Weapons safety

J. Larius, Nuclear Weapons Safety and the Common Defense , Ohio State Univ Press, Columbus (1967) 7) Anon, Nuclear Weapon , Van Nostrand s Scientific Encyclopedia, 4th Ed, D. Van Nostrand, Princeton, NJ (1968), 1220— 21 8) R.G, Hewlett F. Duncan, Atomic... 

Hazardous substances--Accidents--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Biological weapons--Safety measures—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Chemical weapons—Safety measures—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 4. Emergency medical services—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Cashman, John R. Emergency response to chemical and biological agents. II. Title. 

DOE 5610.10, NUCEEAR EXPEOSIVE AND WEAPON SAFETY PROGRAM, establishes DOE policy, objectives, standards and criteria, authorities and responsibilities for its Nuclear Explosive and Weapon Safety Program. 

While a storage facility remains closed for any movement of chemical weapons out of the facility other than their removal for destruction, a State Party may continue at the facility standard maintenance activities, including standard maintenance of chemical weapons safety monitoring and physical security activities and preparation of chemical weapons for destruction. 

Materials Safety Medical Equipment Safety Mining Safety Nuclear Power Safety Nuclear Weapon Safety Occupational Safety Patient Safety Personnel Safety... 

Key nuclear weapon safety reference standards include ... 

DULL SWORD. The Department of Defense uses DULL SWORD as a code name for identifying and reporting a nuclear weapon safety deficiency. See also BENT SPEAR BROKEN ARROW EMPTY QUIVER FADED GIANT NUCLEAR EMERGENCY SEARCH TEAM (NEST) SPAIN HYDROGEN BOMB INCIDENT. 

Many compounds explode when triggered by a suitable stimulus however, most are either too sensitive or fail to meet cost and production-scale standards, requirements for safety in transportation, and storage stability. Propellants and explosives in large-scale use are based mosdy on a relatively small number of well-proven iagredients. Propellants and explosives for military systems are manufactured ia the United States primarily ia government owned plants where they are also loaded iato munitions. Composite propellants for large rockets are produced mainly by private iadustry, as are small arms propellants for sporting weapons. 

Another safety issue to be considered which might be exacerbated in the reprocessing option is that the plutonium generated in power reactors, called reactor-grade plutonium because it is made up of a variety of plutonium isotopes, contains plutonium-241, which is subject to spontaneous fission (8). The mixture of isotopes makes it extremely difficult to build an effective nuclear weapon. However, an explosive device could be built using this mixture if control of detonation is sacrificed (48). 

Hazards Ahead Managing Cleanup Worker Health and Safety at the Nuclear Weapons Complex. U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment. Washington, DC U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993, pp. 3, 13. 

Provide technical support to, and membership in, the, Army Nuclear Weapons System Safety Committee... 

Pressures, Gun. Pressures within a gun tube or barrel, a used in design practices. Because of the wide variations in size, wall ratios, heat dissipation, required safety actors, etc, design practices, vary for the different types of weapons. Some pressure terms have significance in the design of (a) all tubes and barrels, (b) cannon tubes, (c) recoilless rifle tubes, and (d) small arms, barrels, viz ... 

In order to fire reliably in a gun or other weapon device, a percussion primer must possess impact sensitivity which is in consonance with the mechanical energy delivered by the firing pin. In all cases, a factor of safety is built into the system in such a manner that the firing pin energy usually exceeds the max energy requirement of the primer by approx 20%... 

N.J. Blay I. Duns tan, USNatTechlnform-Serv, AD 744871 (1970) CA 78, 6069 (1973) Compatibility and stability problems encountered in the design and development of weapon systems containing expls and solid proplnts are discussed. Safety during storage and reliability in service are emphasized. The effects of materials used near or in contact with the expls and proplnts are considered... 

Requirements 1 and 3 follow immediately from the considerations of the theory of detonation when it is remembered that the purpose of the charge is to obtain maximum effect, both from the shock wave of the explosive and also from the destructive effect of expansion of the explosion products. Requirements 1 and 2 follow from the consideration that any reduction in size and weight of the warhead of a missile, or in a shell, immediately makes it possible to increase the range and therefore the usefulness of the weapon. Requirement 5 relates not only to safety, but also the desirability, particularly for armour-piercing ammunition, for the time of detonation to be determined solely by the functioning of an appropriate fuze. 

Now close the action of the rifle, release the safety, and retire to a safe position at least 50 yards away, being sure not to trip over the trip wire or pull cord. If the pull cord is used, take up any slack in the line and then pull firmly to fire the weapon and detonate the charge. 

Freund, D., Origin and Subsequent Modification of Explosive Safety Quantity-Distance (ESQD) Standards Special Reference to Naval Weapons—Volume 1, DTNSRDC/SD-78-4, May 1978. 

Environmentally safe destruction of obsolete chemical weapons must be performed In facilities which assure total containment of blast effects and toxic gas In the event of an accidental detonation. Functional process requirements and recommended structural design procedures for containment rooms to accomplish this purpose are presented. The requirements presented are consistent with Department of the Army and Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board requirements. 

The Army terminology for destruction of obsolete weapons Is "demilitarization". This term encompasses all the steps required to disassemble and safely destroy or decontaminate the component materials of which the munition was constructed. National Academy of Sciences and Department of the Army Guidance for demilitarization of obsolete chemical weapons (t) requires absolute safety and security, assurance of total containment of agent during processing, maximum protection of operating personnel and Incontrovertible evidence verifying the destruction of the toxic wastes. 

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