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 telecommunications sites

A new mast foundation or changed cable connection may require groundworks outside an area previously investigated. Show what is to be built on the site plan and provide existing explosive ordnance reports. FONTANA-EOD will discuss the investigation needed with you. A radio site certificate does not replace this comparison.

Location

Show foundations and connections on the plan.

Shared site use

Name operators and existing documentation.

Documentation

Compare explosive ordnance reports with the groundworks.

Critical infrastructure

Discuss groundworks at the radio siteSelect suitable investigation services
Context

Distinguish the site certificate from the explosive ordnance report

In Germany, the Federal Network Agency describes the site certificate as part of the procedure for demonstrating the protection of people from electromagnetic fields. Where the radio installation requires such a certificate, the operator or an authorised party applies for it. This certificate does not constitute an investigation of the ground for explosive ordnance. For planned groundworks, existing explosive ordnance documentation and site-specific requirements are reviewed separately.

Investigation task

Define the ground disturbance at the telecommunications site

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

Distinguish a technical change from earthworks

Replacing an antenna, installing a new technical cabinet or adding a utility can involve very different construction work. Describe whether the ground will actually be opened, a foundation built or an existing area deepened. FONTANA-EOD relates the available evidence to this specific construction activity. A general description such as site modernisation defines neither the location nor the depth of ground disturbance and is therefore insufficient to establish the scope of investigation.

Select services according to the actual groundworks
Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Show foundations and connection routes together

Show the structure, its foundation, the volume of ground affected by the works and associated utility routes on the plan. A technical cabinet may occupy a different area from the existing mast foundation. Even short connection pits belong in the description. Specialist preparation considers these tasks together. An earlier investigation at the mast is used for the new ground disturbance only after a comparison of its spatial scope and technical applicability.

Relate foundations and connection routes to the documentation
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Account for existing structures and accessible conditions

Existing cables, enclosures, metal components and surfacing may be relevant when preparing an investigation. Provide available as-built documentation and mark known uncertainties. The appropriate approach depends on the specific task and local conditions. Naming a device alone does not establish what can be determined among existing installations and within a restricted working area.

Coordinate methods with existing structures and survey access
Project types

Distinguish construction tasks at radio and telecommunications sites

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

Mast and associated foundation

For a new or altered foundation, describe the location, depth and required volume of ground affected by the works. For an existing mast, the design explains which components will actually be changed. The technical function and the ground-related construction activity remain separately identifiable. Existing specialist reports are compared with this ground disturbance. A known site name alone does not extend their findings to every later foundation alteration.

Clarify the investigation required for the mast foundation
Project enquiry for ordnance assessment and surveys.

Technical cabinets and small buildings

An additional cabinet or technical room may require foundations, utilities and local surfacing. Mark these areas of ground disturbance together on the plan. The visible footprint is not necessarily identical to the ground affected during construction. Additional sections can show differing depths. The specialist enquiry concerns this actual construction task, even if the technical extension is managed as a minor site alteration.

Coordinate technical areas and foundations
Person in high-visibility clothing beside a utility trench, with solar panels and wind turbines in the background.

Power and data connections

Show the full routes of cable trenches and connection pits. Where several users or properties are involved, identify where responsibilities change. Existing utility information is brought together with the construction plan. The explosive ordnance assessment addresses its own specialist question. Information about the location and operating status of existing utilities remains a separate basis for preparing and carrying out the planned work.

Assess power and data connections
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Access, enclosure and drainage

Additional work may lie outside the technical area itself. Describe the location and depth of an altered access route, a fence foundation or a drainage connection accordingly. Later use as an ancillary installation does not, by itself, define the scope of investigation. What matters is whether and how the ground is disturbed. Project planning brings these tasks together so that they are not identified as requiring specialist attention only during construction.

Select methods for access routes and ancillary installations
Prepare the decision

Focus the enquiry on the actual groundworks

Change at the site

Explain which installation is being added or altered. State explicitly which groundworks this involves. Specialist preparation can then distinguish a technical replacement from a new foundation or utility area.

Position and depth

Show foundations, trenches and connection pits on the plan. Small additions remain identifiable alongside larger components. Comparison with existing results is based on these actual boundaries and depths.

Documentation and contact

Name the contacts for access and construction planning. Provide earlier reports with all their attachments. The specialist contractor can then relate the available evidence specifically to the current site works.

Project-specific tasks

What groundworks are planned at the site?

01

Mast foundation and ancillary components

If a new foundation, strengthening or an additional component in contact with the ground is planned, provide its location and dimensions. Add the depth reference and planned preparatory work. Mark the actual footprint of the ground disturbance; a single point for the mast is insufficient.

Person wearing an orange high-visibility vest on an open area of ground with small soil heaps and pink ground markings; residential buildings stand in the background.
02

Technical cabinet and installation area

For an additional technical area, distinguish between work confined above ground and work that also alters the ground. Identify, for example, new foundations, drainage or ground replacement as possible parts of the construction. State in the enquiry whether such groundworks are planned. Replacing equipment alone does not automatically require the same explosive ordnance assessment as constructing a new foundation.

03

Access and cable connection

Show additional earthworks outside the installation footprint separately. These may include a short cable connection or alterations to an access route. For longer utility routes, the information on fibre-optic routes is compared with the connection work at the site. At an individual site, mark transitions to previously investigated areas on the plan.

Project documents

Provide the project information as a complete set

Current ground disturbance plan

The plan links the technical structure with its foundations and connection routes. Mark differing depths and construction phases. Keep alternatives distinguishable from the work actually planned.

Existing documentation

Provide reports with their user context, date and plan attachments. What matters is their technical applicability to the new ground disturbance. An earlier contract title alone does not describe which areas of ground were actually investigated.

Local conditions

Clarify access, enclosure and the accessible working area with the responsible parties. Keep known restrictions identified. The planned specialist work can then be coordinated with the conditions actually available.

Documentation

Identify investigated areas and limits in the report

Identify the survey scope

Assign the explosive ordnance report to the investigated structure or working area. Location, level reference, investigated depth and limitations matter for its later use. Where different operators build in succession, the documentation should show which areas were addressed, what the findings establish and which questions remain open. Assign necessary follow-up investigations or exposure work to the affected area. Recovery of confirmed explosive ordnance is coordinated with the permitted scope of activities, local responsibilities and documentation requirements. Following actual exposure or clearance work, include the corresponding findings and clearance records.

Coordinating further work

Keep radio site documentation and explosive ordnance results under clear names. Assign each document to its respective subject of assessment. Radio compliance evidence concerns adherence to the applicable radio exposure limits; the responsible technical specialists assess network performance. The explosive ordnance report documents the investigation of the commissioned area of ground, including its location and depth limits.

Technical assessment

Technical foundations: BFR KMR: Clearance planning and clearance concept – introduction · BFR KMR: Geophysics · BFR KMR: Documentation · Federal Network Agency: site certificates and EMF · § 8 ArbSchG: cooperation between employers

The Federal Guidelines on Explosive Ordnance Clearance contain requirements for historical and technical investigation, clearance concepts, procurement and documentation within their defined federal remit. Their application to the specific construction project at the telecommunications site, together with locally applicable requirements and responsibilities, is clarified separately.

Next steps

Coordinate investigation and evaluation with the site alteration

01

Mark the ground disturbance on the plan

Use a current plan extract with a scale, the planned structure and adjacent existing installations. State whether earthworks will take place in several stages. Include existing explosive ordnance reports and their results plans. The documents must show which areas they cover.

02

Clarify responsible contacts and protective measures

Keep radio compliance matters separate from coordination of the explosive ordnance work. Where employees of several employers work at one workplace in Germany, the employers cooperate on occupational safety under § 8 ArbSchG. Before deployment, clarify where work is permitted, which protective measures apply and who answers specialist or operational questions.

03

Agree the survey method

Existing reports and historical evidence are related to the ground disturbance. Ground conditions, utilities, existing foundations and accessible working areas determine which technical investigation is suitable. Methods, occupational safety and any necessary preparatory work are coordinated with site management and construction management before work proceeds.

04

Carry out the investigation

The commissioned investigation is carried out in the agreed foundation and connection areas. Survey data, findings and limitations are recorded with location, depth and plan references.

05

Assess results

Survey data and findings are evaluated by specialists. Areas still open, necessary follow-up investigations and the next decision are identified for site management, designers and construction management.

06

Compare altered foundations and trenches with reports

Compare the completed scope of investigation with the planned construction section. If a cable trench is relocated or a foundation altered, check whether the available evidence covers the changed area of ground. Being within the same fenced site does not replace this comparison.

Technical assessment

Coordinate documentation and access where several operators are involved

Name contacts for existing structures

Germany's Federal Network Agency notes that mobile network operators can share sites. For such a project, project management should clarify who is responsible for the affected structures, utilities and areas. An existing report must make clear what was investigated and where its spatial limits lie. Only then can it be compared with the new project.

Coordinate access and the working area

Name contacts for the property, site operations and construction management. Agree which zones may be entered and accessed with equipment. An area available under a contract is not automatically fully accessible to vehicles or survey equipment. The report identifies areas that could not be investigated because access was unavailable. Necessary investigations and protective measures are planned before ground disturbance during vegetation clearance, dismantling, surface breaking or creation of access routes and working areas. Areas becoming accessible later are investigated before the respective subsequent ground disturbance.

Account for metal installations

Existing foundations, fences, earthing systems and utilities may be relevant when selecting a geophysical method. Whether a surface survey or another method is suitable is assessed against interference, accessibility and the planned ground disturbance. Achievable investigation depth and survey coverage are assessed for the specific area, installations and chosen method.

Method selection

Distinguish methods for foundations and cable routes

A new mast site and its connecting utilities are considered in terms of location, depth and existing development. The choice of method to support the required assessment is justified for each working 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 ground disturbance, it may be necessary to assess whether investigation from the surface can establish what is needed or whether another approach is required. For an individual mast foundation, the volume of ground to be investigated is compared with achievable survey coverage before a borehole grid is defined. Necessary investigations and protective measures are determined before drilling. Location, depth, borehole layout and existing utilities then form part of preparation. Access for investigation must also be planned in a technically appropriate way. A general depth figure or standard grid does not replace this task. Results remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used. For investigations from survey boreholes, casing, borehole 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

Relate specialist work to the specific site alteration

Agree a clearly defined task

FONTANA-EOD prepares the explosive ordnance specialist work using the current ground disturbance plan and available evidence. The agreed scope describes the affected area and the question to be addressed. Site organisation and access are coordinated with the responsible parties. The documentation then records the work actually carried out. This keeps the specialist contribution traceable even where several users and successive modernisation projects are involved.

Discuss the investigation task

Identify site responsibilities and the client

At a shared site, the property owner, site operator and individual technical users may have different tasks. Name the contacts for construction planning, access and existing documentation. A single client address may not fully reflect these responsibilities. Preparation therefore records who supplies the necessary information and who can decide organisational matters for the specific working area.

Describe the available working area

Fences, technical cabinets and existing installations can restrict the area that can be accessed. Mark the intended working area and explain known constraints. Inaccessible areas remain identifiable in the planning. They are not included in a completed investigation result merely because they share the same site number. The open specialist question and the organisational conditions needed for later work are described separately.

Update changes between planning and implementation

If the technical cabinet moves or another connection route is chosen, provide the specialist contractor with the revised plan. Assessment is based on the actual location and depth of the new ground disturbance. A technically equivalent solution may affect a different area of ground. Existing results are retained and compared specifically. Additional tasks are assigned traceably before the changed groundworks are carried out.

Assign results to the individual project

File reports and plan attachments together with the site, contract and construction scope. For a later extension, it should be clear which area and which work were addressed at the time. This is particularly helpful where several users carry out their own construction projects. A general site number does not replace the technical limits of the report. Existing findings are assessed for each new ground disturbance against the current design.

Construction phases

Prepare the assessment as the telecommunications site develops

New site with options still open

During early site planning, possible foundations and connection routes are marked as options. Available evidence can initially be related to these planned areas of ground disturbance. Initial coordination establishes which documents are needed for the next decision. The specific scope of investigation follows from the selected solution and its actual groundworks. It is not derived solely from a general reservation of land or a technical site concept.

Coordinate this work step

Modernisation within an existing area

For refurbishment, explain which installations will remain and which new groundworks are planned. Replacing equipment alone may involve different conditions from constructing a new foundation. Describe the construction activities specifically. Earlier reports are compared with this scope. Calling it an existing site does not automatically mean that every newly planned trench and installation area is fully covered by specialist findings.

Coordinate this work step

Additional user with separate connections

When another user joins the site, show its structures and utility routes on the shared site plan. Existing documentation from other users may provide a basis if its content, spatial reference and applicability have been clarified. Specialist findings are not adopted merely because the site number is shared. The project team assigns access arrangements, responsible contacts and available documentation to the specific new works.

Coordinate this work step

Later extension of earlier works

Compare an additional cabinet or changed cable route with the earlier report. What matters is whether the new ground disturbance lies within the described area and depth. The earlier specialist work remains documented unchanged. Any necessary addition is given its own traceable scope. New findings can then be related to the existing site without extending the original findings indiscriminately.

Coordinate this work step
Project site

Identify the site clearly through its address and plan

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

Link the site number to the site plan

State the locality, site name and affected area. Add access directions if the postal address does not clearly identify the entrance. An internal site number helps identification but should be linked to a clear plan. The regional overview provides orientation. The specific groundworks and areas that can actually be accessed remain decisive for the investigation.

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

Provide existing information in full

Supply project-specific decisions, specialist reports and as-built documentation together with their stated scope. Identify the user or earlier works for which they were prepared. This information supports the technical comparison without pre-empting its findings. Resolve open responsibilities before work proceeds. The project team records who provides additional documentation and who organises access to the affected area.

Identify the project region
Understand the results

Use site documentation for its respective purpose

Relate the technical certificate to the construction question

Long-standing use of a site does not establish which areas of ground have already been investigated for explosive ordnance. For an extension, compare earlier results plans with the new foundation, technical area or utility connection. The investigation brief describes the planned groundworks, including location and depth. Existing results apply only within their documented scope.

Documentation for a radio installation addresses a particular technical or legal matter. The explosive ordnance assessment additionally requires the planned groundworks and available specialist evidence. Documents are therefore used according to what each establishes. A shared site name does not mean that one certificate answers every question about the ground. The current ground disturbance plan remains the starting point for specialist coordination.

Explore results and terminology

Compare other users' reports on a technical basis

An existing report may contain valuable findings if all its attachments and spatial references are available. Check whether it addresses the new location and depth, and which limitations are documented. Earlier commissioning by another user makes the findings neither automatically applicable nor inherently unusable. What matters is a traceable comparison with the specific new construction task.

Compare existing reports with the ground disturbance plan

Determine the appropriate service from the ground disturbance

The enquiry may start with a foundation, trench or connection pit. Describe the available evidence and the specialist question still open. The services overview helps identify possible activities. FONTANA-EOD coordinates the scope required on that basis. Naming a single method replaces neither the site plan nor clarification of access, existing structures and what can be determined within the restricted site area.

Select suitable survey services
Working together

Identify the parties at the telecommunications site

Site organisation

The responsible contacts explain access and conditions of use. Where several users are involved, information is related to the specific works. A shared site number does not replace this organisational coordination.

Construction planning

The design describes the location, depth and actual construction activity. Changes are made identifiable against the previous plan revision. Comparison with existing results therefore remains traceable even after a short-notice adjustment.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The specialist contractor addresses the agreed explosive ordnance question and documents the scope actually completed. The results remain linked to their spatial attachments. Other technical assessments retain their own responsibilities and remit.

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

Use images, plans and results documentation traceably

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

Relate historical information to its location

Provide older plans and aerial photographs with references to the present-day site. Identify known changes to the property, its use or access. Specialist evaluation relates this information to the planned construction task. A single image extract does not establish a comprehensive conclusion about every later utility or foundation. The specific investigation depends on the available evidence and actual ground disturbance.

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

Current views as supplementary information

Photographs can illustrate enclosures, installation areas and visible structures. Relate each photograph to the site plan and observe the applicable conditions for sharing it. The image helps prepare access and the working area. It does not replace depth information or details of underground utilities. Even apparently open ground does not, by itself, establish its investigation status.

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

Keep results with the site documentation

File the report and its attachments together with the corresponding contract and plan revision. A later reviewer can then identify which area and construction task were addressed. Keep limitations and areas not investigated included. For new users or further connections, compare this documentation with the current project. Its value is retained without treating it as an overall assessment of the entire site.

Documenting results clearly
Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.

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 mobile communications and technical sites

Does the site certificate replace an explosive ordnance assessment?

The site certificate under the procedure described by Germany's Federal Network Agency concerns the protection of people from electromagnetic fields. The explosive ordnance investigation required for the planned groundworks is established separately, based on the specific ground disturbance and the available evidence.

Does the ground need investigating when an antenna is replaced?

Replacing an antenna alone does not describe ground disturbance. The actual planned work and the requirements applicable to it are decisive. New foundations, utilities or other earthworks must be considered separately if they are added.

Can a report commissioned by another site user be used?

It may provide a basis if the subject of the investigation, area, depth and limits of the findings are traceable. Before applying it to the new project, the specific ground disturbance must be compared with that scope. A shared address alone is insufficient.

Does the earlier investigation of the mast foundation cover a technical cabinet?

Only if the new ground disturbance falls within the documented scope of investigation and the findings apply to it. An adjacent or deeper construction task is not automatically included.

What determines costs at a telecommunications site?

Costs depend on the type, dimensions and depth of the planned groundworks, ground conditions, available evidence and suitable investigation method. Existing foundations, earthing systems, fences and utilities affect survey conditions. Access to the working area and coordination with site users also matter. The agreed scope of investigation, specialist evaluation and documentation forms the basis of the quotation.

Should access roads and fence foundations be included in the enquiry?

They are described too if they involve ground disturbance. Location, depth and construction activity determine the specialist assessment required. Classifying a structure as ancillary does not, by itself, answer whether an investigation is needed.

Who organises access where several parties use the site?

The project team names the responsible contact for the specific working area. The owner, site operator and technical users may have different responsibilities. These are clarified before work proceeds.

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 it. 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 responsible authorities decide the next steps. Inform site operations, construction management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call.

Project enquiry

Send the site plan and planned groundworks

Site plan and ground disturbance

Send a current site plan showing the type, dimensions and planned depths of the groundworks. Mark transitions between foundations, technical areas and connections. Include existing explosive ordnance reports with their results plans and all attachments.

Site contacts and construction

Add known utilities, access conditions, construction periods and contacts for site operations and construction management. Where several users are involved, relate this information to the specific working area. We will discuss the investigation needed and the documentation for a quotation with you. Radio-related applications and operational decisions remain with the respective responsible bodies.

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