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File: 0000003.txt
5 U.S.C. 552 (b)(6)
munitions, the responsibility for briefing Ilth ACR participants
was unclear because individual units no longer had primary
responsibility for a particular area each day.
h. The NCO followinilitihie t -1 , he
deceased track commande. ir"aier and t
rl , had received an
operational briefincr on 23 July, but had not received a safety
briefing. did not give a safety briefing
when he Assiqned to be the tracK commander. Further, he
selected as the track commander just before the APC
departed tor th posal pit. Early in the day, wa
reminded by to wear his protective gear.
i. The EOD team had been working continuously since 11 Jul
1991~t although individual team members had been given a day off.
Theft work required intense concentration while wearing helmets
and flak vests in 100-110 degree heat under direct sunlight for
houriCae a time. They were experiencing frustration, fatigue an
boredom with the task, and the most difficult part of the
job--clearing the area in the immediate vicinity of the 11 July
explosion-still lay ahead.
(1) To reduce stress and fatigue the team had already
reduced the work period to eight hours per day, increased break
time.during the day, and planned for a team stand-down on 24,
July.
(2) On 22 July the acting detachment
commander, verbally requested augmentation from 111th ordnance
Group to assist in clean-up of the areas of heaviest ordnance
contamination. The 111th ordnance Group forwarded a written
request for this assistance to Headquarters, 22d SUPCOM, which
received the request on 23 July.
(3) Despite the tedium of the task, the EOD team
members, without exception, did not feel compelled to do anythin
unsafe. Their mutual work ethic provided ample opportunity to
question each other's methods and technical approaches to the
task. No evidence points to unsafe acts as a result of fatigue.
(4) Several personnel in the detachment chose not to
follow safety procedures regarding wear of the flak vest and
helmet when in the disposal pit area, including
protective gear on occasion.
(5) The acting commander, knew, but
abandoned the correct procedures to render unarme M42
submunitions safe for movement and destruction. See Exhibit 45.
The 1SG, did not know the proper procedures for
rendering the unarmed M42 submunitions safe.
3
5 U.S.C. 552 (b)(6)
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