With a solid knowledge of safety procedures, dismantling and destruction techniques, Geomines’ teams are able to intervene quickly, adapting their procedures to the storage conditions and ammunitions conditions, while respecting safety and waste management constraints.
A preliminary storage sites visit is mandatory. Such audits help establish an inventory of the ammunition to be managed and to analyse their storage conditions. They also allow for the measurement of the level of danger posed by the stockpiles as well as for the identification of the best approach for their dismantlement and destruction.
Geomines identifies safety measures for transport, dismantling and destruction. The technical assessment operations are carried out in strict compliance with operator safety rules and are based on international standards (IMAS, IATG, STANAG, AASTP)
Ammunition dismantling is only carried out when they cannot be destroyed nominally: in case, for example, of the presence of noxious materials (asbestos) or non transportable ammunition. The dismantled elements are placed in ADR transportation (dangerous goods) or special boxes, depending on the harmful materials, to be either treated or destroyed later.
Depending on the risk analysis, destruction processes can take different forms.
Geomines generally supports destruction in pits. Only specific operations are carried out in the open air, such as the burning of powders or the combustion of propellants.
After destruction, the teams make sure that all sensitive components have been properly destroyed and cannot be reused, while paying a specific attention to explosives’ waste.
Thanks to their longstanding operational experience, Geomines’ teams can model the effects of blast and fragments and recommend specific measures for the protection and reduction of dedicated explosion effects, depending on the type of operation to be carried out: underground containers, rubber cylinders, trenches, etc.