Review of the development of the Army 3Rs Explosive Safety Program and the tools available to public affairs personnel, safety officials, and contractors.

1. 3Rs Explosives Safety Program
“Outreach Toolbox”
4th Canadian DND UXO Forum
Quebec City, Quebec
May 2009

2. Agenda
• Need for explosives safety outreach
• History of outreach efforts
• Seminal event in Army’s development of
its 3Rs program
• Basic tenants of the program
• Getting the message out
• Local needs vary
• Changes in safety signs

4. I Thought …
Building my house of
ammunition crates
was a good idea.
It was a good idea
until my wife
wanted to use the The new owner wants
couch. to make sure they’re
all empty?

5. What is the Need?
• Munitions can be encountered anywhere
(current and past use, war souvenirs)
• Most accidents result from handling or
disturbing munitions when encountered
• DoD continues to use some lands for live‐fire
training and testing
• DoD restructuring (past, present, future) means
lands once used for munitions‐related activities
are being or will be used for other purposes

6. What is the Need?
• Addressing munitions present on these lands
(called, munitions response sites, or MRS)
will take decades, given current funding levels
• Even with cleanup, cannot assure 100% of
munitions present have been recovered
• Controlling access to operational ranges
remains difficult
• People will continue to encounter munitions
• Education is a good first step in managing risk

8. Outreach Efforts
• Seminal event in developing 3Rs program
• Basic tenants of the program
• Getting the message out
• Local needs vary
• Changes in safety signs
• Future efforts

9. Tierrasanta, California
• Camp Elliott:
– Closed in 1960, with most property sold by 1974
– December 1983
• Two boys who found a 37mm near their homes were
killed when the munition detonated after being disturb
• Formerly Used Defense Site Program established
• 1984 ‐ 1985 Formal public awareness
campaign launched in California
– Provided information at schools
– Graduates of program returned about 17 years
later and give the program to students

10. Wiggins, Mississippi
• March 2000, Camp Shelby’s operational range:
teenagers entered range impact area and
removed several UXO
• May 2000, UXO being handled detonated,
presumably when dropped
– One teenager killed, one critically injured
– Vehicles and home damaged
– Witnesses indicated up to 20 children had been
playing with munitions
– Other UXO recovered

11. Tragedy
• Parents knew their children were going on the
installation, but did not know to warn them
• Parent claimed range where munitions were
recovered was poorly marked
• Teenagers:
– Initially wedged several munitions under tires to
get car out of the mud
– Took the munitions home as souvenirs
• Teens that were hurt were NOT the ones that took
the munitions home

12. Post Camp Shelby
• Incident caught attention of Army’s Chief of
Munitions G‐4 and DASA(ESOH)
• Outreach efforts, at the time, were:
– Focused on property type
– Varied by organization, Service‐‐USACE Districts
independently developed similar, but different programs
• New approach
– Origin of munitions and location is irrelevant
– Munitions are dangerous
– Consistent , easy to remember message
needed

13. 3Rs Program Guiding Principles
• All munitions are dangerous
• Central safety message must be:
– Simple and easy to remember
– Understandable by all ages
– Usable nation‐wide
• Central message and generic materials can be
slightly modified for local use
• Minimize delay in providing outreach when a
need is identified

14. Developing the 3Rs Message
• Army developed with the intention that DoD
would adopt
• Collected and reviewed all existing outreach
material ‐ rejected blood and gore
• Identify and eliminate mixed messages
• Established Configuration Control Board
– EOD, explosives safety, risk communication,
educators, public affairs, parents
– Legal review of materials

15. 3Rs Message
• Recognize – when you may have encountered
a munition.
• Retreat – do not touch or disturb it, but move
carefully away, walking out the same way you
entered the area.
• Report – what you saw and where you saw it
to local law enforcement (call 911).

16. Getting the Message Out
• Age appropriate materials developed —
average reading level in USA is 8th grade
• Determine critical needs‐‐target
– Outdoor recreational activities
– Trades where munitions have
been encountered
– Souvenirs
– Locations where warnings are
needed
– Reason munitions are being encountered
• Deploy on website for ready access

17. Branding Explosives Safety
• Professional look
• Reinforce message
• Shows products are
related
• Quicker to produce
• Public affairs knows
where to place local info

18. How Does It Play Outside
Washington?

19. Addressing Needs
• Type of material needed
• Designed to:
– Be used anywhere
• Cultural differences
• Multi‐lingual needs
– Address activity
• Fishing
• Construction
• Recreation
– Consider how communities learn
• Media
• Elders
• Clergy

21. 3Rs Campaigns
• Commercial fishing industry
• Construction industry – especially on former
and active military installations
• Veterans and returning soldiers
• Recreational activities (e.g., SCUBA divers)
• Residents near operational ranges or an MRS,
particularly active response actions
• Chemical agent identification sets

22. 3Rs Products
• 3Rs Guides
• Factsheets
• Coloring books
• Posters
• Magnets
• Bookmarks
• Public service announcements
• Pocket cards

23. 3Rs Guides
• Maritime industry – Spanish, Portuguese
• Construction ‐ Spanish
• Outdoor recreation (in development)
• Wildland firefighting (in development)

24. 3Rs Factsheets
• Chemical agent identification sets
• UXO Safety (in development)

25. 3Rs Coloring Books

26. 3Rs Posters

27. Get Your Own
• Main site:
https://www.denix.osd.mil/uxosafety
• Army Environmental Command MMRP Site:
aec.army.mil/usaec/cleanup/mmrp02.html

28. Current Plans
• Launch more user friendly website
• Update materials to reflect branding
• Add new materials, as needs are identified
• Reformat existing materials to allow photos
from local sites to be more easily inserted
• Develop lesson plans and outreach materials
for various age groups

29. Communications Case Study
Safety Sign Design

30. Examples of Existing Signs

31. Concerns with Current Signs
• Inconsistent format
• Heavily dependant on
literacy, issues with
‐ Non‐English speakers
‐ Children
• Often follow obsolete
requirements
• Unfamiliar words
• May not be visible at
distance

32. DND Focus Group Study

33. Failed First Sign Attempt

34. Existing Standards
Not Specific Enough
• ISO explosion symbol
• UN International
Mine Action versions

35. Standards Applicable to Signs
• American National Standards Institute
(ANSI), American National Standard for
Environmental and Facility Safety Signs
(ANSI Z535.2‐2007)
• International Organization for
Standardization's (ISO) Graphical symbols
‐ Safety colours and safety signs (ISO
3864)
• ANSI harmonized its standard with ISO in
2007

36. ANSI Standard
• Many possible formats, including multi‐lingual
• Signal word panel communicates:
‐ Worst credible severity of harm (death, injury, property
damage)
‐ Probability of accident if not avoided (could or will occur)

37. ANSI Standard
• Safety symbol panel communicates:
‐ Hazard information across language and literacy barriers
‐ Ideally identifies hazard and avoidance
• Message panel communicates:
‐ Identification of the hazard
‐ How to avoid the hazard
‐ Probable consequences of not avoiding the hazard

38. ANSI Compliant Proposal
Signal word panel
Safety symbol panel
Message panel
Comments:
• Position bomb, as if it was on
the ground
• Dislike avoidance symbol

39. Contact
Geoff Carton
CALIBRE Systems
Geoff.Carton@calibresys.com