The utmost care and prudence must be exercised in supervising the handling, inspecting, preparing, assembling, and transporting of all ammunition. People tend to become careless and indifferent when continually engaged in routine work and, as long as nothing occurs, are naturally inclined to drift gradually into neglecting the necessary safety precautions. A lax and negligent attitude cannot be tolerated when handling explosives. Nothing but constant vigilance on the part of everyone involved will ensure the steadfast observance of the rules and regulations that experience has taught to be necessary.

It is not practical to list all the safety requirements pertaining to ammunition handling in this manual. As you proceed through the Qual/Cert program, you will receive training on each safety requirement and its application in detail. Pay particular attention to the publications and instructions identified throughout this chapter that contain the bulk of ammunition-handling and safety requirements.

Safety is everyone's responsibility. An awareness of the potential danger, a knowledge of how this danger can be avoided, and a constant vigilance are required to prevent accidents when working with explosives. If a thorough understanding of the precautions is developed, unsafe conditions can be recognized and corrected. Hopefully, it will prepare you to act instinctively when the unexpected occurs. It is your responsibility as a Gunner's Mate to exhibit an expert knowledge of ammunition safety requirements. Safety precautions pertaining to the handling of and working with explosives are contained in Ammunition Afloat, OP 4; Ammunition Ashore, OP 5; Ordnance Safety Precautions, Their Origin and Necessity, OP 1014; and United States Ordnance Safety Precautions, OP 3347. Read and reread these publications.

Safety precautions, rules, and regulations for handling explosives should be made the subject of frequent training and review. The necessity for strict compliance with these precautions should be firmly fixed in the minds and habits of everyone involved in handling explosives. You need to be able to react positively in an emergency.

Attention to Safety

Your attention is particularly invited to the fact that in the early stages of the use of explosives, experience was gained at a great price, not only in dollars, but in human lives. No relaxation should be tolerated. A relaxed attitude tends to create the impression that a close, deliberate, and detailed attention to safety rules is arbitrary. Nowhere is attention to safety more important than in working with explosives.

Table 2-4.-Work Task Code Definitions

Table 2-5.-Families of Explosive Devices (partial list)

Figure 2-32.-sample certification sheet.

Working Parties

Ammunition-handling working party personnel are not required to be certified under the Qual/ Cert program. Explosives-Handling Personnel Qualification and Certification (Qual/Cert) Program,

COMNAVSURFLANTINST 8023.4/COMNAV-SURFPACINST 8023.5, requires working party personnel to receive training and a safety brief before each handling evolution and to be closely supervised by certified personnel.