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 for transport operators and depots

During depot alterations, excavations and utility trenches must be coordinated with traffic lanes and workshop access routes still needed. FONTANA-EOD clarifies the investigation required for the planned groundworks. We need the construction phasing plan and details of when each area is accessible. Results are assigned to the areas investigated.

Area use

Separate operations and construction areas on the plan.

Construction sequence

Define accessible areas for each construction phase.

Handover

Compare the investigation report before the next ground disturbance.

Critical infrastructure

Discuss the depot alterationSelect suitable investigation services

Distinguish construction areas from ongoing operations

At a depot, investigation requirements follow the ground disturbance actually planned. Halls, trenches, charging foundations and ground disturbance in alternative areas are compared with existing documentation. The transport operator defines operational conditions; FONTANA-EOD coordinates the investigation scope accordingly.

Project references

Selected project examples

Investigation task

Define the investigation scope at the depot

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

Describe halls, tracks and charging areas separately

A depot alteration may combine different areas of ground disturbance. Show hall foundations, track works, charging foundations and connection trenches with their locations and depths. A shared project name does not define a single investigation area. Specialist planning assigns available evidence to the respective construction activities and identifies areas requiring further information or investigation.

Select services for halls, tracks and charging areas
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Account for existing site conditions

Rails, reinforcement, utilities and parked vehicles may be relevant during preparation. Identify the working area actually available and provide as-built documentation. Specialist method selection considers these conditions together with the investigation objective. Accessibility alone does not mean that an area can be evaluated without restriction. Unclear prerequisites are coordinated before work proceeds.

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

Identify alternative areas and their ground disturbance

An area used temporarily may require additional surfacing, foundations or connections. Describe the intended groundworks separately. Distinguish a purely organisational change to traffic arrangements from actual earthworks. The investigation relates to these construction activities; calling an area an alternative space does not replace details of location, depth and available evidence.

Clarify investigation tasks for alternative areas

Plan halls, traffic lanes and charging infrastructure separately

Parking spaces, workshops and traffic routes may be in different states during construction. What matters is where and how deeply the ground will be opened or penetrated. The investigation area does not automatically follow the boundary of operational use.

Person with a tablet on a marked construction area in front of an industrial building.

Halls and workshops

Describe foundations and excavations with depths, working space and any shoring positions. Existing installations affect the investigation. Before commissioning, it must be clear which parts are actually accessible in the intended construction conditions.

Explosive ordnance assessment for new industrial buildings
Person in high-visibility clothing beside a utility trench, with solar panels and wind turbines in the background.

Charging points and utilities

Charging foundations, cable trenches and connection chambers have their own geometries. Relocating them later may take them outside the earlier investigation. Foundation and utility locations are therefore supplied together and updated when they change.

Explosive ordnance assessment for utility and energy construction

Define the next construction conditions before the investigation

During phased alterations, decide for each section which area is available for investigation and what needs to be established before construction.

First parking row

Define the section, including depths and connections. A meaningfully defined partial task can be addressed without investigating the entire depot simultaneously. The report remains explicitly limited to its actual scope.

For an initial parking row, show the groundworks actually planned there distinctly. These may include charging foundations, drainage components and associated utility connections. Required working space or connection pits to the side are also given location and depth references. The specialist contractor compares this task with available evidence and identifies areas still open. Operations management explains when the affected areas can be accessed and which routes remain necessary.

After the work, hand over results and limitations specifically for this section. For a row added later or an altered foundation, compare the new ground disturbance with the documented scope before using the results.

Night or weekend window

Identify free areas and operational restrictions. Compare accessibility, interference and investigation scope with the operational time windows to select the appropriate method. The desired time window is also related to the prerequisites actually in place for the investigation. The specialist contractor needs current plan attachments and a technical definition of the task, while operations and construction management identify available working areas. Areas not yet accessible are recorded as open. If the window shifts or vehicle positions change, coordinate the position again before work proceeds. Consider organisational availability of an area separately from the ability to evaluate the investigation. Also specify the deadline for handing over the required results. The report and plan attachments then document the areas actually addressed and the conditions to which the findings relate.

Changed utility route

Compare the new route, including chambers and crossings, with existing results. Identify parts not covered separately. Clarify this before the new ground disturbance. The design shows the new route with its working pits and intended depths. Unchanged start and end points may still involve ground disturbance in a different location. Existing documents are therefore used to establish which areas are actually covered and where a new specialist question arises. The specialist contractor receives the current revision for assessment. Construction management and operations coordinate when the additional locations can be accessed and what must be established before construction. Following a supplementary investigation, link the new report section with the relevant change. Earlier results remain limited to their documented boundaries and are passed on with the valid attachments.

Context

Plan traffic routes during the alteration

In its guidance for bus and rail operations, Germany's VBG highlights planning traffic routes within operational sites. Different types of traffic and outside contractors must be considered. Compare the planned investigation area with the operational routes needed during the work accordingly.

In its section on construction sites, Germany's ASR A1.8 explicitly addresses defining traffic routes by time, space and activity. As construction progresses, an area may change from a traffic route to a workplace. The investigation plan should therefore show the intended construction conditions rather than only the depot's final layout.

Project-specific tasks

Show groundworks and operational areas in use on the plan

01

Trenches, foundations and chamber excavations

Mark new trenches, foundations, chambers and intended replacement of surfacing. A parking area may be altered only at the surface or reconstructed more deeply; this distinction affects the investigation brief. Specify the location, dimensions and depth of each area of ground disturbance.

02

Routes and parking areas still needed

State which routes, parking areas and workshop access points are needed in each phase. Where no groundworks are planned there, show these areas as an operational condition. Use of a route does not establish whether its underlying ground has been investigated. It does, however, affect how the specialist contractor can access and work on the neighbouring investigation area.

03

Additional alternative areas

A temporary vehicle area may require its own construction work, such as surfacing or drainage. Include this ground disturbance separately in the enquiry. Distinguish it from merely reorganising parking spaces already usable. Investigation requirements for the planned groundworks are clarified even where an area will exist only temporarily.

Link the survey and construction task in the project records

For construction at transport depots and operational yards, it must remain clear which ground disturbance a result relates to. Documentation brings together the initial information, the investigation actually carried out and its conclusions. A property name or short completion note is insufficient to assess later changes to the construction project.

Retain documents with their scope

Provide existing site plans, historical assessments and earlier investigation reports with dates and attachments. Location and level references matter for hall areas, traffic routes, charging points and utility routes. Undocumented assumptions are recorded as details still open. When selecting a method, this keeps clear which statements rely on documents and which conditions still need clarification.

Record the work actually carried out

The areas surveyed, methods used and departures identified are assigned to the construction revision implemented. An inaccessible area or an area where data cannot be evaluated is not summarised as completed. Changes during fieldwork also belong in the result documents. This distinguishes the report's assessment from a survey originally planned but not carried out.

Hand over results for the next construction phase

The handover identifies the volume of ground investigated, applicable conditions and remaining questions. A new location for charging foundations or a changed traffic route must then be compared with this scope. The parties must be able to identify whether available evidence remains applicable or additional work is needed. Findings for an investigated area must not be extended to further areas or greater ground disturbance depths without assessment.

Phased handovers for ongoing operations

Construction management and operations should use the same section boundaries. A completed part of the construction area and a traffic area still in use must not be combined under an unclear collective name.

Construction section and vehicle operations

Show operational vehicle routes separately from earthworks. The transport operator identifies organisational requirements and available working areas.

Existing technical installations

Utilities, rails and steel components may affect survey conditions. Missing as-built information is not replaced by an assumption that an area used for many years has been sufficiently investigated.

Change of section

The handover identifies areas addressed and areas still open. If site facilities are relocated, check whether this involves new ground disturbance. For the next section, compare the conclusion required separately with the ground disturbance planned there. Identify the affected area for necessary follow-up investigations or exposure work. 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.

Next steps

Prepare the next construction section

01

Use the same construction section names on the plan and in the report

Give construction sections clear names and use them in the plan, enquiry and subsequent report. Record the current plan revision. This distinguishes a closed traffic lane from an investigated area even if their boundaries temporarily run similarly. Existing information and investigation reports are reviewed for their plan revision, spatial coverage and questions still open for the current construction section. If historical evidence is missing, suitable sources are researched and aerial photographs evaluated for the affected areas. The results are related to the current ground disturbance design and used for further investigation.

02

Include outside contractors in coordination

The VBG recommends clarifying responsibilities and operational rules before outside contractors start work. Where employees of several employers work at one workplace in Germany, the employers cooperate on occupational safety under § 8 ArbSchG. Name the contacts for the explosive ordnance investigation and provide the agreed working areas and protective measures. The transport company continues to organise vehicle operations.

03

Check changes before handover

If vehicle positions or the construction sequence change, first check whether this entails new groundworks. If so, compare their location and depth with the previous investigation scope. Permission to use a route for vehicles does not replace checking whether the explosive ordnance report covers the next earthworks.

Coordinate construction sections with operational changes

The investigation starts with the ground disturbance geometry and available evidence. Operational time windows are planned accordingly.

1

Check the working area

Operations and construction management identify the areas actually available. New installations, differing plans and changed depths are communicated before starting.

2

Coordinate fieldwork

The investigation area and the rest of operations must fit together organisationally. An inaccessible part is documented as a limitation rather than silently included in the results.

3

Agree the survey method

The method is selected using the basis for suspicion, ground conditions, depth of ground disturbance, interference and accessible areas. Operations management, construction management and the specialist contractor coordinate the necessary investigations and protective measures with construction conditions and the traffic routes needed.

4

Carry out the investigation

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

5

Assess results

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

6

Receive the result

Evaluated results are assigned to the relevant construction section. A changed charging infrastructure layout requires a fresh spatial comparison. Assessment, areas addressed and the limits of the findings are documented in the report with the corresponding plan attachments.

Technical assessment

Coordinate surveying and vehicle movements

Make the area available for the investigation appointment

Before agreeing a date, clarify which area can be accessed for investigation. Parked vehicles, materials or ongoing shunting movements may restrict working space. Agree with the depot when the area is accessible and which obstacles can be removed beforehand. Document inaccessible areas as open.

Identify utilities, foundations and tracks

Reinforced concrete areas, utilities, old foundations and, at rail depots, existing tracks may affect method selection. Show the actual conditions and planned changes. Whether a surface survey or another method is suitable also depends on these installations. They may affect surveying even beneath an emptied parking area. For planned dismantling, clarify investigation requirements before starting. Necessary investigations and protective measures are also planned before ground disturbance for vegetation clearance, surface breaking or creation of access routes and working areas. Areas becoming accessible later are investigated before the respective subsequent ground disturbance.

Plan new charging points and track works separately

For electrification, the individual areas of ground disturbance associated with charging infrastructure are decisive. Work at shunting and stabling facilities also involves their particular conditions. Check whether existing reports actually cover new foundations, cable trenches or track works. Sharing the same site is insufficient.

Select methods according to the ground intervention and ground conditions

Rails and technical installations may complicate evaluation. This does not automatically establish either an explosive ordnance finding or a sufficient investigation. The method must suit the ground disturbance and actual conditions.

Historical aerial photographs and documents

Assessment of historical aerial photographs and other documents helps establish suspected explosive ordnance hazards. It considers previous uses and identifiable indications in the investigation area. This provides a basis for deciding on further measures. It does not replace a technical survey of the ground and cannot describe every later fill or subsequent change.

Historical aerial photograph assessment for the construction area

Magnetometry and TDEM

Magnetic and electromagnetic surveys detect different physical properties. Utilities, steel parts, reinforcement and metal-bearing made ground can affect data evaluation. A signal is initially a survey finding, not a confirmed object identification. Method selection must therefore consider expected target objects, surroundings and actual data interpretability together. Magnetometry detects magnetic anomalies; TDEM detects time-dependent electromagnetic responses from electrically conductive objects.

Magnetometry and site conditions Assess electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Ground-penetrating radar adds information where the question and ground conditions are suitable. The discernible depth and distinguishability of structures depend, among other things, on ground conditions and existing installations. It is not a universal replacement for other survey methods. Whether a combination adds useful information is decided using the specific survey objective.

Ground-penetrating radar and its limitations

Downhole and deep-ground survey

For deeper ground disturbance, investigation from suitable boreholes or survey points may be considered. Their location, depth and technical construction must be planned. Findings for a point or limited area cannot be applied to the next excavation merely because it is nearby. The report must identify the volume of ground actually investigated. For individual charging foundations or chambers, compare the volume of ground to be investigated with achievable survey coverage before defining a borehole grid. Necessary investigations and protective measures are determined before drilling. Casing, borehole depth and documentation are coordinated with the task and local conditions.

Coordinate deep-ground and borehole surveys

Excavation supervision and investigation of findings

Work during construction is neither required nor sufficient merely because an excavator is working on the site. Its use is defined in relation to previous surveys, suspected hazards and the construction sequence. Unclear areas, interfering installations and intended ground intervention depths must be discussed before work begins. Any necessary investigation of findings must be planned separately. Each working layer is technically surveyed and assessed before controlled removal in layers with supplementary visual inspection. These steps are repeated down to the agreed excavation base. Excavation layers, stop signals, authority to issue instructions, reporting procedures and documentation are agreed with site management and specialist personnel before work begins.

Excavation supervision for the planned section Explosive ordnance recovery following technical clarification

Provide investigation results for the next construction phase

For construction at transport depots and operational yards, traceable work on the specific areas of ground disturbance matters. FONTANA-EOD describes the agreed investigation scope and the limits of the methods used. Conclusions are drawn from the documentation and results actually available. Unresolved information or restricted survey conditions remain assigned to the affected investigation area.

The same design revision for planning and fieldwork

The planned ground interventions are maintained on an agreed site plan. Where changes occur, the revision replaced is recorded. This prevents the specialist contractor inadvertently working to older geometry while construction is already preparing a different ground intervention.

Distinguish survey findings from assessments

An anomalous signal is initially a finding requiring technical assessment. Conversely, difficult or unreliable data evaluation cannot be treated as a negative result. Useful further investigation is decided in view of the survey question and site conditions.

Agree handovers explicitly

The transport operator's project and operations management receives the results and limitations needed for the next decision. For areas still open, clarify which information or action is missing. The project parties thus retain an identifiable handover point between investigation, assessment and further construction.

Project sequence and coordination

Assign operational organisation and specialist tasks

The explosive ordnance work is incorporated into operational processes. Vehicle movements and use of depot areas are organised by those responsible for operations.

Transport operator

Operations management identifies working windows, routes and contacts. It decides how to organise operations within its own area of responsibility.

Planning and construction management

They provide ground disturbance areas, depths and methods. During phased construction, the link between plan revision, construction section and investigation status is retained.

Specialist company and competent bodies

FONTANA-EOD carries out the agreed assignment. Authority information and procedures following a find remain with the respective responsible bodies. Those responsible decide on operational permissions for the depot.

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.

Documentation

What the report establishes for the next construction section

Whether vehicles can use an area again does not, by itself, establish whether or to what extent its ground was investigated for explosive ordnance. The report identifies the volume of ground actually addressed, the investigation used and its limits. Have the report checked to establish whether it covers the next planned ground disturbance.

Mark areas not investigated or inaccessible, and work added later, on the results plans. A new parking-space marking does not change the documented investigation scope. An additional foundation, by contrast, may affect an area or depth not previously covered. Retain the respective plan versions so that this distinction remains traceable even if construction management changes.

Technical foundations: BFR KMR: Clearance planning and clearance concept – introduction · BFR KMR: Geophysics · BFR KMR: Documentation · VBG: Bus and rail operations – safe and healthy · ASR A1.8: Traffic routes, 2022 edition with 2024 amendment · § 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 depot, together with locally applicable requirements and responsibilities, is clarified separately.

Consider adjacent work tasks

Foundations and utility routes matter alongside traffic areas. Their differing depths and working space must remain identifiable during preparation.

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.
Construction phases

Plan specialist work within the depot alteration

Compare design options

Where hall or charging areas remain open, mark the options separately on the plan. Existing specialist reports can initially be related to these possible areas of ground disturbance. Coordination establishes which details are missing for the next decision. Only the selected construction task forms the basis for a specifically agreed investigation scope.

Coordinate this work step

Provide the working area for a construction phase

The transport operator describes available areas and organisational conditions. The construction design provides the intended ground disturbance. Specialist work is prepared for a particular section on that basis. Changes to traffic routes or parking areas are communicated in time. Affected working areas and ground are then compared with the agreed investigation scope.

Coordinate this work step

Retrofit additional equipment

Compare a later charging foundation or relocated cable route with the earlier report. The new design shows the actual location and depth. Earlier findings remain usable where their scope applies to the new task. Assign a necessary addition as a separate step rather than extending existing documentation indiscriminately to the entire depot.

Coordinate this work step
Project site

Describe the operational area and access clearly

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

Mark the affected area

State the site and affected facility, such as a hall, parking area or workshop access route. Link internal names to the site plan. Add project contacts for construction planning and operations. Identifying the region helps orientation but does not describe the specific operational conditions of the individual working area.

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

Assign existing information to its scope

Provide authority requirements, earlier investigations and operational information with their respective references. Check whether they address the same area and construction task. Keep differing plan revisions identified. The specialist contractor can then assess available evidence specifically and direct open questions to the responsible parties.

Identify the project region
Understand the results

Use results for individual groundworks

Distinguish areas addressed from areas still open

Read the report together with its site plans. It describes the scope actually completed and documented limitations. A connection point not addressed is not included in the findings merely because it lies within the same operational area. Areas still open remain visible for further construction planning and are compared with the work intended there.

Explore results and terminology

Bring operations and specialist work together

The operations team sets the organisational conditions. FONTANA-EOD describes the agreed explosive ordnance specialist work and its results. Both sets of information are needed for the specific construction phase. Operational provision of an area and the specialist investigation result concern different prerequisites for that phase. Those responsible for operations decide on use of the depot.

Bring operational information and specialist reports together

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
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Critical infrastructure: brochure – page 1

German · 8 pages

Questions from planning

Questions about alterations to operational depots

Can just one row of parking spaces be investigated?

A spatially limited assignment is possible if the task, suspected hazard and applicable requirements allow it. The work and its findings then remain limited to the documented area.

Is an area automatically suitable if it is free at night?

In addition to actual availability, access, working conditions, existing structures and the suitability of the investigation method must be clarified. Specialist preparation links these conditions with operational time windows.

Should alternative areas be included in the enquiry?

If additional groundworks are planned there, include their location and depth. If existing areas will merely be used differently for organisational reasons, communicate this primarily as an operational condition.

Does the report confirm permission to use the area for vehicle operations?

The explosive ordnance report documents the agreed investigation of the ground. Those responsible for operations decide whether the area can be used for vehicle operations, taking the applicable prerequisites into account.

What changes when additional charging points are added?

Compare new foundations, cable routes or other earthworks with the documented investigation scope. An earlier assessment of an adjacent parking area does not automatically include additional ground disturbance.

Does investigation of a charging foundation also cover the cable trench?

Only if the documented scope includes the trench's location, depth and construction. The foundation and connecting utility must be separately identifiable on the plan. A shared construction contract does not automatically combine investigation areas.

What determines effort and costs for each construction section?

Factors include the available evidence, number of work sections, accessibility, interference and ground disturbance depths. Changed working areas may affect organisation. A reliable definition of services requires the specific sequence plan. Ground conditions, the suitable method, specialist evaluation and documentation also determine the scope of services.

What should happen if a suspicious object is found in the construction area?

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 operations management, construction management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call.

Relate the enquiry to the ground intervention actually planned

Initial contact is possible with provisional documents. Mark which details are confirmed and which are still planned or unclear. Describe the next project decision needed; the suitable method is agreed together according to the intervention and survey conditions.

Location, depth and construction details

Provide the address or region and a site plan showing hall areas, traffic routes, charging points and utility routes. Add the planned ground disturbance depths, reference levels where applicable, and the intended construction method. Working space and additional ground disturbance outside the structure's footprint should also be identifiable. Where options exist, it must be clear which has already been selected and which is being considered only as a possible alternative.

Existing findings and constraints

Send complete explosive ordnance documents with attachments and relevant existing asset and utility plans. Information on made ground, metal installations or restricted access helps the assessment. An extract without a site plan may obscure a report's spatial scope. Known gaps or conflicting details should therefore be stated in the initial enquiry.

Timing and specialist contacts

State the planned construction period and the transport operator's project and operations management contacts. Describe whether you are preparing a tender, coordinating specific ground disturbance or checking an existing report against a change. These details form the basis for the next specialist step. A firm statement about effort or timing requires the task to be sufficiently defined.

Documents for the planned ground intervention

Send a construction phasing plan showing ground disturbance areas, available working areas and relevant operational routes. Add depth information, existing explosive ordnance reports and the depot contact. We use these details to clarify investigation requirements and the information still missing for a quotation.

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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.

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