2.5 Make recommendations on the factors affecting the safety of specific explosive substances and/or articles

Key Role
Safety Management
Unit
2
Reference
2.5
Overview

This standards identifies the competences you need to make recommendations on the factors affecting the safety of specific explosive substances and/or articles.

Your responsibilities will require you to gather and validate relevant information and confirm the intended use, operation/functioning of the explosive substance or article and its intended environments. You need to identify hazards and risks and report your recommendations and actions in the appropriate format. On occasions, the information provided may be complete, and on others, it will be incomplete. You will be working in organizations where the explosives safety management system requirements are met and in others where they are not met. You will be carrying out both planned and unplanned reviews. You will be required to report any problems with the explosive safety management activities that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority to the relevant people. You will be expected to work to verbal/written instructions and standard operating procedures with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you and your team carry out.

Your underpinning knowledge will be sufficient to provide a sound basis for your work and will enable you to adopt an informed approach to hazard assessment and identifying the potential interface with other equipments/systems that might compromise safety, identifying the current point in the life of the explosive substance or article and any specific requirements.

You will have an understanding of the attributes and behaviours required for working safely in adequate depth to provide a sound background for carrying out the safety management activities to the required specification. You will understand the precautions required when carrying out the safety management activities for explosive substances and articles. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout and will understand your responsibility for taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace.

Note: this standard is relevant to the following areas: design of ESA; test programmes; mitigations, cautions, constraints, restrictions of use, transport, storage or any other functional area; facilities required/requirements; incident management and emergency procedures; changes to ESA policy and/or legislation. This activity is likely to be undertaken by someone whose work role involves Weapons, Ordnance, Munitions or Explosives work activities. This includes individuals working as explosives safety supervisors.

Performance Criteria

P1 work safely at all times, complying with health and safety, environmental and other relevant regulations, legislation and guidelines
P2 identify and gather information relevant to the safety of the explosive substance and/or article
P3 confirm the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information
P4 confirm the intended use and operation/functioning of the explosive substance and/or article
P5 confirm the intended environments of the explosive substance and/or article
P6 identify hazards and assess risks associated with the environments and/or use of the explosive substance and/or article
P7 give timely advice or feedback on explosives safety-related matters
P8 take appropriate action commensurate with the identified risk
P9 report your recommendations and actions in the appropriate format

Knowledge and Understanding

K1 the health, safety and environmental and other statutory legislation, regulations and safe working practices and procedures governing explosives and their implications for your area of work
K2 the relevance of personal protective equipment (PPE)
K3 the nature, characteristics, hazards and risks of the explosive substances and/or articles
K4 the actions to be taken in response to an unplanned event
K5 the safety design requirements of the explosive substance or article
K6 the hazard assessment process
K7 the potential interface with other equipments/systems that might compromise safety
K8 the functioning of the explosive substance and/or article
K9 the current point in the life of the explosive substance and/or article
K10 any specific requirements K11 sources of information and relevant guidance
K12 how to validate information
K13 your organization's reporting requirements
K14 the importance of documenting your recommendations, actions and your rationale

Scope and Range

1 Information: complete; incomplete
2 Explosive safety management system: where requirements are met; where
requirements are not met
3 Reviews: planned; unplanned