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Explosive ordnance assessment for insurers' technical questions
FONTANA-EOD checks technical questions from your insurer using existing explosive ordnance reports and the project considered. The response identifies surveyed areas, documented results and missing information. Send the complete original question, reports with appendices and the current ground intervention plan to coordinate the review.
Send the insurer's original question.
Include the complete report with appendices.
Ask specifically for missing information.
Context
What does the insurer want to know about the explosive ordnance assessment?
The answer to an insurer's question follows the evidence actually required, for example findings from a historical aerial photograph assessment, a survey carried out or investigation of a finding. For a new construction project, the documentation is compared with the location, depth and execution of the planned ground intervention. Existing results and information still missing are identified separately.
Investigation task
Assign the insurer's question to the appropriate evidence
Check findings from preliminary investigations
Historical documents are read with reference to the affected property area and their respective subjects. The technical response describes what they establish. Missing information and outstanding survey questions remain identifiable. The information remains assigned to the area actually addressed.
Clarify the evidence base
Understand surveys carried out
For a question about survey status, the report and plan appendices are brought together. The spatial limits and documented conditions belong in the answer. An existing survey is identified with its described scope. Statements about further areas are evidenced separately.
Assign surveys carried out using the documentationTake the current groundworks into account
The planned work may differ from the project to which older documents relate. Location, depth and execution are therefore compared with the existing status. Any additional technical requirement is identified specifically. Earlier results are retained with their original assignment.
Compare new groundworks with existing reportsMake missing baseline information visible
If only an abbreviated communication or incomplete report is available, the additions needed are identified. Further input is focused on the specific question. For the response, the required survey evidence is assigned to the affected property area.
Document missing baseline information and outstanding questionsDistinguish the reason for the insurer's question
The technical work follows the question actually asked. Therefore provide the complete wording rather than only your own abbreviated summary.
Information about the existing property
A question about an existing site initially concerns the available findings. Existing reports are organised by area and task. A distinction is needed between a historical assessment, measurements carried out and findings already investigated further. Even for an unchanged property, these documents may concern different areas. A technical response should explain the status actually evidenced and identify missing information specifically. Site use since the survey is communicated insofar as relevant to the question.
A report on a utility trench may sit as a defined partial survey alongside a historical assessment for the rest of the property. In the overview, each statement receives its area designation, report version and corresponding plan appendix. The documented survey depth and outstanding areas also remain identifiable. This allows the recipient to assign a question about a particular building or access route to the appropriate evidence. If the question concerns a larger site area, the response identifies which existing findings actually relate to that area and which subarea needs further clarification.
Assess existing findings from the reportsPlanned extension or new foundation
If the question concerns a planned change, current drawings belong in the document review. An existing survey may be usable for one part of the new intervention and not cover another. These differences are checked on the site plan and through the documented depths. Also identify whether planning still includes options. The response can then relate to the version described. Other uses or planning options receive their own technical reference.
Compare planning changes with the survey statusA question prompted by new findings
If a new report or later finding prompts the question, it is assigned to the previous state of knowledge. The technical work explains which earlier question it resolves and which findings remain outstanding. Measurement anomalies are not equated with identified explosive ordnance. Subsequent information should be passed on with its date, affected area and corresponding document. This shows whether it supplements or limits the previous answer or raises a new technical question.
If a subarea whose measurement coverage was initially limited is surveyed later, the additional report is assigned to the original area. The new response identifies which area and depth are now covered and which earlier outstanding task has thereby been answered. Other subareas retain their own documented status. The date of the finding and the date it was communicated also remain distinguishable. A recipient can then incorporate the new status into their documents and refer to the same plan appendices and versions in a further question. Necessary next surveys remain assigned to the area still outstanding.
Assign new findings to the earlier reportWhich next work is actually needed
Explain wording
Some questions arise because a statement in a report was read without its corresponding plan. An explanation referring to the specific appendix can help initially. This does not change the report. State which term is unclear and what the recipient wants to infer from it. The technical response explains the content within the documented spatial and methodological scope. Also check whether the same term is used differently in different documents. A document review described as complete may mean something different from a completed field survey. The response should therefore identify the activity actually carried out. If the recipient needs an explanation of another party's report, the responsible specialists are involved. The explanation remains linked to that report's technical content and conditions.
Request missing baseline information
If an appendix or precise spatial assignment is missing, for example, it is first requested. Identify the document sought by author, report title and appendix number insofar as known. The missing original appendix is needed for spatial assignment. If it cannot be obtained, its significance for the specific response is identified. An outstanding point of this kind can then be turned into a targeted supplementary specialist task. For several properties, missing information is listed by site. An outstanding appendix for one property does not automatically prevent every statement about another fully documented area. Conversely, the well-documented neighbouring site cannot replace missing documents. This assignment helps answer questions specifically in sequence and distinguish findings already reliable from points still outstanding.
Prepare a new survey
If the comparison identifies an intervention not actually surveyed, the additional requirement is described. Existing findings continue to be used. Access, current site conditions and planned depth are part of preparing the suitable method. The measurement method is selected according to the technical findings needed and the ground volume to be surveyed. A corresponding assignment is described separately and documented with its results. If the construction plan changes between the enquiry and the work, the new version is communicated separately. Otherwise, a technically correct response might still be based on the earlier intervention. Therefore mark changed areas and depths and state the change date. The specialist comparison shows which earlier results remain usable and which question the change adds.
Project-specific tasks
Provide the original question with the corresponding reports
01
Identify the question, project version and planned changes
Provide the specific technical question together with a description of the project concerned. Identify whether the information relates to existing conditions or a planned change. A statement about earlier use does not automatically answer a question about new earthworks, even if the property and owner are unchanged.
02
Include the complete report for the affected area
Select reports according to the area and works the enquiry concerns. A report on a subarea, an individual investigation stage and later completion documentation must not be treated as equivalent evidence. Include the corresponding maps and limitations so that the insurer can trace the response to the project described.
03
Distinguish measurement signals, interpretation and finds
A measurement signal, its specialist interpretation and an object actually investigated represent different levels of knowledge. Use the report's applicable statement in the response. Do not describe an unresolved area as confirmed contaminated with ordnance or as showing no anomalies if the report does not support that statement.
Support technical information with appropriate documents
Hand over the original question in full
Also include explanations or definitions to which the questionnaire refers. An isolated line may otherwise give a different impression from the complete question. Identify the property and project version for which the response is needed. If a deadline is specified, communicate it. The response identifies the findings actually available by that time. Where a question can only be answered in part, the technically supportable part is distinguished from information still missing. Where possible, identify the relevant report page and plan appendix when asking a follow-up question.
Provide readable spatial information
Plans should show their legend, scale and reference elevations. If a survey area is colour-coded, a readable colour version is needed. An address or cadastral parcel number alone does not always describe the working area at the time. Where property boundaries have changed, comparing the old and new plans helps. The technical response can then explain which parts of the current area actually lie within the documented survey volume.
Bring together the report and later correspondence
A later specialist explanation can clarify a report. It should be filed with the original document and linked to the relevant question. Record whether it merely resolved a misunderstanding or added a new survey result. The explanation remains related to the survey volume actually documented. If the information is passed on, its essential prerequisites and references belong with it so that the recipient does not have to infer the original meaning from an abbreviated sentence alone.
Derive a brief answer from the complete findings
Define the spatial scope of a yes-or-no question
If the existing report concerns only a utility section, the answer to the insurer describes that section, the depth surveyed and the corresponding conditions. No additional findings for the remaining area are inferred from the report. Whether the insurer's prescribed response format allows this distinction must be clarified with the recipient. The technical work provides the information required. The client clarifies the submission of a contractual declaration with the parties responsible for it.
Take a planning change into account in the response
If a foundation is moved sideways after an earlier survey, its new location is compared with the documented survey area. If it lies entirely within the area and depth covered, the earlier report may remain relevant. If part lies outside or the conditions cannot be assigned, that question remains open. The specialist comparison is decisive, rather than the document's age alone. The new summary identifies the plan version checked and the change concerned.
Next steps
Support the technical response with the report
Clarify the recipient, purpose and affected area
Clarify the recipient, intended use and affected area before summarising documents. For a general question, clarify whether an existing survey report is to be explained or a survey still being planned is to be described.
Refer to the report and its survey scope
Assign the report used and its relevant spatial scope to the specialist response. Explicitly identify assumptions and unresolved points. Include in a brief summary the conditions and limitations essential to the original report's findings. Available historical information about site use and aerial photograph assessments are considered according to their respective findings. If historical questions remain open, supplementary records of site use are researched and suitable wartime aerial photographs are assessed where available. The findings and limits of the assessment are assigned to the ground intervention now planned.
Plan the supplementary survey required
If additional surveys are required for the planned ground intervention, the area, intervention depth, ground composition and metallic interference are checked. The measurement grid and borehole points where applicable follow the survey volume required. Access, existing utilities, authority conditions and surveys before preparatory ground interventions are clarified before execution. On the basis of these conditions and the findings needed, the specialist planners select the suitable survey method and justify its suitability for the affected area.
Carry out the commissioned investigation
The survey is carried out in the agreed area. Measurement data and findings receive location, elevation and depth references and are assigned to the plan version used. Restricted measurement conditions and inaccessible subareas are documented for subsequent assessment.
Assess findings and document results
The specialist contractor assesses the measurement data and findings and describes the evidenced conclusions for the project. Unresolved anomalies and further survey tasks remain assigned to the affected area. Where explosive ordnance is recovered, its location, depth and the result are recorded in the clearance record. The report and plan appendices form the basis of the targeted technical response.
Handle technical and contractual questions separately
Technical uncertainties about the survey scope are addressed with the specialists responsible for them. Contractual, liability or coverage questions belong with the responsible insurance law specialists. Record who prepares the technical response and who handles the contractual question.
Technical assessment
What can be inferred from the documents
Check site use and survey status for the individual assessment
The BFR KMR provide for case-specific assessment and consider factors including site use and known or suspected explosive ordnance. This does not establish a universal probability of finding ordnance for every property. A postcode, site area or earlier use designation alone is not a sound basis for a claimed probability of occurrence.
Identify missing appendices, elevations or subareas
Describe which part of the enquiry cannot yet be answered. Is an appendix missing, is the elevation reference unclear or does the report concern only another construction phase? Identify the missing information in the follow-up question. The affected part of the response remains open until clarification.
For a report with several appendices, first clarify which drawing shows the surveyed area and which version it belongs to. A subsequently supplied overview can help with this assignment; the technically relevant spatial appendix remains linked to the report. If elevations are unclear, ask about the reference for the stated depth and the ground conditions at the time. Necessary explanations are requested from the report author. The answer is assigned to the question concerned. This shows whether missing information has been supplied or a survey gap remains.
Assign the technical contribution and insurance decision to their respective tasks
The insurance contract concerns the agreed insured event and the benefit promised. The responsible specialists assess the contractual scope, premium and possible compensation. FONTANA-EOD documents the agreed explosive ordnance survey status. The recipient at the insurer clarifies which technical information is needed for the specific question.
Read the type of existing evidence correctly
Historical assessment
A historical assessment reviews available information about earlier uses and possible grounds for suspicion. The recipient should be able to recognise which sources were assessed and which area was considered. Such a document does not automatically describe field measurements. Its findings may influence further survey planning. For an answer to an insurer's question, it therefore remains essential whether historical information or technical works actually carried out are being requested. Historical aerial photograph assessments can help establish spatial grounds for suspicion and the need for further surveys.
Survey report
A survey report explains a technical survey with its method and spatial scope. The areas and depths covered and any limits to evaluation are important for the question. An anomaly may require further specialist work without already designating an identified object. Therefore read the result and interpretation together. A single term from the summary is insufficient to characterise the entire survey status. Magnetometry records magnetic anomalies; TDEM records time-dependent electromagnetic responses from electrically conductive bodies. Under suitable ground conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide additional information about structures and strata boundaries. Highly conductive soils may limit its range. The documented measurement conditions and interference also determine the usability of the results.
Report on further work
If an anomaly was subsequently investigated or clearance work carried out, this documentation is linked to the previous finding. The relationship should remain spatially identifiable. Work on a single point does not necessarily describe all other areas of the property. A clear response therefore identifies which earlier question has been resolved and which other areas continue to be recorded with their own survey status. Where recovery has taken place, a clearance record documents location, depth and the result. It is kept with the finding that prompted the work and the corresponding spatial appendices.
Coordinate a deep-ground or downhole survey
For a deeper ground intervention, a check is made whether a supplementary deep-ground or downhole survey is suitable. Starting elevation, structural path and final depth are compared with the ground volume to be surveyed. The measurement grid, borehole points and surveys required before drilling follow the task and local conditions.
Investigate preparatory excavation during construction
Where technically suitable conditions apply, preparatory excavation can be investigated through technical surveying and controlled layer-by-layer excavation. Each working level is technically surveyed and assessed before excavation; visual inspection supplements the method. Work sections, the stop signal, authority to issue instructions, reporting procedures and documentation are agreed before work begins. The survey is repeated down to the agreed excavation base.
Agree the scope of the response in advance
Technical precision even in a brief response
FONTANA-EOD addresses the agreed specialist question using the documents provided and the corresponding plan. The response identifies the findings on which it relies. Missing appendices are not replaced by assumptions. If a response would need to go beyond the existing evidence, the further clarification step required is described.
A clear response can be brief if the question and survey area are unambiguous. It must not omit the conditions of the underlying report. The report, plan version and recipient remain assigned for later questions. The technical findings can then be traced even if project contacts change.
Consistent document designations help with handover. Refer in the response to the report title, date and appendix number where available. An independently chosen filename alone may be misleading if the same report has been stored several times. The technical statement then remains traceable even if the information is later used in another file or handed to another person.
Task
The question and affected area are defined before work begins.
Basis
The reports and planning versions used remain traceable.
Result
The answer identifies its scope and the specialist questions still unresolved.
Assign technical and contractual work
Party commissioning the response
The commissioning party provides the original question and explains the site or ground intervention considered. They identify which documents are available and which information is still missing. Submission of their own contractual declarations is handled separately from the technical input.
Ordnance specialist contractor and responsible authorities
The appointed explosive ordnance specialist contractor checks the documented findings and their relevance to the question. Where required, explanations of third-party reports are requested from the responsible author. New measurements or a new survey are treated only as a separate specialist task with a defined scope.
In Germany, the federal states’ ordnance disposal services and competent local authorities undertake hazard-response and find-handling tasks. Their involvement and the roles of public order authorities and, where relevant, building control are clarified for the project location. Outside Germany, the relevant local responsibilities apply. Contacts, conditions and reporting routes are assigned to the site and construction section concerned.
Recipient at the insurer
The recipient at the insurer explains which technical information is needed for which property. The responsible parties assess the insurance contract and decide the matter using the technical and contractual basis required.
Pass on known findings without changing their meaning
Where document review leads to actual ordnance work in Germany, authorisation, competence and responsibility under the Explosives Act are related to the specific activity. The 1. SprengV includes requirements for specialist competence. The technical investigation commission is described separately and coordinated with the evidence required. § 7 SprengG concerns commercial authorisation for activities requiring it; § 20 SprengG concerns responsible persons’ certificates of competence. Under § 1b SprengG, searching for found munitions also constitutes handling.
When preparing actual work, DGUV Information 201-027 supports risk assessment and the selection of protective measures for ordnance clearance. DGUV Rule 113-003 addresses dismantling or destroying explosives or corresponding objects and disposing of found munitions, and is considered for applicable activities.
The BFR KMR provide technical foundations for investigation, planning and documentation. Their binding scope covers the federal properties specified there; application to other projects is agreed with the responsible parties. Site-specific authority requirements remain decisive.
If a possible ordnance item is found, stop work at the find location 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, call the police immediately on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency procedure. Further hazard response and involvement of the responsible ordnance disposal service follow local procedures and official instructions.
Preserve the meaning of a specialist statement
When information is passed on, the surveyed area and significant limitations must remain identifiable together with the result. A statement about a limited ground intervention must not appear to cover the whole property. This also applies to a brief email, questionnaire or summary project overview.
Clarify contractual questions separately
The responsible parties clarify whether and how a declaration is to be made within the contractual relationship and what legal consequences it has under the specific insurance contract. FONTANA-EOD provides the agreed technical assessment for this purpose.
Consider the plan and survey volume together
For the response, the area documented in the report is compared with the current depiction of the project. Readable plans and complete appendices enable a targeted specialist question.
Bring the question and project documents together
A survey cart on open ground with soil stockpiles in the background. The enquiry identifies the affected area and specific technical question.
Submit the technical question with evidence
Related specialist information
Documents for risk management
Explosive ordnance documents in risk managementReview report contents
Survey report and clearance recordScope of a clearance
Scope of an explosive ordnance clearanceDocumentation
Document the question, project version and reports used
Technical information should show which question it answers and which document version it relies on. If changes occur later, this allows a check whether the earlier response still applies to the project. The newest file is not automatically the most comprehensive evidence; content, survey scope and project version are decisive.
Where several documents contribute, an organised evidence list showing each document's contribution to the response helps. The list identifies each survey subject and the evidenced statement of its author. FONTANA-EOD checks the agreed technical question and documents its own services. Surveys or documents still missing are identified in the response.
Technical sources: BFR KMR: clearance planning with a clearance concept – introduction · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation · BFR KMR: assessment and hazard evaluation · § 19 VVG: duty of disclosure · § 1 VVG: typical contractual obligations
The Baufachliche Richtlinien Kampfmittelräumung contain requirements for investigation, assessment, planning and documentation within their defined federal remit. Their application to the specific project, together with locally applicable requirements and responsibilities, is clarified for each project.
Construction phases
Prepare the technical response for the insurer
Provide the wording of the question
Send the specific question and corresponding project details. Add available reports, including spatial appendices. FONTANA-EOD can check which information the documents contain for this question. The specialist contribution remains distinguishable from the respective contractual subject.
Link the response to original evidence
The technical response relates to the reports actually used and the area considered. Points still outstanding remain identified. Recipients can then trace the relationship. Further legal or contractual conclusions are drawn by the parties responsible for them.
Compare questions after planning changes
Additional groundworks or a changed design may raise a new technical question. The current plan is compared with the previous response. Earlier statements are retained. Additions explicitly identify the new subject and the sources used for it.
Project site
Assign the location and specialist contacts
Show the affected area on the plan
State the location and specific area to which the insurer's question relates. Add the contact responsible for project documents. The regional overview helps with orientation. The technical scope follows the question, plan and available evidence.
Provide existing information in an organised form
Reports and information are provided with their respective plan versions. An earlier survey remains distinguishable from a current enquiry. The responsible project parties clarify missing information about existing conditions. The technical contribution can then rely on a traceable set of documents.
Understand the results
Keep technical information and contractual questions separate
Identify the task of the specialist contribution
In Germany, subject to its conditions, § 19 VVG requires the policyholder to disclose before the contract known material risk circumstances about which the insurer has asked in text form. The responsible parties clarify the declaration required in the specific contractual relationship and its legal consequences. Through its technical contribution, FONTANA-EOD provides traceable information for the explosive ordnance question asked.
The technical response explains the existing findings and evidenced survey scope. The project organisation assigns this contribution to the specific question. The responsible contacts remain accountable for its contractual interpretation. The documents are used together with their technical conditions.
Explore results and terminologyPass on brief responses with their references
Even brief feedback should identify the area and status concerned. The underlying report remains available. If anything is unclear, the recipient can ask targeted questions. The response remains assigned to the documented spatial and technical scope.
Retain specialist responses with their document referencesRequest additional information specifically
If plan appendices, depth information or a current design are missing, the relationship needed is identified. The project parties provide the appropriate documents. The specialist response then relates to this basis. Questions remain visibly unresolved until then.
Explore results and terminologyTechnical information
Insurers and risk management: brochure
Which documents help assess a construction project’s ordnance risks? The brochure explains investigation results, their limitations and the importance of traceable documentation.
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Questions from planning
Questions about technical information for insurers
Which information does FONTANA-EOD check for an insurance questionnaire?
FONTANA-EOD can check technical information on specifically agreed explosive ordnance questions. Information and declarations concerning insurance contracts, commercial or legal matters remain with the people responsible for them.
What is appropriate for a yes-or-no question without sufficient evidence?
Clarify which area, survey or planned work the question concerns. If the documents do not support a clear answer, identify the missing information and have it clarified by specialists.
Can a percentage damage risk be calculated from a measurement anomaly?
A measurement anomaly alone does not provide a reliable general percentage. Its technical significance and further assessment depend on the specific surveys and conditions.
What should we do if a suspicious item is found?
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, call the police immediately on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency procedure. The competent authorities determine the next steps. Inform site management and the client; internal notification must not delay the emergency call.
Which documents and conditions determine the review effort?
Send the original question, the relevant project version and applicable reports with appendices. Identify known changes and missing documents so that the scope of the specialist response can be clearly defined. Costs and the sequence depend on the completeness and readability of the documents, the number of sites and the need for specialist clarification. For supplementary fieldwork, area, depth, ground composition, interference and access also determine the scope; evaluation and documentation are included.
When is an additional survey necessary?
First, the technical information requested is established and a check is made whether existing reports answer the question. An additional survey is derived from a specific technical need and commissioned separately.
How is a report on a subarea used for further areas?
The findings remain limited to the documented survey area and its conditions. For further areas, the available findings are checked. The summary identifies the areas and depths actually covered.
How is a later explanation of a report recorded?
Assign it to the original question and the report concerned. It remains identifiable whether a statement has merely been explained or a new survey result added. The relevant plans and conditions are retained with it.
Project enquiry
Documents for a targeted specialist response
Original question and project plan
Send the complete technical question and identify the property or construction phase concerned. Add the governing plan version and planned changes. State planned intervention depths, construction windows and known authority conditions.
Reports and outstanding information
Include the reports with appendices. Identify missing documents, the recipient and the purpose of the information so that the commissioned response scope remains clear. Name the contact at the insurer and the requested response date.
Check supplementary survey requirements Coordinate surveying alongside construction Clarify investigation of findings and recovery Assess project areas
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.
