Specialist personnel with a tablet at a marked-out construction site in front of a building complex.

Ordnance assessment for cemeteries and extension areas

For a cemetery extension, a new path or a utility, the affected ground volumes must be clarified. FONTANA-EOD checks the design against available ordnance records and discusses the survey needs with you. We coordinate access, visitor routes and working hours with the cemetery administration and project managers.

Define the intervention

Specify the proposed areas and depths.

Coordinate visitor routes

Agree work areas and times.

Retain the evidence

Locate later works precisely.

Municipal project overview

Context

Distinguish extensions, maintenance and new structures

A planned extension area presents a different task from a new path, utility or building within an existing site. Describe the proposed groundworks with location and depth. A general location plan of the entire cemetery is not sufficient.

Investigation task

Define the ground volume affected by cemetery works

Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Distinguish the extension area and its connections

For an extension, first describe the boundaries of the new area and its connection to the existing site. The overview plan should show where paths, drainage, boundary structures or utilities connect. An area figure in square metres leaves these differences unresolved. For each proposed intervention, add the planned depth and relevant plan revision. Existing records can then be assigned specifically. A survey of an extension area does not automatically extend to the entire existing cemetery or replace separate clarification of connection areas.

Choose services for the extension and connections
Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Compare reports with the current plan

If previous surveys exist, provide the report and plan appendices together. Clearly identifying the area treated at the time, the depths considered and the documented limitations is particularly helpful. Plot boundaries, path routes or ground levels may have changed between the earlier survey and the current project. Such differences are marked in the plan. The existing conclusion is thus neither discarded nor adopted wholesale, but checked for its usability for the specifically planned works. Unclear references to appendices are discussed before defining the new service scope.

Check reports against the current plan revision
Illustration of a person beside a GPR instrument, with schematic waves in a ground section

Select the survey according to the task that can be addressed

Whether a technical survey from the surface is an option depends on the technical question and local conditions. Paved paths, boundary structures, metal parts or hard-to-access edges may be relevant to preparation. Specify these conditions in the enquiry. FONTANA-EOD then clarifies which conclusions are achievable under the given circumstances and what preparatory coordination is needed. The proposed method is checked against accessible areas, existing structures and the required survey volume.

Understand near-surface surveys in their technical context
Project types

Separate different construction tasks within the site

Two people with a survey trolley on a road construction site beside an existing carriageway.

New paths and paved areas

A new path involves more than its visible surface. Planning distinguishes the sub-base, side restraints, drainage and local deeper areas. If existing paths are renewed only in sections, specify which layers are actually to be removed. Transitions between existing and new areas also belong in the intervention plan. Technical preparation can thus relate to individual groundworks. A report for a neighbouring green area is not extended to the entire path construction merely because of spatial proximity.

Understand path construction and civil engineering works
Person in high-visibility clothing beside a utility trench, with solar panels and wind turbines in the background.

Utilities and supply points

Water connections, lighting or other utilities may require narrow interventions of different depths. Show routes, connection excavations and foundations together. Even a short connection between two known points may affect a previously undescribed ground volume. Existing plans and information from the responsible utility operators are brought together with the construction plan. The ordnance assessment addresses its own technical question. It does not replace information on a utility's location or operational condition; that information must be available separately for construction.

Check utility routes and connections
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Buildings, walls and boundaries

For new buildings, retaining elements or boundary structures, individual foundations, continuous foundations and required working spaces are specified separately. The visible structure may be smaller than the area affected during construction. Demolition and intermediate conditions should therefore also be described. Existing records for a path are not necessarily sufficient for a foundation planned beside it. The comparison considers location, depth and the actual construction activity. Specialist designers can thus identify early which part of the works already has suitable conclusions available.

Agree methods for foundations and working spaces
Project enquiry for ordnance assessment and surveys.

Temporary access routes and work areas

Additional access routes or equipment areas may be needed for construction even though they disappear in the finished state. The enquiry must establish whether and how constructing them involves work in the ground. Mark these areas separately and describe planned excavation, surfacing or anchoring. The cemetery administration also specifies operational and design conditions. Only both sets of information together allow an accessible work area to be agreed. Temporary use of an area does not, by itself, establish its survey needs.

Coordinate temporary access routes and work areas
Prepare the decision

Prepare the next decision for the cemetery works

A new area is being developed

Mark the new area, including its connections, in the location plan. Add the proposed depths of paths, utilities and foundations. This information and the existing reports allow the survey scope needed for the extension to be discussed specifically.

An existing area is being altered

Show which structures will remain and where new ground will be affected. Long-standing use does not replace checking the planned intervention. Send the current plan and mark the areas that differ from earlier works.

Access is still restricted

Specify inaccessible sections and the responsible contact in the administration. Clarify when and under what conditions these areas will become available for specialist work. Surveying accessible neighbouring areas does not extend the result to the outstanding section.

Project-specific tasks

Which areas belong to the proposed works

01

New extension areas

Describe the ground profile, planned site infrastructure and proposed intervention depths of the extension. Access routes, drainage and connections may also lie outside the actual use area. Survey needs are derived from this information and the available ordnance records.

02

Paths and technical utilities

New water points, lighting, drainage or changed paths may require point and linear groundworks. Their locations should be identifiable in the existing-site plan. An earlier survey of an adjacent area does not automatically cover new utility routes.

03

Buildings and operational installations

Extensions, small service buildings, walls or technical installations are described through their foundations and working spaces. The building footprint alone does not show every intervention in the ground. Add sections, depth information and required lateral working spaces.

04

Access and ongoing use

The cemetery administration specifies operational routes and timing requirements. Work areas, deliveries and visitor routing are coordinated with site management. The cemetery administration and project managers decide on use-related requirements; the survey scope relates to the agreed work areas. The Project process coordinates document checks, surveying and handover of the treated areas.

Project documents

Keep the survey scope retrievable in the project file

Basis of the instruction

The location plan, intervention depths and existing findings are assigned to the respective construction stage. The current plan revision remains identifiable. If a later change occurs, this makes it possible to trace the task to which the original agreement related.

Areas treated

The documentation distinguishes surveyed areas from outstanding areas or those treated with limitations. This allocation is retained even if paths or plot boundaries are renamed later. A traceable location reference supports use by the administration and site management.

Next construction works

A new path, planting work or additional foundation is compared with the existing report and its appendices. The project file contains both the previous scope and the new design for this purpose. Differences are clarified specifically before the affected work.

Documentation

Assign survey results to construction areas

Identify the survey scope

The report shows which areas and depths were surveyed and what limitations apply. It is valid for the documented scope. For later construction works, the administration can use it to have checked whether the existing results cover the new works. Necessary follow-up surveys or exposure works are assigned to the area concerned. Recovery of confirmed ordnance is coordinated with the permitted activities, local responsibilities and documentation. After actual exposure or clearance works, the relevant findings and clearance records are included.

If a suspicious object is found

If an object is suspicious, work in the affected area is stopped immediately. The police and competent authorities arrange the next steps.

Technical assessment

Technical basis: BFR KMR: clearance planning, principles · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation

The Baufachliche Richtlinien Kampfmittelräumung contain requirements for historical and technical investigation, clearance concepts, procurement and documentation within their defined federal remit. Their application to the specific cemetery works, and locally applicable requirements and responsibilities, are clarified separately.

Next steps

Plan the survey with the cemetery administration

01

Describe the construction works

Specify the extension, utilities, paths and structures individually, with their locations and proposed depths.

02

Check plans against reports

Have plans and survey reports checked for their relationship to the affected areas. If historical questions about these areas remain, the necessary sources are researched and aerial photographs assessed. Findings are assigned spatially to the present works and used for further survey planning.

03

Agree access and working hours

Agree access, working hours, visitor routes and contacts with the administration and site management. The suitable survey method is defined for the respective interventions in the ground and local conditions.

04

Carry out the investigation

The commissioned survey is carried out within the defined area. Measurement data, findings and limitations are recorded with location, depth and plan references.

05

Assess results

Measurement data and findings are assessed by specialists. Outstanding areas, necessary follow-up surveys and the next decision are identified for the administration, designers and site management.

06

Keep reports for later works

Assign the documentation to the plan revision actually implemented and keep it available for future construction works.

Technical assessment

Coordinate access and the survey method in advance

Define accessible sections

Vegetation, installations and operational use areas may restrict access. The areas that can actually be surveyed are clarified in advance. Areas that could not be surveyed are identified in the report with the respective limitations.

Assess existing-site records

Old plans, previous construction works and existing surveys can support preparation. Their spatial coverage must match the new task. Individual pieces of information without plan appendices should not be treated as complete evidence for an entire extension area.

Relate the method to the task

Whether a Surface survey or another method is suitable depends on the suspected hazard, ground conditions, installations and survey objective. Necessary preparatory works and the respective execution are discussed specifically for the project. Necessary surveys and protective measures are planned before interventions in the ground for vegetation clearance, demolition, surface removal or creating access routes and work areas. Sections that become accessible later are surveyed before the respective subsequent interventions.

Method selection

Select survey methods for paths and new structures

For a cemetery extension, new areas, existing paths and individual structures are considered separately. The suitable survey depends on the planned intervention and actual conditions in the respective area.

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods and TDEM

Electromagnetic surveys may be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. TDEM detects the time-dependent electromagnetic responses of electrically conductive bodies. Suitability is justified for the particular task, not inferred merely from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the required conclusion must also be considered. Results are documented with location and survey conditions. Whether a complementary method is needed follows from the specialist assessment and remains a specific project decision.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper interventions, it may be necessary to check whether a surface survey can provide the required conclusion or whether another approach is needed. Location, depth, borehole layout and existing utilities then form part of preparation. Access for the survey must also be planned appropriately from a technical perspective. A general depth figure or standard grid does not replace this task. Results remain tied to the areas actually treated and the method applied. For surveys from investigation boreholes, casing, drilling depth and documentation are also coordinated with the task and local conditions.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary survey cannot be completed in full, the suitability of a technically planned approach during construction is assessed. Each working layer is technically surveyed and evaluated before controlled removal in layers with supplementary visual inspection follows. The steps are repeated to the agreed excavation formation. Excavation layers, stop signal, authority to give instructions, reporting channels and documentation are agreed with site management and specialists before work starts. Pure visual observation of the excavation cannot simply replace a necessary instrumental survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist works take place, how new findings are handled and which areas remain outstanding.

Agree the approach during construction
Working approach

Specialist work with a traceable task description

Record the agreed works clearly

FONTANA-EOD connects technical preparation with the specific construction project in the cemetery or its extension area. This includes the current plan revision, proposed interventions and records actually available. During discussion, outstanding information is identified and the next necessary clarifications are assigned. This gives the survey a describable scope. The result is documented in relation to that scope so that the administration, designers and site management can later compare its conclusion with the works implemented or altered.

Discuss the investigation task

Contacts in administration and planning

It helps the workflow if named contacts are available for technical planning and the administration responsible for operating the site. They can answer different questions: the planners describe structures and depths, while the administration explains access and restrictions arising from site use. Contact routes are assigned to the technical and organisational tasks. Where decisions remain open, the person responsible for providing the information is recorded. This coordinates technical preparation and on-site organisation with clearly assigned responsibilities.

Accessible areas and areas still outstanding

An inaccessible area remains explicitly identified in the work plan. Examples include a temporarily closed path or a section that becomes accessible only after preparatory work. It is not counted as part of a surveyed area simply because both lie within the same construction stage. Further planning must record which question remains open and what access is needed for later work. Even small remaining areas are considered in relation to the groundworks planned there.

Changes during preparation

If a path moves or a deeper foundation is planned, the specialist contractor receives the revised plan before the relevant work. The change should be clearly identifiable against the previous version wherever possible. A check establishes whether the agreed survey scope still matches the construction task. A change to the design may be technically insignificant or affect a new volume of ground; describing it as a minor adjustment does not answer that question. The actual ground intervention remains decisive.

Handing over documents together

Reports, site plans and relevant appendices are passed on as a complete set. A brief message stating that an activity is complete is insufficient to understand its spatial and technical scope. For subsequent construction work, it should remain clear which area, depth and design the statement concerns. The administration can file the documents with the project records; site management uses them for the specific works. Any subsequent change of use is then compared again with this documented basis.

Construction phases

From expansion planning to an executable work package

Early planning of the expansion

While the precise design remains open, the enquiry can describe the information available and possible areas of ground intervention. Identify alternatives as such and distinguish fixed requirements from assumptions that may still change. Technical feedback can then explain which documents are needed for the next planning decision. For the selected solution, the specific areas and depths are recorded as the basis for the survey commission. This makes it clear when a general site question becomes a specific survey assignment.

Preparing individual construction stages

Where work proceeds in stages, each stage should be clearly identifiable on the plan. Access, the intended start and adjoining uses are described together. A fully prepared area can be handed over separately from an adjoining area not yet surveyed, provided this boundary remains clear in the documents. The survey sequence is coordinated with the construction programme. It should not be derived solely from a general area list that fails to show different depths or temporary access restrictions.

Working while the site remains in use

Ongoing operations require careful organisation in terms of time and space. The responsible administration defines operational conditions and provides suitable contact routes. FONTANA-EOD describes the workspace required and the technical conditions for the agreed activity. A coordinated workflow is developed from this information. Feasibility while the site remains in use is agreed on the basis of operating conditions and the selected method. If an agreed time slot or access route changes, its effects on the actual work and the conclusions that can be reached are checked.

Later additions within the surveyed area

If another structure or planting area is planned after completion, the review starts with the earlier report and the new groundworks sketch. A familiar area name or an earlier commission is insufficient. The precise position, new depth and relationship to the documented survey scope and its limitations are needed. This may establish that existing findings can be used or that an additional question needs clarification. The earlier documentation remains complete and unchanged, with all appendices; the new assessment is assigned as a separate, traceable process.

Project site

Clarifying the site and property context for the enquiry

Illustrated map of Germany with location markers on a construction site.

Marking the affected area on the site plan

State the town and the specific facility, but also attach a plan showing the affected area. For an expansion, the connection with the existing property should be identifiable. Where old and new areas have different names, explain how they relate. A postal address can provide orientation but does not describe the boundaries of the groundworks. For the technical enquiry, the location and actual ground interventions therefore matter more than a total area figure alone.

Illustrated map of Germany with location markers on a construction site.

Attaching existing information and requirements

Existing information, project-specific requirements or earlier agreements are supplied with their spatial context. State which works the documents were originally prepared for. A statement about earlier path construction may cover a different scope from a current expansion. The relevant authorities and responsible parties remain identifiable within the project organisation. The regional overview helps identify the site. For the specific cemetery works, existing surveys and authority decisions are clarified using the associated project documents.

Understand the results

Using existing findings within their proper scope

Reading an area figure together with the report

Existing use justifies neither a blanket all-clear nor an assumption of ordnance contamination. Existing survey reports and information about earlier site development are compared with the planned areas and depths. Information on use and access is considered only to the extent necessary for the specific construction works and their organisation.

The size of a surveyed area alone does not establish whether particular construction work is covered. Read the associated plan and task description as well. Depth may be decisive for a new foundation; a lateral boundary may matter for a relocated path. Limitations and areas not treated form part of the findings. If this information is missing or appears contradictory, it should be clarified before use. A shortened result line is not treated as a comprehensive site assessment.

Explore results and terminology

Distinguishing planning from surveying

A construction stage drawn on a plan is initially planning information. Only documentation of the specialist work actually performed describes the survey carried out there. Keep the planning status and results documents separate but clearly linked. This distinction is particularly useful where construction stages have moved or individual tasks were not performed. A plan may still show all intended areas while the report covers only part of them. This difference is explicitly traced for the next decision.

Documenting planning and results clearly

Connecting technical questions with the appropriate services

Document assessment, technical surveying and specialist work during construction serve different purposes. The enquiry therefore need not begin with a predetermined equipment method. First describe the planned groundworks and the conclusions needed for them. Existing findings and outstanding questions can then be discussed on that basis. The service overview helps put these tasks in context. The suitability of a service is checked against actual conditions within the existing facility and on the expansion site.

Comparing suitable survey services
Working together

Assigning responsibilities to administration, planners and specialist contractors

Cemetery administration

The administration describes conditions of use, suitable access and organisational contacts. It provides available documents or assigns responsibility for obtaining them. Operational organisation is coordinated with the requirements of the specific specialist work.

Planning and construction management

The planners describe ground interventions, depths and changes. Site management relates this information to the intended construction stages and informs the companies involved of the applicable version. A relocated construction boundary remains distinguishable from a documented survey boundary.

Specialist company and competent bodies

FONTANA-EOD performs the agreed private specialist service. Project-specific authority requirements are clarified with the competent authorities. The report documents the work performed, its area, depth and service scope, and its limitations. Applicability to further groundworks is checked against the specific intervention. Authority decisions are made by the competent authorities.

In Germany, state ordnance disposal services and locally competent authorities carry out hazard response and find management. Their involvement and public-order or building-control tasks are established for the project location. Outside Germany, local responsibilities apply. Contacts, requirements and reporting are assigned to the specific works.

Documents and execution

Considering plans and site conditions together

Two monitors displaying aerial photographs and maps; further aerial photograph printouts lie on the desk.

Identifying historical documents

Older plans or aerial photographs can help preparation if their spatial context is clear. Send available documents as completely as possible and identify known differences from current conditions. Earlier terrain or use is not treated as evidence of ordnance contamination solely on the basis of an image extract. Specialist interpretation and technical surveying remain separate work steps. The information available for the specific expansion is clarified before the further scope is defined.

Explore the historical basis
Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Using photographs to explain access

Current photographs can show paths, gates, vegetation or restricted spaces. State the direction from which each photograph was taken and the area of the plan it shows. Photographs assist organisational preparation but replace neither precise depth information nor a reliable site plan. Nor does an openly accessible lawn reveal a survey result. The visible condition is therefore used as supplementary information and considered alongside the planned work.

Understand documentation
Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Keeping results documents in the project file

At completion, the documents received are clearly assigned to the project. A later reader should be able to identify the plan version used and the location of the areas treated. References to appendices are retained so that an individual text page is not separated from its spatial context. For later path, utility or expansion works, this linkage provides an important starting point. The new works are nevertheless compared with the earlier scope before its conclusions are used.

Documenting results clearly
Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.
Person with a yellow survey cart on a footpath in front of a hedge.
Questions from planning

Frequently asked questions about cemetery expansions and construction work

Does an extension require the entire existing cemetery to be surveyed?

Not automatically. The technical task depends on the suspected hazard, existing findings and proposed interventions. An extension area and existing sections may present different tasks, which are distinguished in the instruction and results.

Does ongoing use provide evidence for the new construction stage?

No. Ongoing use does not demonstrate that the planned intervention in the ground has been surveyed for ordnance. Existing reports are checked against the location and depth of the new works. Their conclusions remain limited to the documented survey scope.

How can works be coordinated with visiting hours?

The cemetery administration describes operational requirements. Suitable access and time windows are organised together with designers and site management. Whether the specialist service is possible under these conditions is assessed specifically.

Must utilities to water points also be considered?

Yes, if groundworks are planned for them. The route, depth and connection points then form part of the description. A survey of the future main area does not automatically include a different utility route.

What records are useful for an enquiry?

Useful records include location and extension plans, depth information, utility and building designs, and existing surveys. Add organisational requirements for access and timing. Personal information about individual holders of cemetery usage rights is not required for this initial technical assessment.

What determines the workload and costs of a survey?

The determining factors are area, intervention depth, ground structure, interference sources, installations, existing findings, access and local conditions. An extension area and individual utility or foundation works may present different tasks. The specific scope and costs are agreed using project records, survey conditions and the specialist services required.

Can several construction stages be prepared separately?

Yes, if the stages and their respective tasks are clearly described. Reports and handovers must identify the area and depth actually treated. Areas not yet accessible or planned for later remain identifiable as separate tasks.

What should be done if a suspicious object is found during earthworks?

If an unexpected suspicious object is found, stop work in the affected area immediately. Do not touch, move or further expose the object. Leave the immediate area, keep your distance and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police immediately on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency reporting route. The competent authorities determine what happens next. Inform the administration, site management and client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call.

Project enquiry

Send the expansion plan and depth information with your enquiry

Construction works and documents

Describe the planned construction works and mark the affected work areas on the site and expansion plan. Add the planned depths of ground intervention, utility and building designs, and existing survey reports with their plan appendices.

Access and working hours

Add the cemetery administration’s organisational requirements, access arrangements and timing requirements. Identify the visitor routes needed. We discuss with you which existing documents can be used for the planned ground interventions and which surveys are required.

Project enquiry

Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.