2018 International Explosives Safety Symposium and Exhibition
MSIAC workshop 2018: Improved Explosives and Munitions Risk Management
Martijn van der Voort, Matthew Andrews, Wade Babcock, Christelle Collet, Martin Pope, Michael Sharp
Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center (NATO), Brussels, Belgium
Abstract
MSIAC is organizing a workshop to exploit an improved understanding of munitions vulnerability and
consequences to deliver improvements in explosives and munitions risk management. The current
management of explosives and munitions risks is a broad area covered by many policy documents and
different communities of interest. These documents are based on a combination of best practice and
underpinning technical and scientific knowledge.
The workshop will bring together stakeholders from the Hazard Classification (HC), Insensitive
Munitions (IM), and explosives storage safety communities to assist in development of a coordinated and
optimised approach to managing explosives and munitions risk. A secondary aim of the workshop is to
initiate changes that will help realise the benefits of IM, particularly during transportation and storage to
improve safety and help safeguard military capability in hazardous operating environments.
This paper presents the workshop goals and how, with support and involvement of the community,
MSIAC plans to achieve these. MSIAC also seeks the active participation and support of the communities
and request comments on the proposals in this paper.
Introduction
MSIAC is organizing a workshop titled “Improved Explosives and Munitions Risk Management”
(IEMRM). This workshop seeks to exploit an improved understanding of munitions vulnerability and
consequences to deliver improvements in explosives and munitions risk management. The workshop will
be held in Granada, Spain, over the period 10-14 September 2018.
Information about the workshop, including the call for papers, registration and resources can be found on
this MSIAC webpage:
https://www.msiac.nato.int/workshop/improved-explosives-and-munitions-risk-management
The workshop aims to bring together stakeholders from the Hazard Classification (HC), Insensitive
Munitions (IM), and explosives storage safety communities to develop a coordinated and optimized
approach to managing explosives and munitions risk. A secondary aim of the workshop is to initiate
changes that will help realise the benefits of IM, particularly during transportation and storage, to
improve safety and to help safeguard military capability in hazardous operating environments.
The workshop will seek to achieve the following goals:
• Support the IM and HC harmonization initiative
o Identify how response descriptors can be introduced in HC testing
o Identify whether there’s a need for revised definition of Hazard Divisions (HD) and
Storage sub Divisions (SsD)
• Develop improved methods for explosives and munitions risk management
o Exploit results from small- and full-scale testing
o Manage risk with sufficient detail and granularity
o Realize benefits of IM
o Efficiently manage munitions presenting the greatest hazard
• Recommend improved methods for explosives and munitions safety risk standards
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