Technical map of the Middle Franconia administrative district showing Ansbach for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Nuremberg

If you are planning earthworks in Nuremberg, clarify existing explosive ordnance documents and necessary investigations before the first ground disturbance. FONTANA-EOD also coordinates preparatory utility trenches, shoring positions and temporary foundations with project owners, designers and site managers. Send the location plan with depths, access, construction sequence and existing reports so the specialist task and results handover needed can be defined.

Ground intervention

Include utility trenches and shoring positions before the main works too.

Investigation

Clarify access, working areas and a suitable method.

Handover

Report investigated areas and outstanding tasks to the site management team.

Discuss investigation before earthworksExplosive ordnance assessment in Bavaria
Assess the construction project

Which ground works belong in investigation planning before construction starts?

Before construction starts, include preparatory utility trenches, shoring positions and temporary foundations in explosive ordnance assessment with their locations and depths. Existing findings, access and preparatory services determine the further investigation need. The site management team receives results for the areas actually investigated and resolves outstanding sections before the proposed ground works there.

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Map of Bavaria with a blue-and-white lozenge shield and crown, a tablet, white FONTANA-EOD helmet and notebook.

Include Nuremberg's preparation steps before excavation

The city describes historical research and technical investigation as contributions to construction preparation. For your own project, relate these tasks to the first actual ground disturbance. Define methods, depths and construction prerequisites technically for the specific construction area. Nuremberg is an independent city in Bavaria's Middle Franconiaadministrative district. Describe the project location, for example in the old town and city centre, Gostenhof, St. Johannis, Maxfeld, Langwasser, Gibitzenhof, Schweinau or Südstadt, with the address and cadastral plot. Industrial and railway sites also need a precise location reference. For enquiries from Fürth, Erlangen, Schwabach or the Nürnberger Land district, the actual project location determines the responsible municipality. Nuremberg's municipal responsibility concerns its city area. Further areas are listed in the regional overview; the location information helps assign documents and responsible parties.

Bavaria
Local context

Air raids, rubble clearance and reconstruction in Nuremberg

Place research and investigation before excavation

In its information on explosive ordnance finds, the City of Nuremberg explains preparation before excavation: historical aerial photographs and archive records are assessed alongside technical investigation. These different contributions help establish the investigation need. The investigation objective and documents required must therefore be defined before commissioning work.

The Museums of the City of Nuremberg describe 2 January 1945 as the date of the heaviest air raid on Nuremberg. Their account addresses destruction of the old town, subsequent rubble clearance and planned reconstruction by the city and building department. For a present-day property, compare such historical sources with aerial photographs and building files. Examine earlier buildings, destroyed structures, later made ground and changes to the ground surface since then. This establishes a property-specific question for research and, where necessary, technical investigation.

Determine the method for the specific construction area

For each project, the planned ground disturbance and its actual prerequisites matter. Define methods and investigation depth for the specific construction area. The Bavarian notice requires suspicions to be investigated; the investigation must fit the specific area and planned works.

For a change of use, records of former industrial, production or metalworking sites, railway and route corridors, and earlier armaments uses may be relevant. In reconstruction and infill-development areas, compare the current ground disturbance with documented earlier structures and later earthmoving. This may concern utility construction, transport and sewer works, neighbourhood development or a deeper excavation. Assign spatially documented information to its property or construction section. Check the available information separately for other areas.

Working together

Roles and responsibilities at the location

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation work. Requirements and decisions of public authorities are addressed with the responsible bodies. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the work carried out, including its documented area, depth and scope. Decisions reserved for public authorities are made by those authorities.

In Bavaria, municipalities are generally responsible for local hazards as public safety authorities; where action is urgent, the police take the necessary measures. The explosive ordnance disposal service commissioned by the Interior Ministry supports response to specific hazards from legacy ordnance that has been found. The Nürnberg disposal unit is responsible for Middle Franconia, among other areas. Prepare and commission historical research, property assessment and planned specialist investigation as separate tasks. The responsible bodies receive the information needed for their decisions; the site management team brings this together with the proposed sequence.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Coordinate methods and depths technically

The investigation task follows the proposed ground disturbance and existing findings. Define methods, investigation depth and local measurement conditions for the specific construction area. The commission describes the ground volume to investigate, the information sought and the conclusions achievable under these conditions.

Coordinate methods and investigation scope technically

Describe supervision by its actual task

If supervision services are needed, agree methods and areas to be addressed explicitly. The presence of a specialist contractor alone does not establish completed detection. Documentation records the tasks performed and their limits. For further works, check which conclusions are available and which questions remain unresolved.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

From the first ground disturbance to a traceable handover

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

Provide the existing findings

Provide historical assessments and earlier reports with all their appendices. The specialist assessment compares them with the present construction area. A sentence from another project does not adequately describe your own task. Identify unclear area boundaries or missing documents before agreeing the next scope of work.

Compile the original assessment and its appendices, rather than only the cover or a brief results note. The area considered, images used and question addressed at the time matter. Documented research without identifiable suspicion also has a spatial and technical scope. Identify missing image coverage, restricted visibility or an investigation area differing from the present construction site during comparison. If underlying information is incomplete, determine the research or additional work needed. Assess existing technical reports alongside this within their own investigation boundaries.

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

Identify the actual start of ground works

The first ground disturbance may take place before the main excavation. Draw preparatory trenches, points and foundations with their depths. The investigation also addresses these tasks. A general construction start date does not replace description of the specific preparatory works.

Site establishment may require additional ground works: include connections, a temporary utility trench or individual foundations in the ground works plan. State the areas needed first, their depths and proposed elevation reference. If working levels are lowered or areas filled, the specialist assessment needs their relation to the earlier ground surface. Consider the planned main excavation and preparatory individual points as a connected sequence. The site management team can then coordinate the order of necessary investigations and handovers.

Compare specialist services
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Hand over the status achieved to the next trade

The report and results plans show the area investigated and remaining limitations. The next trade must be able to assign this information to its work area. Outstanding tasks remain clear. A completed partial commission becomes usable without automatically establishing conclusions for the whole construction site.

For construction in sections, identify handover areas clearly on the plan. Alongside the results, the next trade needs the associated report, plan version and details of work still outstanding. If, for example, a utility crossing changes or a shoring point extends deeper, submit this difference before ground disturbance. The specialist assessment compares it with usable earlier results and determines the additional need. Keep investigated and unresolved ground volumes distinct in site communication. This makes clear which conclusions apply to which ground disturbance even if the site management team changes.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A reliable programme distinguishes tasks already technically resolved from prerequisites still outstanding. If an area will be only partly accessible, account for this when commissioning work. Results handover and assessment also need time in the construction programme. Once scope, access, documents and construction conditions are clarified, agree the programme and work required in relation to the date a decision is needed. For the tender, describe required preparatory services, technical specialist work and results document handover with the respective responsible parties. Quotations can then relate to a clear scope of services suited to the project.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Define investigation areas from the first ground disturbance

01

Earthworks before the main excavation

Construction preparation may already involve subsurface work before the main excavation begins. Examples include utility trenches, shoring points or temporary foundations. Add these ground works to the design with their locations and depths so the investigation commission also covers them.

02

Accessible areas and areas still occupied

Describe surfaces, existing structures and access. If sections remain in use or become accessible only after demolition, include this condition in investigation planning. Before the agreed visit, check which areas are actually accessible and prepared for investigation.

03

Plans and preparatory services needed

Record the information and prerequisites needed before the specialist contractor's visit, and who provides them. These may include current plans, utility information or agreed working spaces. Providing this information and preparation is a preliminary service. Investigation and specialist assessment follow.

04

Handover to the next trade

Identify which works will follow the investigation results. Work in sections needs clear area boundaries and traceable handovers. Completion of one commission does not establish an investigation result for the remaining areas.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Distinguish preparatory services from investigation services

Current plans, utility information and accessible working areas may be prerequisites for investigation. Identify who provides them and when they will be available. Providing them does not yet establish an investigation result. Document the technical work and assessment with the scope actually achieved.

Retain areas accessible later in the programme

If an area becomes accessible only after demolition or an existing use ends, plan it separately. Its investigation status remains unresolved until then. Check the necessary prerequisites again before the proposed ground works there. A shared commission must not conceal differences between accessible areas and areas not yet investigated. For clearance work carried out, the clearance record identifies the area actually addressed with methods, findings and outstanding tasks. This does not turn inaccessible areas into completed sections.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Compare prerequisites before the site visit

Compare the current plan with the working areas actually available. Identify missing documents and changes to demolition or use. The parties agree the scope that can be carried out. This identifies which task can be technically addressed on the proposed date.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Relate the investigation to the next construction service

Identify which trade depends on the result and which ground disturbance follows. Compare reports and plans with this area in good time. Include design changes in specialist assessment before construction. Keep unresolved sections distinct from areas already sufficiently documented.

Coordinate the construction phase with us
Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

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

Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific 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 groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Existing findings, investigation depth and construction supervision

Reports and historical analysis

The Historical aerial photograph analysis and existing reports may indicate further investigation needs. What matters is whether they concern the same area and question. Provide complete documents with location plans; individual conclusions from earlier projects cannot be reliably adopted without this context.

The Historical aerial photograph analysis is compared with the other sources for the same area. Prepare a clear set of information for the enquiry: project address, cadastral plots, ground works plan and existing assessments with their appendices. Also describe earlier use where documented and the current demolition status. A built-over area, working space still occupied or missing utility information may affect the work. The next commission clarifies which information will be added and which technical investigation builds on these findings.

Investigation at the surface and at depth

The Surface survey is matched to the investigation objective and local conditions. Deeper ground volumes or those accessed differently may require additional investigation. The conclusions possible at a particular depth depend on the method and measurement conditions.

Method selection considers targets, investigation volume, ground composition and interference. Metal-bearing fill, reinforcement, fences or utilities may interfere with measurement data. For a deeper foundation, compare the location and extent of the ground volume needed with the selected approach. For downhole surveying, include investigation access and how it will be provided in the design. The Surveying receives a defined area and depth reference. Document limitations and consider them during assessment. For unresolved areas, agree the further work needed before the proposed ground works there.

Methods and areas for construction supervision

If explosive ordnance clearance during construction is planned, define the task, method and areas to be addressed. Visual observation during excavation alone is not proper explosive ordnance detection. Supervision activities also need clear documentation of areas investigated and remaining limitations.

For the agreed Excavation supervision, coordinate the work sequence, specialist investigations and communication of findings before starting. The site management team identifies contacts and affected trades. Assign new findings to the relevant area and assess them for the next works. If a finding requires further work, clarify the task, access and protective measures with a specialist. Any necessary Ordnance recovery is coordinated with its specific scope of services and the responsible bodies. If a suspicious object is encountered, stop the affected works and notify the police; their instructions determine the next steps.

Next steps

Prepare the commission and construction start

01

Describe the ground disturbance

Show the locations, depths and sequence of ground works. Record the project location, construction task and decision needed in the initial enquiry. The plan also shows preparatory ground disturbance and its elevation reference.

02

Provide the information needed

Supply reports, plan versions and known conditions. Document review compares existing explosive ordnance reports and aerial photograph analyses with the current construction area. Where underlying information is incomplete, carry out historical research and aerial photograph analysis.

03

Define the service

Agree methods, prerequisites and expected documents. Method selection considers existing findings, targets, ground conditions, interference, access and required depth. The agreed surveying or suitable supervision addresses the defined areas; findings and measurement limitations receive specialist assessment.

04

Agree the handover

Report the investigation status and outstanding tasks to the site management team. The report and results plans document scope, results and limits. The next decision clarifies additional specialist work or coordination for unresolved areas before the affected subsequent ground works.

Documentation

Hand over results for the next construction works

Findings and their scope

Documentation must fit the investigation performed. It makes areas, methods, results and limitations traceable. If areas were inaccessible or measurement conditions limited conclusions, retain these points for the next decision. If the design changes, check which new works the documented results cover.

The survey report describes the method used, areas investigated, findings and specialist assessment. A clearance record documents clearance work actually performed with its scope. The Clearance documentation is handed over with the results plans and underlying ground disturbance design. Provided access or a prepared working area is a prerequisite for the work; investigation results come from the documented specialist service. For later changes, retain a clear record of the ground volume covered by the existing conclusions and additional work still needed.

Project responsibilities

If explosive ordnance is actually found, the required reporting and hazard response tasks also apply. The Bavarian notice distinguishes the responsible public safety authorities, police and explosive ordnance disposal service commissioned by the Free State. Their decisions remain applicable even where a construction sequence has already been agreed. We agree our investigation commission for the specific project.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Organise handover by areas and results

Identify the areas investigated so the next trade can locate them on the current plan. Include reports, results plans and limitations. The handover also identifies outstanding tasks. A note that a site visit has been completed does not replace these technical details.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Communicate design changes before construction

A relocated excavation or deeper point may change the investigation scope. Show the difference from the earlier design. Check existing results for continued suitability. Additional work addresses the task actually remaining and is agreed before the affected ground disturbance.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
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.
Questions from planning

Questions about construction preparation in Nuremberg

Should the explosive ordnance question be resolved only during excavation?

The City of Nuremberg describes historical research and investigation as preparation before excavation. For your own project, clarify existing findings and necessary investigation tasks before the ground disturbance they concern. An unexpected find during work is a separate hazardous situation. In Bavaria, project owners and construction contractors arrange the necessary measures where ordnance is suspected. Clarify requirements for the project with the responsible bodies. If a find is made, the reporting channel leads to the police; public safety authorities and the commissioned explosive ordnance disposal service carry out their respective tasks.

Does the same investigation depth apply to every Nuremberg construction area?

No. The technical task follows the proposed ground disturbance, existing findings and investigation conditions. Define which areas and depths need investigation and which approach is suitable.

Can an area initially inaccessible be investigated later?

A later investigation may form part of the plan. The area initially unresolved must nevertheless remain explicitly identified and must not be included in broader conclusions. Agree its prerequisites and the investigation status needed before subsequent works separately.

Is the presence of a specialist contractor sufficient evidence?

No. The site management team needs to know which agreed investigation was carried out, what result is available and where limitations apply. This information must be available to it. A specialist contractor's presence alone does not establish a completed investigation. The process combines document review, necessary historical research and method selection with investigation or suitable supervision, assessment and results handover.

What should be done if an unexpected suspicious object is encountered?

Stop the affected works immediately, keep your distance and keep other people away. Do not touch, move or further expose the object. Notify the police, using 110 for an immediate find, and follow their instructions. Report an immediate find to the police by telephone rather than a project enquiry form.

Which factors affect the cost of explosive ordnance assessment?

Research needs, area and depth, access, interference and the investigation required determine the work involved. Interpretation, documentation and, where necessary, investigation of findings are additional factors. Usable existing reports help define the additional commission. Private specialist commissions are considered separately from the commissioned explosive ordnance disposal service's activities involving legacy ordnance that are free of charge under the Bavarian notice.

What belongs in the handover to the next trade?

Relate reports and results plans, including the areas investigated, their limits and outstanding tasks, to the next ground disturbance. For the enquiry, also provide the location plan, cadastral plots, ground disturbance depths, current plan versions and existing aerial photograph analyses or explosive ordnance reports with appendices.

How should changes after an investigation be communicated?

Show on the current plan which excavation, point or other ground disturbance has changed from the earlier design. State the new depth too. Before the affected works, a specialist checks which existing results still fit and which additional task remains.

Project enquiry

Coordinate the first ground works with the investigation

Show the first ground disturbance

Show preparatory works and the main excavation with depths. Add the address, municipality, cadastral plot and plan version. Mark access, structures, construction sections and the first ground works due.

Identify prerequisites

Describe access, existing documents and the next construction services. Send aerial photograph analyses, survey reports and clearance records with their appendices. Identify missing documents and the contacts for design and site management.

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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