chappell, Jennifer Ledford and Thomas Milani from the Institute for Defense Analyses

Pharmaceutical Creep: U.S. Military Power and the Global and Transnational Mobility of Psychopharmaceuticals

In 2006, the United States Department of Defense developed for the first time official criteria for the use of psychopharmaceuticals “in theater”—in the physical and tactical spaces of military operations including active combat. Based on fieldwork with Army soldiers and veterans, this article explores the transnational and global dimensions of military psychopharmaceutical use in the post‐9/11 wars. I consider the spatial, material, and symbolic dimensions of what I call “pharmaceutical creep”—the slow drift of psychopharmaceuticals from the civilian world into theater and into the military corporate body. While pharmaceutical creep is managed by the U.S. military as a problem of gatekeeping and of supply and provisioning, medications can appear as the solution to recruitment and performance problems once in theater. Drawing on soldiers’ accounts of medication use, I illuminate the possibilities, but also the frictions, that arise when routine psychopharmaceuticals are remade into technologies of global counterinsurgency