Explosion-proof urns as one of the methods for increasing the anti-terrorist protection of urban and transport infrastructure facilities in modern conditions.

Explosion-proof urns as one of the methods for increasing the anti-terrorist protection of urban and transport infrastructure facilities in modern conditions.

PETRENKO Evgeny Sergeevich,
«Lavanda-U», Deputy General Director

KUZNETSOV Andrey Vladislavovich,
Integrated Security Management Company,
 CEO.

Explosion-proof urns as one of the methods for increasing anti-terrorist protection of
urban and transport infrastructure facilities in modern conditions

In connection with the constant threat of terrorist acts, the issue of protecting people in places of mass gatherings is particularly relevant: at railway stations, airports, in places of mass cultural, entertainment and sports events. In addition to measures to prevent terrorist acts based on the use of stationary, mobile and hand-held metal detectors, explosives detectors, radio fuse blockers and other equipment, according to experts, attention should also be paid to monitoring the places of possible explosive device placement in places of mass gatherings, and, above all, to garbage containers and urns. The existing designs and shapes of the urns used allow for the concealed placement of explosive devices with high-power charges, and the outer metal body of the urn in the event of an explosion will create an additional number of fragments while simultaneously increasing the area of ​​the affected area.

As the experience of foreign countries actively fighting terrorism, such as Israel and the United States, shows, the use of special explosion-proof trash bins and containers in crowded places is becoming increasingly popular. This is especially true for airports and train stations. In Israel, explosion-proof trash bins are even installed at bus stops.

In world practice, explosion-proof bins are called «dual-use garbage containers». Outwardly, they resemble ordinary garbage bins and can be installed in a variety of places. The special design of such a bin allows protecting people from the damaging factors of an explosion, which include fragments, shock waves and detonation products. If necessary, such a bin can also serve as a container for transporting an explosive device placed in it. Garbage is removed from the bin by authorized persons. Protection from the damaging factors of an explosion is achieved thanks to a special multi-layer design using high-strength steel elements as an outer casing, capable of localizing the effect of an explosion and directing the shock wave upward or to the side, depending on the type of container. It is assumed that people who are near the container at the time of the explosion will be fully protected, which in some cases raises serious doubts.

Of the foreign developments presented on the world market, the most popular are the Mul-T-Lock containers «OR» and «Gold», which are supplied to many countries around the world, as well as the «DROR» and «GOLAN» containers from KML, MECV1 (Sweden) and ETCV (Canada).

Comparative characteristics of the most popular explosion-proof urns are given in Table 1.

Table 1. Comparative characteristics of explosion-proof urns