Explosive ordnance assessment for power cable routes and underground cable projects

The assessment should start once possible corridors and main construction methods are described. For options, the historical suspected hazard can be assessed first. Before ground investigations, open cable trenches, joint bay structures, HDD crossings and grid installations, the specific volumes of ground affected must be established with chainage and depth.

Not automatically. Joint bay structures, launch and reception pits, drilling paths, grid installations and temporary civil engineering areas may extend beyond the standard trench investigated. For each special location, it is assessed whether the documented area and depth are sufficient and which supplementary investigations may be needed. Results are brought together in the same route documentation.

If an unexpected suspicious object is found, stop work. Do not touch, move or uncover it further. Leave the immediate area and warn others without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency reporting procedure. The competent authorities determine what happens next; a project enquiry does not replace reporting the find.

Current route plans are needed showing chainage, the working strip, standard cross-section, depth profile, joint bays, crossings, launch and reception pits, ground investigation points, grid installations and ancillary construction areas. Utility plans, historical assessments, ground investigation and water data, approval conditions, contract sections and construction schedules are helpful.

Information and requirements from authorities are supplied with their date, complete appendices and geographical scope. In Germany, the competent ordnance disposal service, local public-order authority and, where relevant, building-control authority are identified for the project location; outside Germany, local responsibilities apply.

Existing utilities, rails, reinforcement, foundations, earlier excavations and transport infrastructure are recorded as technical sources of interference. Areas that cannot be adequately evaluated are identified on the plan, and suitable supplementary investigations and possible access after site preparation or demolition are defined. Necessary investigations and protective measures are planned before preparatory ground interventions. Where explosive ordnance detection during construction is technically suitable, each working layer is technically surveyed and assessed before controlled removal with supplementary visual inspection follows; areas not covered remain unresolved.

All lots use an agreed chainage, structure and file system. Survey lines, point lists, outstanding measures, daily sections and reports refer to the same route version. An overall status overview connects section reports without removing their spatial limits.

In Germany, the federal states' explosive ordnance disposal services and locally competent authorities perform emergency response and work on finds. Outside Germany, local responsibilities apply. The commissioned specialist company carries out the agreed route investigation and documents the section, method, result and limitations. Reporting procedures and contacts are clarified for the affected sections before work begins.

Influencing factors include route length, number of sections, surfaces, utility and interference environment, trench depth, joint bays and crossings, number of drilling points, access, dewatering, methods, construction time windows, data formats and extent of documentation. Reliable pricing requires current axis and structure design information.