Person wearing a hard hat beside a vehicle on a marked-out construction area in front of a cooling tower and industrial installations.

Explosive ordnance assessment at airports and logistics sites

For ground works at an airport, the survey area needed must be accessible on the agreed date. FONTANA-EOD checks with you which explosive ordnance documents cover the planned intervention and where further surveys are needed. At the same time, the operator and project management clarify access authorisation, available routes and work times.

Clarify the area

Distinguish landside and airside.

Plan access

Coordinate personnel, equipment and routes.

Hand over the section

Record the surveyed area for site management.

Critical infrastructure

Discuss ground works and accessSelect suitable investigation services
Context

Clarify access with the operator before the survey

At airports in Germany, cable trenches by a cargo building, drainage channels and foundations may have different access conditions depending on their location. First describe the specific location within the airport site. Under § 10 LuftSiG, access to airside areas and security restricted areas without authorisation is prohibited. The necessary access authorisation is agreed separately with the operator before deployment.

Project references

Selected project examples

Explosive ordnance survey – Luxembourg; Findel – Luxtram Section E – Luxexpo to Findel Airport Luxembourg; Findel / Luxembourg · Luxembourg

The scope of work for “Luxembourg; Findel – Luxtram Section E – Luxexpo to Findel Airport Luxembourg; Findel / Luxembourg · Luxembourg” included ground-penetrating radar surveys.

Service period: 2025-03

Service areas:Surface surveys: GPR, TDEM and magnetometryMethod used in this project: Ground-penetrating radar

View project details · GPR and limitations · Region: Luxembourg

Investigation task

Define the specialist task within the airport site

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

Describe ground works by location and depth

For planning, the actual ground interventions by the cargo building, access road or technical services area are marked on the plan. Include depth, reference level and the intended construction sequence. A general description as an airport construction site leaves important differences unclear. FONTANA-EOD relates existing findings to the specific construction task and clarifies which technical question still needs to be addressed for the affected section.

Select services for ground works at the site
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Take site survey conditions into account

Paved areas, utilities, installations and neighbouring facilities form part of technical survey preparation. Identify known access restrictions and provide available existing asset records. The suitable approach for the specific ground intervention is derived from these. A short work window does not itself change the technical prerequisites. If the task cannot be completed within it, the remaining scope is explicitly agreed.

Coordinate methods with existing installations and work windows
Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Compare existing results with the construction plan

An earlier survey report may provide important baseline information where its spatial reference and assessment are known. Compare the previous areas and depths with the new plan. Connection pits or laterally relocated routes may lie outside the previous scope. Documents are therefore considered in full with their attachments. Proximity to an area already addressed does not replace this technical comparison.

Check earlier results against the construction plan
Project types

Distinguish construction tasks at airports and logistics sites

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

Cargo buildings and loading zones

An extension of a cargo area may involve different ground interventions for foundations, ramps, drainage and access roads. Show these tasks together even where contracts are awarded separately. The transition between the building and paved external area matters for spatial comparison. Existing documents are assigned to each area. Subsequent use as a connected loading zone does not mean that all planned ground works have already been surveyed.

Clarify survey tasks for cargo buildings and loading zones
Person in high-visibility clothing beside a utility trench, with solar panels and wind turbines in the background.

Utilities and technical services

Cable trenches, chambers and connections are described along their entire alignment. Where several operational areas are involved, changes in responsibilities or access prerequisites must be shown. Even short connections between known installations may affect new volumes of ground. Utility information and operational status details are provided separately. The explosive ordnance assessment addresses its own technical question and is brought together with these documents for subsequent construction.

Relate utility lines to the construction sequence
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Traffic areas and drainage

For renewal of traffic areas, the surface, sub-base and local deeper interventions are distinguished. A channel or new chamber may extend deeper than the general surface removal. Add these locations to the plan and state the intended working depths. The survey relates to the actual construction task. A blanket area description would obscure precisely these differences in the sequence and required survey scope.

Select methods for traffic areas and local deeper interventions
Person wearing a safety helmet and holding a tablet at a marked construction area in front of industrial buildings.

Logistics areas outside special access zones

A logistics area near an airport may have different organisational conditions from an area within a secured airport zone. Describe the specific location and actual access arrangements. Association with an airport does not replace this clarification. Location, ground works, documents and accessible work areas remain decisive for specialist work. Operator requirements relate only to the areas where they actually apply.

Assess logistics areas as a commercial construction task
Prepare the decision

Base the initial enquiry on three details

Location within the site

Mark the construction section and identify the affected facility. The enquiry should show whether special access conditions apply and who can explain them. An airport name alone is insufficient to prepare the specific work area.

Planned ground works

State which layers will be removed and which components will be built. Different depths and connections are marked on the plan. This allows existing documentation to be compared specifically with the proposed construction.

Time constraints

State the intended construction phases and work windows already agreed. Provisional dates remain identified as provisional. The specialist contractor can then clarify how the required scope can be prepared and carried out under these conditions.

Project-specific tasks

Show construction areas and required routes on the plan

01

Buildings and connection areas

Show whether work on existing installations, new service connections or additional components is planned. Even a small intervention needs a clear location and depth. Check whether existing reports actually cover the location and depth of the planned work. Results from another construction section do not automatically apply.

02

Areas with controlled access

Identify the affected area and responsible operator contact. Before deployment, clarify the requirements for personnel, equipment and vehicles. Access coordination establishes how personnel and equipment reach the area. Suspected hazards and survey conditions are additionally assessed by specialists.

03

Temporarily required routes

Mark construction access roads and additional work areas where ground works are planned. An initially proposed access route may change during construction. Add changed routes to the plan. For additional ground works, we assess whether existing survey results are sufficient.

Project documents

Provide the project documents together

Site and ground intervention plan

A current plan shows boundaries, depths and connections to neighbouring construction sections. Alternatives are marked separately. This keeps clear which specific construction design forms the basis for technical coordination.

Existing authority information

Earlier reports are sent with their attachments and the design revision applicable at the time. Known limitations are retained. A shortened summary should not obscure the spatial boundaries of existing findings.

Operational information

The responsible contact provides access information applicable to this area. Known requirements for personnel, vehicles and working hours are checked against the proposed activity. Outstanding organisational points are assigned a named contact.

Documentation

Assign reports to the surveyed construction section

Identify the survey scope

Assign the survey to a clearly identified design revision. The report shows areas surveyed, outstanding areas and limitations applying to the results. Further agreed steps are recorded. This is particularly helpful where several short work phases follow one another or different companies work at the same interfaces. Necessary follow-up surveys or exposures are assigned to the affected area. Recovery of confirmed explosive ordnance is coordinated with the permitted scope of activity, local responsibilities and documentation. After actual exposure or clearance work, the corresponding findings and clearance records are included.

Coordinating further work

Retain access authorisations and technical survey reports according to their respective purposes. Access authorisations and survey reports are maintained as separate documents for access organisation and the status of explosive ordnance surveys. Aviation operational decisions are made by the respective responsible authorities. For later modifications, it is assessed whether existing reports cover the new ground works spatially and at depth.

Technical assessment

Technical foundations: BFR KMR: Clearance planning and clearance concept – introduction · BFR KMR: Geophysics · BFR KMR: Documentation · § 10 LuftSiG: Access authorisation · Fraport: Questions about airport passes · § 8 ArbSchG: cooperation between employers · DGUV: Explosive ordnance clearance FAQ

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 airport construction project, together with local requirements and responsibilities, is clarified separately.

Next steps

Coordinate access, surveys and handover with site management

01

Confirm the work area

Project management and the operator check the planned ground intervention against usable routes and work zones. State the progress of necessary access coordination and identify a contact who can answer outstanding organisational questions.

02

Coordinate work areas and reporting procedures

Where employees of several employers work at the same workplace in Germany, employers must cooperate on occupational safety under § 8 ArbSchG. Depending on the activity, this includes informing each other of hazards and coordinating protective measures. Responsibilities and reporting procedures must be known for the survey. The need to separate work areas temporarily or divert routes is coordinated with the operator.

03

Agree the survey method

Existing reports and historical evidence are assigned to the ground intervention. Ground conditions, utilities, paved surfaces and accessible areas determine the suitable technical survey. Methods, occupational safety and any necessary preparatory works are agreed with the operator and site management before implementation.

04

Carry out the investigation

The commissioned survey is carried out in the agreed work areas. Survey data, findings and limitations are recorded with location, depth and design references.

05

Assess results

Data and findings receive specialist interpretation. Unresolved areas, follow-up investigation and the next decision are identified for operators, designers and site management.

06

Hand over results for the next construction section

Hand over the documented work status to those responsible for the next construction section. The explosive ordnance assessment applies within its described scope. The operational decision to use an area and any other necessary authorisations remain with the respective responsible parties.

Technical assessment

Review documents and survey conditions before the date

Review documents before access

Compile existing explosive ordnance reports, current design revisions and existing asset information before agreeing a date. This allows a review of outstanding questions and work areas that need to be reached. The length of an available work window alone does not determine a suitable survey method.

Consider paving and installations when selecting methods

Paving, reinforcement, utilities and neighbouring technical installations can affect Survey conditions. The intended construction stage must therefore be known. Whether a Surface survey is suitable under these conditions is assessed by specialists. A survey before dismantling may allow a different assessment from one after certain installations are removed; each scope must be defined technically. Necessary surveys and protective measures are planned before ground intervention during vegetation clearance, dismantling, surface breaking or creation of access roads and work areas. Areas accessible later are surveyed before the respective subsequent interventions.

Mark outstanding survey areas on the plan

If operations prevent access to an area or the area cannot be assessed adequately, this status is identified. The report states the areas actually surveyed and the limits of data evaluation, even where the available work window was shorter than planned. Project planning can identify whether a supplementary survey or another agreed approach is necessary.

Method selection

Select survey methods for airport civil engineering sections

The survey is prepared for the actual ground works and coordinated with operational access. The ground intervention area, depth and conditions under which surveying and evaluation can take place remain decisive.

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 ground interventions, it may be necessary to assess whether surveying from the surface can provide the required assessment or a different approach is needed. For individual foundation or chamber locations, the ground volume to be assessed and achievable survey coverage are compared before a borehole grid is defined. Necessary surveys and protective measures are defined before boreholes are created. Location, depth, borehole arrangement and existing utilities then form part of preparation. Creating survey access must also be planned using a technically suitable approach. A general depth figure or standard grid does not replace this task. Results remain limited to the areas actually addressed and the method used. For surveys from investigation boreholes, casing, drilling depth and documentation are also coordinated with the task and site 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

Prepare specialist work and operational organisation together

Agree the scope that can be addressed

FONTANA-EOD coordinates survey scope with construction documents and available working conditions. This includes the specific area, technical task and accessible work windows. A task description brings these details together. During preparation, outstanding points are assigned to the responsible parties. This makes it traceable which activity was agreed and which area the documented result concerns.

Discuss the investigation task

Identify access organisation early

The operator's project contact explains the site-specific requirements for personnel, vehicles and escorting where applicable. This information is coordinated with the intended activity in good time. Access authorisation is agreed separately with the operator. Missing documents or organisational prerequisites are taken into account in the sequence. Access documents and necessary organisational decisions are clarified before the survey day.

Assign facilities and work areas

The specialist contractor needs a clear description of the accessible area. Neighbouring facilities and their operational conditions are explained by those responsible. It remains clear which information is confirmed and which still needs clarification. Preparation links this information to the planned ground works. Feasibility is clarified for each section using its accessibility and actual survey conditions.

Handle interruptions traceably

If changed operating conditions prevent an agreed activity from taking place within the intended scope, the status achieved is recorded. Areas already addressed and those still outstanding remain distinguishable. Access and working conditions are agreed again before work continues. A short available period is not treated as a replacement for a technically necessary work step. The documentation reflects the work actually carried out.

Hand over results for each construction phase

For several construction phases, each section receives a traceable reference to the report and plan attachments. Site management can identify the assessment available for the next specific work. Outstanding connections or areas remain identified. A summary handover is not separated from its spatial attachments. For later changes, the same set of documents is compared with the new ground intervention and supplemented technically where needed.

Construction phases

Place the explosive ordnance assessment within the project phase

Early site and option planning

At an early stage, possible routes, extensions or connection areas can be considered alongside one another. Explicitly identify options and depths still uncertain. Existing findings are initially assigned to these possible ground interventions. Technical coordination can clarify the information missing for the next planning decision. A defined survey scope then follows from the specific selected construction task and accessible conditions.

Coordinate this work step

Preparation of tender documents

For a traceable specification, construction boundaries, depths and operational prerequisites are shown together. Provide complete existing specialist reports. State known access preparation requirements and the operator's responsible contact. This information helps relate tenders to the same task. Outstanding prerequisites should not appear as confirmed conditions, since they may cause later changes in implementation.

Coordinate this work step

Work within agreed windows

The planned sequence considers both the construction task and the actual availability of the area. Before work begins, the activity intended for each area and the person reporting operational changes are clarified. A work window is an organisational constraint. Whether the technical task can be completed within it is assessed separately. Where departures occur, the status achieved and further work requirements remain traceable.

Coordinate this work step

Change after a section is completed

If an additional chamber or relocated utility is planned later, the comparison begins with the new plan and previous result documents. A completed construction section may contain findings that remain useful without covering every additional activity. The specific location and depth determine applicability. Earlier documentation is retained; necessary supplementary work is described as a separate technical scope.

Coordinate this work step
Project site

Clearly identify the airport location

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

State the area, access route and contacts

In addition to the airport name, state the building, area designation and intended access route. A site plan links these details to the actual work area. For an external logistics site, its own operational address is decisive. The regional overview helps locate the site. The specific access prerequisites of the respective operator are clarified directly for the planned deployment.

Identify the project region
Illustrated map of Germany with location markers on a construction site.

Include project-specific requirements

Existing authority information, operator conditions and requirements already agreed are provided with their scope. Check whether the documents concern the same area and activity. Requirements from another airport area are not applied merely because they concern the same site. Outstanding responsibilities are assigned before work begins. This provides the specialist contractor and site management with a shared basis for preparation.

Identify the project region
Understand the results

Use documents according to their respective scope

Assign authorisations and technical information

Organisational details are clarified with the respective operator. For Frankfurt, for example, Fraport explains separate requirements for airport passes, vehicle passes and training. For other airports, applicable requirements are clarified with the respective operator. For a logistics area outside such zones, its actual operating conditions are decisive.

Access documents organise entry and vehicle access to the respective area. The survey report instead describes the explosive ordnance specialist work carried out and its spatial extent. Both documents are needed for the project but serve different purposes. For a planned construction phase, the responsible contacts and associated documents should therefore be available. Organisational access alone does not mean an area is treated as fully surveyed.

Explore results and terminology

Compare the results plan with construction

A report is read together with its attachments and the underlying construction plan. The planned work must be assignable to the described area and depth. Changes to a utility route or foundation require this comparison again. A short results statement cannot replace the spatial scope. Unclear boundaries are clarified before the assessment is used for a different construction activity.

Link the results plan and construction traceably

Turn the outstanding technical question into a service scope

The enquiry can begin with a specific construction task even if no survey method has been selected. State existing findings and the assessment needed for the next project decision. The service overview explains different specialist activities. FONTANA-EOD agrees a suitable scope on this basis. Site conditions and access prerequisites are considered together with the technical task.

Select suitable survey services
Working together

Assign project roles at the airport

Design

The design describes components and the location and depth of planned works. Changes from the previous revision are clearly marked. This provides the specialist contractor with a reliable basis for comparison with existing results.

Operations

Operations explain accessibility and organisational prerequisites for the specific area. Coordination considers the activities actually planned and the parties involved. Specific access conditions are agreed with the operator for each survey section.

Specialist company and competent bodies

FONTANA-EOD addresses the agreed explosive ordnance question and assigns the result to the scope carried out. The report remains linked to its spatial attachments. Further technical and operational decisions are made by the respective responsible parties.

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

Support spatial preparation with suitable documents

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

Historical information

Existing aerial photographs, older plans and earlier assessments are provided with their spatial references. Airport grounds and neighbouring uses may have changed over time. Known differences from the current plan are identified. Specialist evaluation assesses this information. An individual image extract is not used as a comprehensive assessment of all current construction areas or their differing ground intervention depths.

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

Current site views

Photographs can illustrate paving, installations and site accessibility. Taking and sharing them is coordinated with site conditions. Mark the photographed area on the site plan. Images supplement preparation but do not alone provide an assessment of the ground. Planned ground works and existing technical documents remain decisive for the survey scope.

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

Documentation of areas addressed

The report and site plan are retained together so that later users can trace the work actually carried out. Areas not addressed and limitations remain identifiable. A later construction phase is compared with this documented status. This link is particularly useful where several work windows or separate contracts relate to the same airport project and cover different areas.

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.

Technical information

Critical infrastructure: brochure

Work at critical infrastructure requires careful coordination with operations and construction design. The brochure explains preparation, suitable investigations and traceable result documentation.

Download the brochure as a PDF
1 / 8
Critical infrastructure: brochure – page 1

German · 8 pages

Questions from planning

Questions about airport assessment

Does every area near an airport require an airport pass?

Requirements depend on the actual location and access zone. Proximity to an airport alone does not answer this question. In Germany, § 10 LuftSiG prohibits access to airside areas and security restricted areas without authorisation.

Can the operator contact be clarified on the survey day?

Clarify the operator contact, access and available work area before agreeing the date. The operator specifies which documents, authorisations or briefings are required for the affected area.

Is an earlier survey of the neighbouring section sufficient?

The existing report must be checked against the location, depth and nature of the new ground intervention. A neighbouring survey does not automatically cover the newly planned underground volume. Unsurveyed interfaces must remain identifiable.

Is simply observing excavation sufficient during short work windows?

According to the DGUV, simply observing excavation visually does not constitute explosive ordnance surveying during construction. The suitable approach is assessed using the task and survey conditions. A short work window alone does not determine the method.

How do survey reports relate to decisions on flight operations?

The report addresses the agreed explosive ordnance survey subject, including its area, depth, service scope and assessment limitations. Assessment of operational safety and any necessary aviation law decisions remain the responsibility of the respective authorities and responsible parties.

Which factors determine the cost of an airport survey?

Costs depend on the area, intervention depth, ground build-up, paving and installations, possible interference sources, existing findings and the suitable survey method. Access organisation, required escorting and available work windows affect the sequence. Costing covers the service scope agreed for the specific construction section, including necessary evaluation and documentation.

How are partially addressed areas handed over?

The report and site plan distinguish the work carried out from outstanding areas. Access and working conditions are agreed again before work continues. This provides site management with a traceable status for the next construction phase.

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 it further. 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 procedure. The authorities determine what happens next. Inform the operator, site management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call.

Project enquiry

Send construction plans and access details with your enquiry

Construction plan and explosive ordnance documents

Send the site plan, ground intervention dimensions and planned ground works with depths and reference levels. Include existing explosive ordnance documents and complete survey reports with their attachments.

Operator contact, access and work windows

Identify the operator contact, period and available work area. State whether the section is in a restricted access zone and which requirements apply to personnel, vehicles, equipment and access authorisations. Necessary authorisations and any escorting or briefings are agreed separately with the operator. We use this information to discuss survey requirements and deployment preparation.

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.

Send a project enquiry Call now Send documents Select services