TRIALS OF PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Protective Equipment Trials at HARC

Project Driver:

Protective equipment developed at UWA had to be tested under realistic field conditions. HARC operates a testing ground in Islamabad with conditions chosen by Afghan deminers to be as close to Kabul (and many other parts of Afghanistan) as possible. The ground is very hard, heavy clay, with stones. Unless it is damp, it has similar consistency to mud bricks with large river stones embedded.

This trial was conducted in January 1999 in temperatures of about 10 C (50 F).

Deminers set up a minefield marked in the same way as they would in Afghanistan. HARC staff then inserted metal detector targets at random depths and positions. These were inserted using a special tool which leaves no visble ground disturbance and minimal breakage to the soil.

Deminers wore the UWA protective apron and used helmets and prodders manufactured by HARC.

They found all the equipment comfortable. The best indication that the apron was comfortable to wear was that they did not bother to remove the aprons during their rest breaks.

The visors, treated with anti-fog compounds, did not fog up at all. Untreated visors become foggy after only a few minutes work.

Deminer Abdullah above is about to investigate a fragment located with the Schiebel metal detector. He is placing a small white stone on the target location before verifying the location with the metal detector again.

Deminer demonstrating prodding technique to Chief Executiveof HARC M. M. Iqbal and mechanical engineer Hafeez.

Although the deminers were being filmed and watched they quickly forgot this and changed from using the "specified" procedures (SOP - Standing Operating Procedures) to their own variations after about 20 minutes.

The trial was repeated in June1999 in temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius (110 Fahrenheit) to test the apron under hot conditions. The deminers were hot, but worked for 30 minutes at a time between rest breaks. Once again, they did not take off the aprons until the end of the day's work. A sun shade (which attaches to the shoulders by Velcro and shields the deminer's back from the sun) was found to be most effective.

| Demining Home Page | James Trevelyan's Home Page | UWA Home page |

For more information on any of these send us E-mail at demining@mech.uwa.edu.au
All graphics by Demining Research Team. Aug 1998.
Webmaster: Edin Tabak