Unexploded Ordnance Hazard Awareness

Throughout Australia, military activities have created areas confirmed as, or suspected of being, affected by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and associated Explosive Ordnance Material (EOM). These areas include training areas and field firing ranges as well as facilities where ammunition was stored, processed and disposed of by explosive demolition, burning and burial.

Risks posed by UXO can vary from an energetic materials risk to those from chemical residues and by-products, or reputational or perceived risk from inert items. UXO risk on former military ranges and training areas is an important component of the risk management process and must be carefully considered as the consequence may be catastrophic to personnel, equipment, and the environment in the event of an unanticipated detonation.

Sean O’Rourke is an Explosive Ordnance Consultant to industry and is a former Special Operations Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician, he will be presenting a UXO hazard awareness package that covers such items as, source and types of UXO, training areas and gazetted ranges, hazards of UXO, simple actions to follow when on land contaminated with UXO, UXO resources, and the specialist services on offer from across the UXO industry.

About the speaker:

Sean O’Rourke,
Explosive Ordnance Consultant,
GHD

Sean has more than 25 years’ experience in the explosive ordnance (EO) profession.

He served in the military as a special operations explosive ordnance disposal technician, specialising in countering the threat of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) warfare.

He was previously employed as the CBRNE lead on a specialist program to introduce updated equipment to the Australian Defence Force, and is now GHD’s explosive ordnance management services technical director, leading the UXO and explosive infrastructure capability, with experience across a diverse range of UXO projects, most notably:

• The UXO technical advisor to multiple confidential projects to reduce the explosive threat on land contaminated with UXO, and
• Various UXO and EO Infrastructure works throughout Australia to enable safer land use and storage of explosive ordnance for the Defence industry and its partner nations.