Safety and Suitability for Service (S3) refers to a risk based assessment, set against internationally recognised standards, of an individual item of EO to determine its ability to remain safe and suitable for service within the ADF. The assessment of a new munition is done within the concept of system safety and examines the energetics of the item and how it functions in the context of the environment that it will be exposed to throughout its life from manufacturer to target, or disposal. Given the nature of ammunition and explosives, the Australian Government Solicitor has advised that the Commonwealth’s Duty of Care to its personnel is absolute. In keeping with the Minister’s requirements for corporate governance, Defence requires high risk EO to be independently reviewed by the Ordnance Safety Review Board (OSRB), Chaired by the Director of Ordnance Safety.

The S3 team within the DOS liaises closely with the EO Procuring Authority, usually the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) to assist with the development of an EO Design Assessment supported by appropriate objective evidence. This assistance covers requirements detailed in DEOP 102 and includes the use of the Explosive Ordnance Certification Tool. The necessary evidence comes from a multiplicity of sources including design specifications, trial results and demonstrated experience of service use in the Configuration, Role and Environment needed by the ADF.  The OSRB also considers requests for waiver of Insensitive Munitions requirements and may be used to peer review requests for Qualification of energetic materials and the issue of Manned Firing Advice required at trials of EO.