P-385-63 Range Safety Pamphlet Download

seconds). Every precaution will be taken to prevent injury from blast, concussion, and fragment. For training purposes, fragmentation and offensive hand grenades will be thrown from a trench or barrier equivalent to a screen of sandbags 0.5 m (1.65 ft) thick. When throwing bays are used for protection, they will be built to a minimum height of 1.5 m (5 ft) high and 2.7 m (8.8 ft) wide or enough to accommodate one thrower and one assistant Range Safety Officer (ARSO). Bay height may be reduced to less than 1.5 m if approved by the installation commander. However, it must provide positive protection against high-velocity, low-angle fragments. (See FM 3–23.30 and TC 25–8 for other dimensions and additional information.) Throwing bays will be separated from adjacent bays by a distance of 20 m; if this requirement cannot be met, then throwing bays may be separated from one another by physical barriers (earthen berms, concrete walls, or wooden revetments) long and high enough to attenuate high-velocity, low-angle fragments. It is recommended that all throwing pits for live grenade training have knee walls at the rear of the bay. Knee walls provide the quickest and safest means of reacting to a dropped grenade. Knee walls should be 0.6 m (2 ft) high. b. Firing conditions for fragmentation and offensive grenades. (1) Personnel within the 150 m danger area when casualty-producing hand grenades are thrown shall wear, at a minimum, PPE Level 1 (Marine Corps), protective helmet and body armor (Army), and eye protection. Refer to table 2–2. Approved single hearing protection is required for all participating personnel when throwing bays are used. Approved single hearing protection is recommended for all personnel participating in tactical exercises. (2) Safety clips on fragmentation and practice grenades will not be removed until immediately before the safety pin is removed. Once the safety pin has been pulled, the grenade will be thrown. No attempt will be made to reinsert the safety pin or tape the safety lever (spoon). The safety lever will not be released for any reason on HE grenades until the grenade exits the throwing hand. (3) All personnel must be proficient in the safety precautions for handling and throwing grenades before live grenade training begins. Successful completion of practice grenade training (usually referred to as mock-bay, these pits will replicate the physical layout of live-bay pits) is mandatory prior to live grenade training. (4) OICs, RSOs, and live-bay ARSOs for live grenade training events must be certified to perform these duties. Certification will include training detailing actions in the event of a dropped grenade, short throw, grenade thrown other than downrange, SDZ, control of observers, misfire/dud grenade procedures, arming, throwing techniques, and pre-live bay requirements. Marine Corps battalion/squadron commanders are responsible for establishing and maintain- ing a certification program for their OICs and RSOs commensurate to the assigned duties and responsibilities. RSOs and ARSOs must be qualified with the hand grenade prior to assuming their duties. (5) HE grenades that fail to function (dud) will not be approached except by EOD personnel. During training, if a grenade fails to explode, the throwing of live grenades in any bay within the uninterrupted fragmentation radius of the dud grenade will cease. Dud grenades will be destroyed by EOD personnel only. Unauthorized personnel will not approach, move, touch, or handle dud grenades. All duds will be reported by the OIC to the range operations office (Army), range control office (Marine Corps). (6) During demonstrations, fragmentation and blast/concussion type grenades will be thrown from a barricaded position so grenades burst at least 150 m from unprotected personnel (see fig 5–1). (7) When direct viewing of hand grenade detonations within the 150 m danger area is required the following information is provided: (a) Viewing positions will be constructed so as to provide positive protection from high-velocity, low-angle fragments and low- velocity high-angle fragments. (b) Composite (laminated) viewing ports will be constructed using the following criteria or equivalent: 1. 10mm (.40 inch (in)) glass (outside). 2. 7mm (.28 in) polycarbonate. 3. 6mm (.24 in) glass. 4. 6mm (.24 in) polycarbonate. 5. 6mm (.24 in) glass. 6. 6mm (.24 in) polycarbonate. (c) Alternatives: 1. Provide a single pane of UL 752 Level 1-, Level 2-, or Level 3- rated bullet-resisting laminated glass glazing (with a minimum total thickness of at least 1–3/16 inches). Also, as an alternative, two panes of other UL 752 Level 1-, Level 2-, or Level 3- rated bullet-resisting glazing types may be used provided each pane contains a minimum of 30 percent glass by thickness. In cases where the protected side of the glazing is made of a glass layer, the interior surface should have a spall shield/film applied to that surface by the manufacturer. 2. These criteria provide minimum essential one-time protection against worst case fragmentation detonated within 6 m of the viewing port. Additionally, 12.7mm (.50 in) or equivalent exterior polycarbonate protective sheet (scar shield) should be installed in front of the viewing port. The shield absorbs the majority of damage and is more easily replaced than the entire viewing port. 3. Live grenades will not be thrown into standing water, deep snow, or dense vegetation which would obscure the grenade (for example, deeper than 5 cm (2 in)). 46 DA PAM 385–63 • 16 April 2014