Project pathway
The quickest route to the right decision.
Ordnance checks for sports facilities and playgrounds
When a sports facility is reconstructed, different ground interventions lie close together: a playing field receives new drainage while masts, ball-stop fences or play equipment receive foundations beside it. FONTANA-EOD checks which existing findings are usable for this work and where surveying is needed. The actual groundworks and available findings are decisive, rather than previous use as a sports or play area.
Distinguish foundations from area-wide excavation.
Show the terrain and low points.
Hand over work areas separately.
Context
Distinguishing the surface, sub-base and proposed depths
For sports facilities and playgrounds, ordnance checks follow the actual ground interventions. Surface replacement, an individual foundation and a drainage trench are therefore described separately. FONTANA-EOD compares this work with existing findings and clarifies the appropriate survey scope with the planners.
Investigation task
Check existing findings against new interventions
Define the planned work in the ground
A new surface may involve relatively limited work or change the construction of the entire area. What matters is whether only the surfacing is renewed or the load-bearing layers, ground, utilities and drainage are also affected. The construction description must therefore identify the proposed layer and elevation changes.
Determining survey needs according to the actual groundworks
Apply existing conclusions to the appropriate areas
Playgrounds also involve individual foundation positions and remodelled terrain. A small visible installation may require a locally deeper excavation. For technical assessment, such positions are not combined into a general area figure but identified separately on the site plan.
Coordinating survey scopeProject types
Area construction, foundations and drainage
A sports area with a changed sub-base
If the sub-base is renewed as well as the surface, specify the excavation depth, new elevations and work boundaries. Margins may contain different layers and older installations from the regularly used playing area. Survey planning therefore also shows path connections, edging and transitions. Existing evidence for an earlier part of the works is related to this scope; a similar surface does not imply a similar survey of all the ground beneath.
Have the extent of layer excavation assessedEquipment and technical installations
Floodlighting masts, ball-stop fences and play equipment are described through their foundations, not only the visible component. A new position may shift slightly while the working space extends well beyond the old foundation. The plan should also explain dismantling and the intended treatment of existing foundations. Metal installations also matter to method selection. Their removal would therefore not be a neutral preparatory step if it already required work in ground whose ordnance status has not been clarified. Necessary surveys and protective measures are planned before ground interventions during removal of old foundations, vegetation clearance, surface removal or creation of work areas and access routes. Sections accessible later are surveyed before the respective subsequent interventions.
Assessing foundation positions by depthDrainage with local low points
Drains, collectors and chambers may require a different survey scope from excavation of layers across an area. Trenches, connections and actual base levels, including the connection to the existing network, are decisive. A drainage plan therefore supplements the sports area plan with depth and elevation references. Retention or infiltration may affect additional areas. Their assessment is not covered simply because the playing area itself has already been surveyed.
Comparing methods for trenches, chambers and retention areasPrepare the decision
Prepare the next work step technically
The surface is to be renewed
The construction description must show whether only the surface or deeper layers are affected. Technical assessment begins with this distinction and existing findings. The statement ‘renew the surface’ is insufficient if it remains unclear whether load-bearing layers, drainage or terrain profiles will change. The planners therefore describe the actual work and its spatial extent. A new playing field may affect different sections from alterations to a running track or the addition of individual equipment items. These tasks remain distinguishable in the works plan. Existing reports are then checked for which proposed interventions they actually cover. An earlier assessment of the main playing field is not extended to margins simply because they share the facility name. Unclear layer thicknesses or elevations are identified as outstanding design information before survey boundaries are derived from them.
New foundations are added
Foundation dimensions, excavations and working spaces are added to the site plan. This includes individual positions outside the main area so that the survey does not follow an overly narrow project boundary. Equipment spread across a site requires a different spatial definition from work on one continuous area. Masts, ball-stop fences, play equipment or technical connections may lie outside the sports area itself. Besides the position of the visible component, foundations and necessary working space must therefore be shown. If a new drainage line is added, its alignment is clearly related to the rest of the works. The specialist contractor can then clarify which sections or positions are to be surveyed and the prerequisites at each location. Equipment design changes are passed on before execution. An unchanged equipment type does not establish whether the position and depth of ground intervention have remained unchanged.
The facility remains partly open
The operator and site management coordinate use boundaries, access and survey areas. Continued use of one area must be distinguished from technical conclusions about another surveyed section. Before work begins, the feasibility of surveying alongside sporting activity is checked and agreed for the work areas and methods with the operator and site management, taking access and operating procedures into account.
For staged execution, the working spaces actually required are compared with paths and access routes still needed. Deliveries, maintenance access and access to individual facility components are also considered insofar as they affect surveying.
The operator identifies the available time slots and contacts. The specialist contractor relates these conditions to the technical task and identifies areas not yet accessible. If the intended sequence changes, a check establishes whether access, work areas and handovers remain appropriate. The decision rests on the actual conditions of each phase rather than the events calendar alone.
Project-specific tasks
Four typical types of ground intervention on sports and play areas
01
Playing fields, running tracks and paths
Show which existing layers will be removed and where natural ground or fill will be reached. Changed alignments, margins and connections to ancillary areas may extend beyond the former sports area. These additional areas are recorded separately on the plan.
02
Masts, fences and equipment
Floodlighting, ball-stop fences, goals and play equipment are described through their proposed foundation dimensions. Existing metal components may also affect surveying. A site plan of installations therefore helps both define the task and select methods.
03
Drainage and irrigation
Drains, collector pipes, chambers or irrigation lines have their own depths and alignments. Connections outside the playing field also form part of the project. Evidence concerning the near-surface area construction is not automatically extended to these deeper ground interventions.
04
Terrain elevations and ancillary areas
Play mounds, swales, spectator areas or new paths change terrain profiles. Compare existing and proposed elevations. Consider not only finished slopes but also preceding excavation and necessary work at transitions.
Project documents
These documents connect the instruction and result
Cross-sections through the construction layers
A cross-section shows existing and proposed layers and the deepest intended excavation. It is assigned to a clearly identified area of the site plan. General construction details without a location can only supplement the specific task definition. For a changed terrain profile, it remains clear which existing surface the planned work starts from and what new condition is intended. An older report's depth reference is not implicitly transferred to an elevation that has since changed. Different construction options are also assigned to the affected sections. The specialist contractor can then understand which question a cross-section is intended to answer and what additional information is still needed. Contradictions between the construction description, cross-section and site plan are clarified before defining the survey scope. At handover of results, the plan version used and actual boundaries remain retrievable together.
List of foundation positions
For individual components, clear identifiers, position and intended depth help. Relocations are updated. The list remains linked to the plan so that a report is not later applied to an installation in a different position. Each position's identifier is maintained clearly through planning, the survey commission and the report. For a subsequent relocation, old and new positions are shown distinctly. An existing finding can thus be assigned to the area actually affected without transferring it to a different position. For several similar foundations, a collective description such as ‘masts’ is insufficient. The list also explains which positions remain outstanding or can only be treated in a later construction phase. At handover to the construction company, the current appendices and their limitations are passed on together. The link between the individual construction task and associated result is thus retained.
Report including margins
Limitations at fences, existing utilities and other obstructions must also be documented. Conclusions concerning the surveyed area thus remain distinguishable from adjoining remaining areas. Outstanding tasks are not obscured by a general facility name. An inaccessible area is recorded with its location and the reason for the limitation. It is thereby distinguished from an area actually treated. If the obstruction changes later or new access is created, the outstanding task is related again to the current design. The earlier documentation remains traceable. The client and site management can identify conclusions already available and where further technical clarification is needed. For subsequent changes to lighting, boundaries or drainage, the documents can provide a starting point. Whether they suffice for the new ground intervention is assessed according to its actual position, depth and task.
Construction phases
Keep construction phases and changes traceable
Tendering with distinct ground intervention types
For technical preparation, area-wide excavation, utility trenches and individual excavations are described as clear separate tasks. The sports facility's area in square metres alone is insufficient. If depths will be fixed only with the detailed design, this outstanding information remains identified. The procurement body can thus distinguish which survey is already defined and which part still needs technical detail. The commissioned results scope is then assigned to the tasks actually agreed.
Changed equipment design before execution
If play equipment is repositioned or a mast foundation enlarged, the new volume of ground intervention is compared with the documented area. Position and depth are considered together. Similar equipment size or a short distance from the old position does not establish automatic transferability. The revised plan is provided before excavation so that necessary additions can be placed in the construction sequence rather than becoming apparent only at the open excavation.
Maintenance after reconstruction
Later repairs often concern individual elements: a drain, lighting cable or damaged foundation. For such work, the earlier survey boundaries are more useful than a general certificate for the entire facility. The operator and maintenance team therefore receive the plan appendices together with the report. Before new earthworks, a check establishes whether they lie within the documented scope. Operational safety of sports and play equipment continues to be addressed by the specialists responsible.
Documentation
Documenting sports operations and technical conclusions separately
Assign the results to the project
Organisational reopening and a survey report's conclusions are different decisions. The report describes the specialist service and its scope. The operator and project managers determine arrangements for use, construction boundaries and remaining work; ordnance checks do not replace a complete playground or sports facility inspection. Following actual exposure or clearance work, the associated findings and clearance records are included.
Coordinate tasks and further works
Plans and limitations should be retained for later alterations. If, for example, a mast is subsequently moved or a chamber added, these allow a check of whether the new work was already covered.
Next steps
Adding areas, foundation positions and utilities to the plan
Completing the works plan
Identify area-wide work, foundation positions, utilities and terrain profiles separately and state proposed depths.
Documenting existing conditions
Compile existing equipment, earlier alterations and available reports with dates and plan appendices. Existing information and reports are checked for plan version, area and depth references, and outstanding questions concerning the current construction task. Where historical questions remain unresolved, suitable sources are researched and aerial photographs of the affected area assessed. The findings are related to the present areas of ground intervention and used for survey planning.
Coordinating surveying before ground intervention
Agree survey areas, necessary preparatory work and temporary use boundaries before the first ground intervention. The suitable survey method is defined for the respective ground interventions and site conditions.
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.
Assess results
Measurement data and findings are assessed by specialists. Outstanding areas, necessary follow-up surveys and the next decision are identified for designers and site management.
Assigning results to the as-built plan
Assign the areas treated in the documentation to the plan actually executed.
Technical assessment
What can limit surveying across the area
Existing equipment
Fences, steel components, utilities and other installations may interfere with measurements or obstruct areas. Technical preparation clarifies which areas can be surveyed in their existing condition and which preparatory works may be needed. For area-wide tasks, a check establishes whether a Surface survey is suitable under the existing conditions.
Fill and layer composition
Sports and play areas may have different construction layers and earlier terrain changes. A uniform surface therefore does not imply uniform ground beneath. Existing ground investigation and as-built documents support assessment of these differences.
Defining the survey scope for areas, trenches and individual positions
An individual foundation, a utility trench and area-wide excavation present different tasks. Methods and the conclusions achievable are agreed accordingly. Neither an equipment brand nor a general depth figure can replace assessment of local conditions.
Method selection
Select methods according to the task and survey conditions
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 assessmentMagnetometric survey
Magnetometry measures variations in the magnetic field; ferromagnetic objects may cause measurable anomalies. Whether it can address the specific survey task depends, among other factors, on expected objects, ground conditions, interference and the required survey volume. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not identified as explosive ordnance solely because of its strength. The method, interpretation and any further clarification are planned as a coherent specialist task.
Understand the scope of magnetometryElectromagnetic 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 surveyingGround-penetrating radar
Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about structures and reflections in the ground. Electromagnetic waves are reflected at material and structural boundaries. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically explosive ordnance, and an area with no evident anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. Technical interpretation and limitations are documented with the commission. A survey for other purposes is not adopted without checking as evidence concerning explosive ordnance.
GPR and limitationsDeep-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 interventionsSurvey 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 constructionWorking approach
How FONTANA-EOD works
Document the agreed specialist service clearly
FONTANA-EOD relates the survey to a described intervention and a traceable set of records. Before work starts, the technical task, accessible areas and required results are agreed. If the design or local conditions change, it is checked whether the agreed scope still fits. The report records the work actually performed and its limits. Further construction planning can thus identify what conclusion is available and where additional clarification remains necessary.
Discuss the investigation taskThe task before the equipment
A survey begins with the required information objective. The method selected is technically justified in relation to it. A particular instrument or a similar neighbouring construction site is not, by itself, sufficient grounds for selecting a method.
Keep limitations visible
Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.
Clarify changes before intervening in the ground
A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.
Hand over the report and plan together
The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.
Working together
Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor
Client and operator
The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.
Planning and construction management
The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.
Specialist company and competent bodies
The private ordnance specialist contractor carries out the agreed survey and documentation scope. Authority requirements and decisions are clarified with the respective competent bodies. The records needed for a particular procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report documents the specialist service performed, including its area, depth and service scope and the limits of its conclusions. Applicability to further groundworks is checked against the specific intervention. Administrative decisions are made by the competent authorities.
In Germany, the Länder ordnance disposal services and locally competent authorities perform hazard prevention and find-handling tasks. Their involvement and the tasks of the public order authority and, where applicable, building control are clarified for the project location. Outside Germany, local responsibilities apply. Contacts, conditions and reporting channels are assigned to the construction project concerned.
Requirements
Clarify technical requirements and responsibilities within the project
In Germany, § 7 SprengG concerns the commercial authorisation for activities requiring authorisation; § 20 SprengG concerns the certificate of competence of responsible persons. Under § 1b SprengG, searching for found munitions also counts as handling them. The requirements applicable to the project depend on the activity actually commissioned and the allocation of responsibilities.
The First Ordinance to the German Explosives Act (1. SprengV) includes requirements for specialist knowledge and state-recognised courses. For sports facilities, the necessary qualification relates to the specific survey or clearance task and the intended groundworks on playing areas, drainage and individual structures.
DGUV Information 201-027 concerns protective measures during ordnance clearance work. DGUV Rule 113-003 concerns the dismantling or destruction of explosives or corresponding objects and also includes the disposal of found munitions. It applies according to this field of activity; it does not replace a risk assessment specific to the planned ground intervention.
Relate requirements to the specialist task
For the commissioned activities, the relevant technical requirements and questions of permits, competence certification and responsibility are clarified. The actual planned service scope is decisive. A general company designation does not replace checking that the tasks and interfaces are described appropriately for the specific project.
Link occupational safety to the construction sequence
Risk assessment, work areas and communication must suit the proposed activities. Ordnance specialist works are coordinated with the other construction activities. Operational organisation, traffic safety and other specialist technical inspections retain their own responsible parties. Joint coordination brings the information together without equating the different tasks.
Use technical findings correctly
A measurement anomaly first requires technical assessment; its depiction alone does not identify it as explosive ordnance. If an unexpected suspicious object is encountered, stop work in the affected area immediately. Do not touch, move or further expose it. Leave the immediate area and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police immediately on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency reporting procedure. The competent authorities determine the next steps. Inform site management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call. Survey reports identify the scope treated and its limitations so that results are not extended to unchecked areas or later plan changes. Necessary follow-up surveys or exposure work are assigned to the affected area. Recovery of confirmed explosive ordnance is coordinated with the permitted scope of activity, local responsibilities and documentation.
Planning and documentation: BFR KMR: clearance planning, principles · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation
The federal construction guidelines on ordnance clearance contain requirements for historical and technical investigation, clearance concepts, procurement and documentation within their defined area of federal responsibility. Their application to the specific sports or play facility, together with local requirements and responsibilities, is clarified separately.
Project site
Connect the site with the specific construction task
Site and existing requirements
Provide the actual site with a plan and affected properties. Existing information, requirements and reports are assigned to this area. Regional requirements must be established for the specific project; showing a service area does not promise a particular official service or an investigation already completed. The regional overview provides orientation, while the plan and documents determine the technical task.
Understand the results
Use technical statements for the next decision
Read results together with their scope
A statement is understandable only with its investigation task. Check the area and depth described, methods used and restrictions. A report title or single result line is insufficient. For new work, these details are compared with the current plan to establish which knowledge remains usable and which question is unresolved.
Explore results and terminologyUse project terminology unambiguously
Document review, surveying, construction-phase specialist work and recovery are different tasks. An enquiry need not identify the correct method in advance. An accurate description of the intervention and required decision is more useful. This establishes the appropriate technical scope and prevents a general term from meaning different things in design, procurement and execution.
Understand the service scopeDocuments and execution
Consider records and surveying together
Assign records to their locations
For preparation, the location plan and available findings are considered together. Assessment of historical records addresses a different task from a technical survey of the present-day subsurface.
Explore the historical basis
Use results for construction planning
Survey scope, plan references and limitations are documented together. Site management can identify the specific conclusion available for the next intervention.
Understand documentation
Further technical topics
Find the appropriate specialist service and project arrangements
Compare municipal project types
Other municipal projects may include additional interventions and interfaces. The overview helps classify them without anticipating the survey of a specific site.
Understand municipal projectsSelect the specialist service according to the task
Document assessment, instrumental surveying, supervision during works and recovery are distinguished by their respective purposes. A technically justified selection connects the information sought with the actual conditions.
Compare servicesQuestions from planning
Frequently asked questions about the project
Does long-standing use prove that no explosive ordnance is present?
No. Previous use replaces neither an assessment of the suspected hazard nor a survey result appropriate to the new ground intervention. Reconstruction may reach different areas or depths from earlier work.
Must the entire facility be surveyed every time a surface is replaced?
There is no general answer. Existing findings and the actual scope of work are decisive. Technically, replacing only the surface must be distinguished from deeper excavation, new utilities or foundation excavations.
Should small foundation positions be listed separately?
Yes, their position and intended depth should be identifiable. Small areas may contain locally deeper ground interventions. Examples include masts, equipment, goals or ball-stop fences outside the area already being worked on.
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 uncover the object further. Leave the immediate area and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police immediately on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency reporting procedure. The competent authorities determine what happens next. Inform site management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call.
What determines survey effort and cost?
Key factors are area, excavation depths, layer composition, soil, interference, the number and geometry of foundations, utility trenches and chambers, access, ongoing use, construction stages, existing findings, necessary methods and documentation scope. Costing relates to the commissioned survey volume and the services actually required.
Does an area survey also cover a deeper drainage chamber?
Only insofar as the chamber's position and depth are covered by the documented scope. A near-surface task cannot automatically be extended to a deeper excavation. The chamber is therefore identified separately on the plan and compared with the existing result.
Must old foundations be removed before surveying?
This is not a general prerequisite. The first assessment considers how they affect access and measurement and which ground interventions their removal would involve. Necessary preparatory work is technically coordinated. An unobstructed area desired for measurement must not be created through unclarified groundworks.
How is additional work during reconstruction taken into account?
New positions, trenches or excavation depths are compared with existing survey findings before execution. Site management receives the change plan and coordinates outstanding clarification with the technical parties involved. The report relates only to work actually covered.
Project enquiry
Send the reconstruction plan, cross-sections and foundation plans
Plan revision and decision deadline
State whether the enquiry concerns early planning, preparation for procurement or an imminent ground intervention. The date by which a technical conclusion is needed helps coordination. Outstanding information is explicitly reported rather than replaced with assumed values. Supplement the reconstruction plan with layer excavation, new elevations, foundation positions and drainage. Attach earlier construction reports, utility plans, existing ordnance information and the proposed sequence of stages. Also identify which areas are accessible during the work and where existing equipment restricts access or working space. For several similar installations, a clear position list linked to the site plan helps. The size and distribution of areas, known surfaces and required working windows are essential for assessing effort. Also state which planning decisions remain open. Reliable coordination relates to this specific construction task and the existing findings.
Assign records to their locations
Send the site plan and available reports with their associated appendices. For multiple construction stages, indicate which document relates to which area. Photographs supplement descriptions of access and existing conditions; they do not replace information on underground structures or planned depths. Also mark separate work locations and their access routes within the overall facility on an overview plan.
School and childcare grounds
Prepare schools and childcare facilitiesParks and green spaces
Planning work in green spacesMunicipal construction organisation
Prepare public construction projects
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.
