SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Safety precautions prescribe the minimum requirements and regulations you should observe when handling ammunition. These regulations may be general in nature or step-by-step procedures. Regardless of the situation, safety precautions must NEVER be ignored or bypassed, even during the simplest ammunition-handling evolutions.

The general safety precautions listed below show some of the regulations contained in publications referred to in this chapter.

1. Properly stow all materials within a magazine and keep them in a safe condition. Never let trash resulting from decanning, depalletizing, or unpacking accumulate in a magazine. It presents a fire hazard and unsafe working conditions for personnel.

2. Don't use improvised tools, platforms, or ladders.

3. Before ammunition loading, explosives loading, or offloading operations, either at a shore activity or a ship underway, inspect all fire mains to make sure they operate properly and efficiently. Fire hoses must be laid out ready for use in the immediate area of operations. The hoses must be laid out so that damage control and fire boundaries are not crossed, using all risers available. Additionally, keep the valves controlling these fire hoses open so that water is readily available.

4. Flame, heat, or spark-producing devices aren't permitted where explosives or flammable materials, batteries, or battery charging lockers are located. Cigarette lighters, heaters, fires, welding tools,

soldering irons, cutting torches, and uncovered lights are included in this category. When work requiring the use of flame, heat, or spark-producing devices is urgently required in or adjacent to an ammunition stowage space, follow the procedures outlined in OPNAVINST 8023.2 (series) and OPNAVINST 8023.21 (series).

5. Emphasize safety precautions applicable to in-service ammunition items or equipment by using applicable signs throughout the ship. Signs may be obtained as Cog I material. They are indexed in Section 13 of Navy Stock List of Forms and Publications- Cognizance Symbol I, NAVSUP Publication 2002, or when not listed in NAVSUP 2002, you may obtained them from a tender-type ship by submission of a work order.

6. Emergency drills requiring the use of the general alarm system, ship's bell or whistle aren't conducted aboard ship while moored to an ammunition-activity pier, unless specific approval for such drills has been granted by the commanding officer of the ammunition activity.

Similarly, such emergency drills aren't conducted by ships nested together or at a pier where ammunition-handling operations are in progress, or by a ship underway during an ammunition handling evolution.

7. Ammunition evolutions involving direct contact with ammunition components are curtailed during local atmospheric disturbances, such as thunderstorms or high winds. Operations aren't resumed until nonhazardous conditions prevail.

8. Stowage of privately owned ammunition and small arms is permitted aboard ship if approved by the commanding officer. This type of stowage is subject to the security requirements of chapter 700 of the Naval Ships Technical Manual, Ammunition Handling and Stowage, NAVSEA S9086-XG-STM-000.

9. Ships and craft entering commercial or naval shipyards for periods longer than 6 weeks are completely offloaded of all ammunition, except the small arms ammunition that the commanding officer considers necessary for the maintenance of security aboard ship and inert ordnance items such as bomb fins.

If a ship is expected to remain in the yard for less than 6 weeks, the ship offloads, as a minimum, all ammunition or explosives that can't be stowed in sprinkler-protected or floodable spaces.

10. The number of personnel engaged in ammunition and explosive handling operations is limited to the minimum necessary for safe and efficient performance of the work. Unauthorized personnel aren't permitted in a magazine, missile handling or testing area, or at any handlng operation involving explosives or ammunition. Visiting personnel are accompanied by a responsible escort.

11. As a general rule, any pyrotechnic device that is armed and otherwise prepared for launching or activating but hasn't been used may be dearmed, restored to its original packing, and returned to stowage. The exceptions to this rule are Mk 25 and Mk 58 marine location markers, Mk 48 decoy flares, and aircraft parachute flares. If such devices can't be made safe beyond question, they must be stowed in lockers or disposed of according to current directives.

12. When the temperature in a magazine containing gas generators, propelling charges, or fixed ammunition reaches 110F or above, certain actions must be taken to preserve safety and stability of the explosives.

When the magazine temperature is between 110F and 120F, the magazine should be artificially cooled, as practical. The number of hours and the maximum temperature reached during each hour of exposure above 110F, but less than 120F, must be recorded. When the cumulative total number of hours of exposure to these temperatures reaches 500 hours, the ammunition must be expended or turned into an ammunition activity, stating the reason for return, If the ammunition was subjected to these temperatures for less than 500 hours, it should be expended during subsequent firings.

When the magazine temperature is between 120F and 130F, the magazine should be artificially cooled, as practical. A special record of the number of hours of exposure and the maximum temperature reached each hour should be made. When a cumulative total of 100 hours of exposure above 120F is reached, prior to a cumulative total of 500 hours of exposure between 110F and 130F, the ammunition must have priority for expenditure or be turned in to an ammunition storage activity at the first opportunity.

At temperatures above 130F, the ammunition should be removed from the magazine and turned in to the nearest ammunition activity. When there is no storage activity immediately available and the ship is in port, the ammunition may be retained on board in a segregated magazine or in a ready-service room or locker. All possible methods should be used to lower the temperature of the ammunition until the ship is able to turn it in to the nearest ammunition activity.

CHAPTER 13 WEAPONS ASSEMBLY

Weapons assembly must be done with care and safety; the procedures in this chapter are typical assembly requirements. These procedures do not include authorization for flight or tactical doctrine.

WEAPONS ASSEMBLY PROCEDURES

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the purpose of conventional weapons assembly to include a description of general-purpose bombs and support equipment configurations. Identify common procedures to follow when assembling conventional weapons. Recognize the bomb assembly area arrangement.

In the following paragraphs, you will read about the assembly procedures for some of the most commonly used weapons. This TRAMAN doesn't include assembly procedures for every available weapon in the Navy. However, the following procedures give you basic information about assembly procedures. Remember, regardless of how well trained an assembly crew may be, there must always be a crew leader and a quality assurance/ safety observer (QA/SO). The crew leader is required to use a weapons assembly checklist or manual during all phases of the weapon assembly process. The QA/SO inspects each completed round to ensure it is correctly assembled and installed on the handling equipment.

NOTE: For detailed information on Mk 80 (series) bomb assembly/disassembly, support equipment requirements, and procedures for preloading/downloading accessory suspension equipment, you should refer to the Airborne Weapons Assembly Manual, NAVAIR 11-140-5.