Project pathway
The quickest route to the right decision.
Explosive ordnance surveying in the Upper Palatinate for construction and demolition
A new installation is built and the old one removed later. Both stages may involve their own ground disturbance, even within the same project. For explosive ordnance assessment, we work with you to record new foundations, planned demolition works and the conditions under which investigation can take place.
State new locations and depths of ground disturbance clearly.
Include work on old foundations too.
Check which construction stage an investigation covers.
Assess the construction project
How are replacement construction and demolition prepared together?
Record new and old locations with their respective ground disturbance. Describe access construction and removal of existing foundations too. The investigation is coordinated with this sequence. For each following ground disturbance, check existing results against their documented area and limits, particularly after changes to ground levels or existing structures.
Documented location references
Reference projects in the administrative region of the Upper Palatinate
Select a project location on the map or in the location list. The associated entries lead to the protected reference overview.
The markers indicate locations associated with documented references, rather than exact find or construction site coordinates. Several entries may relate to one project. References without a reliable location assignment are available in the complete reference overview.
Map data: © BKG (2026), VG250 / GN250, Data licence Germany – attribution 2.0. Area outline projected for display. Selection and project assignment: FONTANA-EOD.
Project references
Selected project examples
Mintraching (Sengkofen) – surface radar
Explosive ordnance surveying – Sengkofen – comprehensive refurbishment of line 5830 – approximately km 98,900–99,900 Mintraching (Sengkofen)
Service period: 2026-08
Service areas:Surface surveys: GPR, TDEM and magnetometryMethod used in this project: Ground-penetrating radar
Project site
Connect the site with the specific construction task
Identify new locations and demolition areas in the Upper Palatinate
The official document list for Ostbayernring section B includes replacement construction, demolition and separate access routes. For your project, describe these tasks with your own locations and ground disturbance. Specialist planning assigns existing findings and coordinates necessary investigations. The published planning scope of another project does not define a general explosive ordnance service for your property.
The Upper Palatinate comprises seven districts and the independent cities of Amberg, Regensburg and Weiden in der Oberpfalz. Identify the specific municipality and project address in an enquiry. The head office in Gersheim coordinates the specialist enquiry. The administrative region provides the regional context; local responsibility and investigation scope follow the actual site and planned works.
Local context
A replacement project involves more than a new construction area
The official Ostbayernring example
Ostbayernring provides a published example from the Upper Palatinate: official documents for section B describe the project as replacement construction including removal of the existing line. The list also includes separate demolition plans and proposed access routes for that work. The example illustrates the planning scope; it does not establish specific explosive ordnance contamination or the current construction status.
Distinguish new and old locations
New and old locations should remain equally distinct for the explosive ordnance question. A new pylon location may require a different investigation from removal of an existing foundation. Belonging to the same line project does not make existing results applicable to every ground disturbance.
A local historical context is documented for Regensburg: the reconstruction atlas published by the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte describes attacks on the Messerschmitt works and later on railway facilities and the oil port. These different earlier uses are assessed for a specific site using suitable documents. The Regensburg context is a local example within the Upper Palatinate; it describes neither every demolition area in the region nor suspected ordnance for the planned line project.
Preparation and hazard prevention in Bavaria
In Bavaria, precautionary research and investigation of a property are separate from addressing specific hazards from found explosive ordnance. Local security authorities and police retain their duties. Construction preparation brings together existing findings and the ground disturbance actually planned so that a suitable investigation scope can be defined.
Requirements
Clarify technical requirements and responsibilities within the project
Relate requirements to the specialist task
For commissioned activities in Germany, clarify the relevant technical requirements and questions of permits, competence and responsibility. The actual proposed scope of services is the basis. It describes the specific activities and points of coordination with the parties responsible.
Link occupational safety to the construction sequence
Risk assessment, work areas and communication must suit the proposed activities. Ordnance specialist works are coordinated with the other construction activities. Operational organisation, traffic safety and other specialist technical inspections retain their own responsible parties. Joint coordination brings the information together without equating the different tasks.
Use technical findings correctly
A measurement anomaly first requires specialist assessment; its appearance alone does not identify it as explosive ordnance. If an object is genuinely suspected to be ordnance, the prescribed reporting procedures and the measures set by the responsible authorities apply. Investigation reports specify the work completed and its limitations, so that results are not extended to unexamined areas or later design changes.
In the Upper Palatinate, the respective municipalities, as local security authorities, are generally responsible for addressing local explosive ordnance hazards. The explosive ordnance disposal service commissioned by the Free State of Bavaria provides support in dealing with specific hazards from found ordnance dating up to the end of the Second World War. Precautionary property-specific investigation and commissioning suitable specialist contractors remain separate.
Regional sources: Government of the Upper Palatinate: Ostbayernring, section B.
Planning and documentation: BFR KMR: clearance planning with a clearance plan – introduction · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation · DGUV: explosive ordnance clearance FAQ · Bavaria: protection against explosive ordnance hazards, notice of 13.08.2026
The BFR KMR are used as technical guidance; locally applicable requirements and responsibilities must be clarified separately.
Permits, certificates of competence and responsibilities for the specific activity are assessed under the Explosives Act and the First Ordinance to the Explosives Act. The risk assessment under Section 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act relates to the activities planned. The DGUV Information 201-027 covers preventive investigation and clearance of conventional explosive ordnance and defines its scope. Its references to DGUV Rule 113-003 concern particular activities involving explosives; they are not applied indiscriminately to every construction-site investigation.
Working together
Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor
Client and operator
The project owner describes the works and provides the existing project documents. The operator adds requirements for use, access and scheduling. A coordinating contact brings together the information and the parties responsible. Their specialist, contractual and official duties are defined for the specific project. Before commissioning, record what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the results are intended to support.
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. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent bodies. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report records the specialist work completed, its scope and its limits. In Bavaria, local hazard prevention is generally the municipality's responsibility; actual finds must be reported to the police immediately. The state explosive ordnance disposal service performs its duties in relation to found munitions. Private preliminary investigation and commissioned technical work are planned separately.
Investigation task
Which specialist task comes next?
Address restricted investigation conditions through specialist planning
Existing structures or other local conditions may limit the findings achievable. Specialist planning assesses a suitable approach using the proposed ground disturbance and existing findings. Necessary preparatory steps are agreed with their prerequisites. Restricted surveyability establishes neither a general substitute method nor permission to begin work in an unresolved area.
Compare suitable specialist servicesCheck the documented scope after changes
Removing existing structures may change access or the working level. Compare the next ground disturbance with available results and their limits. This determines whether an additional task is needed. Reinvestigation is neither ruled out as a general rule nor required solely because demolition took place; actual technical coverage is decisive.
Compare investigation methodsProject types
Plan new locations, old foundations and access together
Assign existing findings to individual locations
Collect historical information and available investigation reports for both new and old installation areas. Use clear location labels and show the respective ground disturbance on the site plan. A shared project name is insufficient to transfer results. Specialist planning considers the findings actually available and the question still unanswered for the next work stage.
Assign a location number and the available report versions to each installation. Link old and new numbering on the overview plan. Where documents are only partly available, identify what is missing. Specialist planning can then distinguish the need for a new investigation from initially obtaining existing results.
Assign results to installation locations
Coordinate the specialist service with the demolition sequence
Removing existing foundations and creating new excavations may involve different conditions. Describe known structures, access and planned depths. Necessary investigations are coordinated with these work stages. Restrictions caused by existing installations are addressed explicitly before preliminary ground disturbance or further work in an area not yet covered sufficiently.
State the planned formation levels and ancillary pits for each work stage. Also show a foundation remnant intended to remain in the ground initially. Preparatory access work receives its own position and depth details. Agree the investigations and prerequisites it needs before the corresponding ground disturbance.
Compare specialist servicesHand over each stage of work clearly
Document which area was investigated when and under what conditions. Changes after demolition are assigned to the next ground disturbance. Site management needs complete results with maps and limits. Completion of a work stage should not automatically be treated as suitable investigation findings for every later activity at that location.
At handover, record the actual condition after the work stage. Update the current plan to show a removed structure and changed ground surface. The specialist review compares the next ground disturbance with the results that still apply. An investigation still outstanding is passed to those responsible next with its subarea.
Document findings and their limitationsPreparation
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 taskCoordinate 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 programmeAgree a clear scope and schedule
A sound workflow distinguishes work already clarified technically from outstanding prerequisites. If an area will be accessible only in part, commissioning must take this into account. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction sequence. An enquiry therefore does not imply a blanket commitment on dates or cost. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, documents, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.
Discuss the scope and schedulePrepare the construction project
Keep construction and demolition distinct in the commission
01
Describe new foundations
Provide site plans and details of the proposed foundations, boreholes or anchors. Add depths of ground disturbance and the ground surface reference. Options not yet decided should remain identifiable so that they are not inadvertently confused with the design intended for execution.
Add necessary ancillary ground disturbance such as trial pits, retaining structures or connection pits. If foundation options change, identify the version intended for execution clearly. A withdrawn option remains distinct from the current task. The specialist service needed can then be related to the actual working spaces and depths.
02
Record work on existing structures
Describe whether old foundations will be removed completely, partly retained or only exposed. Identify the excavations and working spaces planned for this. The actual demolition plans are decisive; previous operation of an installation does not establish documented investigation of all ground strata affected.
Describe a foundation partly remaining with its known outline. Identify planned ground disturbance beside and beneath it. If existing dimensions are uncertain, state that gap explicitly. Specialist planning considers the findings achievable rather than inferring fully established geometry from a schematic foundation plan.
03
Check access before and after alterations
State which areas can be reached and where existing installations, paving or utilities restrict access. Changes in construction status may alter measurement conditions. Check whether earlier results remain sufficient against their scope and the ground disturbance now planned.
Describe the construction status at the proposed investigation time. Identify access that becomes available only after later removal accordingly. Clarify the investigation options actually available for preceding work. Coordinate the schedule with these prerequisites and any further specialist task needed.
04
Label subareas clearly
Use distinct labels for new locations, old locations and additional working areas. Link plans, commissions and reports to these details. Site management then does not have to infer from several similarly named documents which findings apply to the next work stage.
A shared location overview links the respective reports with the new and old installation. Additional working areas receive their own labels. If individual tasks are awarded separately, use this overview for handover. Findings needed remain clearly assigned at the transitions between construction phases too.
Project documents
Documents that establish the next step
Identify old and new installations clearly
Use distinct labels for existing and planned locations. State the spatial relationship of foundations and utilities where known. If numbers change, their assignment should remain traceable. A report for the earlier location can then be assigned correctly without mistakenly transferring its findings to a neighbouring new construction area.
For clearance works actually commissioned, the clearance record documents areas addressed, position and depth references, methods and results. The report and plan appendices record the specialist service's limits and remaining tasks. Labels remain linked to the location overview.
Distinguish access construction from later use
Planned access may first require earthworks or paving. Describe this ground disturbance with its scope. Distinguish it from later use by vehicles alone. Explosive ordnance planning depends on the work actually proposed; a connection drawn on a plan does not yet explain the ground changes needed to construct it.
Construction sequence
Coordinate investigation and construction sections
Provide demolition and new construction plans together
Provide the location overview, known as-built documents and planned work stages. Mark new construction areas, foundations to be removed and access construction. Include existing investigation results. The initial discussion can then relate the services needed to individual ground disturbances and identify information still missing for further planning.
Identify uncertain as-built details and design options still open. A shared elevation datum makes it easier to compare earlier measurements, the demolition formation level and new foundations. Identify available reports with their date and extent of appendices. Missing documents are requested specifically during the first specialist discussion.
Prepare handover between construction phases
After a work stage, record the actual condition and corresponding results. For the following phase, compare the current geometry with the documented investigation scope. Changed or outstanding areas remain visible. Site management receives a clear evidence base rather than having to infer the prerequisites for further groundworks solely from a general demolition completion notice.
Communicate a change after handover with the volume of ground affected. Those responsible clarify which existing findings still apply and what addition is needed before the next ground disturbance. The plans used, corresponding report and outstanding tasks are available together for the following phase.
Method selection
Select methods according to the task and survey conditions
Historical records and aerial photographs
Historical aerial photograph analysis combines suitable images and further findings with the specific investigation question. New installation locations and demolition areas are assigned spatially. Where historical questions remain, the necessary research and analysis are carried out. Later groundworks or covering layers may have changed today's working level. Historical evidence, existing technical reports and current construction status are therefore considered together. Their findings retain their respective purposes. Any supplementary work identifies the location and construction phase still needing specialist clarification.
Understand aerial photograph assessmentMagnetometric survey
Geomagnetic surveying measures the magnetic field passively and uses an object's magnetic effect. Electrical conductivity alone is insufficient for geomagnetic detection. Existing foundations, utilities or other metal structures can affect measurements. Suitability is assessed for each new or old installation area. An investigation before demolition receives a clear area and depth assignment. After removal, check whether it already covers the areas subsequently affected. Interpretable data, interference and outstanding tasks are documented for the next phase.
Understand the scope of magnetometryElectromagnetic methods
Transient electromagnetic methods, or TDEM, assess the electromagnetic response of conductive objects over time. Specialist planning checks their suitability under the actual measurement conditions. A new foundation may affect a different volume of ground from the foundation to be removed. Both tasks receive a defined investigation scope. Known structures and earlier technical results are considered. Interpretation distinguishes assessable measurement data from areas covered only to a limited extent. Before further use of the findings, compare changed access or working levels with the report and its maps.
Understand electromagnetic surveyingGround-penetrating radar
Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can show structures and reflections in the ground. Water content, ground composition and existing structures affect the measurements. Their interpretation does not automatically identify explosive ordnance. For replacement of an installation, clarify the outstanding question the method is intended to answer. A new excavation, a retained foundation remnant and additional access may present different requirements. The specialist assessment records areas actually covered and the limits of its findings. After construction status changes, check which findings can be reused for the next work.
GPR and limitationsDeep-ground and downhole surveys
For deep new foundations and removal of existing foundations, describe the respective formation levels and working spaces. Specialist planning checks whether deep or borehole surveying is required and suitable. The starting point, elevation and investigation depth are assigned to the location concerned. If the point is moved or the design changes, compare coverage again. Known utilities and prerequisites for safe investigation access are considered. A point-specific result remains assigned to the volume of ground actually addressed; a shared installation name does not extend it.
Prepare deep interventionsSurvey during construction
Necessary explosive ordnance investigation during construction is planned by specialists for each construction phase. It may combine excavation in layers, specialist exposure of objects and additional surveying. Visual observation of ordinary excavation alone is insufficient for detection. When old foundations are removed, consider the actual working spaces and the condition remaining afterwards. Areas addressed, findings and restrictions are recorded. The following construction phase receives the corresponding results and outstanding tasks. Before additional works after removal, assess any investigation needs for them.
Agree the approach during constructionTechnical assessment
What can be investigated before each construction phase
Assess accessible areas in advance
For suitable open areas, a Surface survey may be appropriate. Existing structures or metal features can affect the findings. Whether and where measurements can be interpreted is assessed against actual conditions; the suitable method is defined for each location.
Consider new deep ground disturbance
For deep foundations, check whether a deep or borehole survey is suitable. Position, depth and planned execution must be described sufficiently for this. Results from a neighbouring location cannot be used as evidence for the new ground disturbance solely because it is nearby.
Clarify remaining areas with specialists
Where preliminary investigation is insufficient or impossible, the next approach is designed for the ground disturbance. The ordnance surveying during construction can be included only where technically suitable. Visual observation during excavation alone does not replace this service.
Next steps
From the location overview to the documented construction phase
Separate locations
Mark new installations, parts to be demolished and additional ground disturbance on the site plan. The initial discussion identifies the project location and the findings needed. Existing plans, statements and reports are checked for currency, spatial relevance, completeness and gaps.
Address outstanding historical questions
Where historical questions remain open, necessary research and aerial photograph assessments are actually carried out within the commission agreed by specialists. Existing assessments are considered with their respective subareas and conclusions. Additional findings are assigned to the present area of ground disturbance and used in investigation planning.
Describe construction stages
Record which installations still exist before an investigation and which will be removed later.
Agree the investigation
We review the available findings and conditions for each proposed service. Specialist planning selects a suitable method according to the investigation objective, depth of ground disturbance, ground composition, existing structures and actual measurement conditions. Access and necessary prerequisites are clarified with the parties responsible.
Prepare handovers
Assign results to the subarea concerned and the next planned ground disturbance.
Perform the agreed investigation
The agreed survey or appropriate investigation during construction is carried out on the defined areas and points. Measurement data and observations receive clear position and elevation references. Uninvestigated areas, restricted access and relevant interference are recorded.
Assess and document findings
Specialists interpret the data and findings collected against the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions. The assessment considers interference and the limits of the findings. The report and plan appendices document the specialist assessment, areas addressed and their position, elevation and depth references. Necessary follow-up tasks are derived from them. Results and outstanding tasks are handed over to site management and the parties responsible for the next ground disturbance.
Documentation
Check the scope of results after demolition
Findings and their scope
For an investigation before old foundations are removed, check whether its documented scope actually covers the ground exposed afterwards. An existing finding is neither generally worthless nor sufficient solely because of earlier use. The area investigated, depth, method and stated limits are decisive.
Project responsibilities
If plans or execution change, the affected subareas and report versions should remain traceable. Give site management the complete documents. Outstanding areas must not receive the same status on the handover plan as areas for which suitable investigation findings already exist.
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 taskThe 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
Describe the next ground disturbance after demolition precisely
Define whether a new pit, utility or other ground disturbance is planned afterwards. Use the working level and geometry then applicable. Check the existing result against them. This description is more precise than simply reporting that a foundation was removed and helps decisions on supplementary investigation needs.
Understand investigation reports and their limitationsUse consistent status labels in the project file
Identify whether an area is only planned, already investigated or still unresolved on a specific question. Link these details to the respective reports. Organisational completion of a construction section and a documented technical investigation result describe different things. When changes occur, the affected areas are reassigned while results that still apply remain usable.
Understand the service scopeDesign and findings
Documents for the next construction decision
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 assessmentSpecialist 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
Further technical topics
Further technical information for your project
Determine the specialist service from the planned groundworks
Historical assessment, technical investigation and further work answer different questions. The service overview helps distinguish these tasks in an enquiry.
Compare servicesCoordinate the project sequence with everyone involved
Preparation connects the commission, site work and handover of findings. Changes to the project can then be incorporated into technical coordination in good time.
Process and documentationQuestions from planning
Questions about replacement construction and demolition
Does investigation of a new location also cover the old location?
Only to the extent that its documented scope actually covers the ground disturbance planned there. New and old locations may involve different areas, depths and measurement conditions. The assignment must therefore be checked using the documents.
Does many years of operation of a line establish investigated ground?
Previous operation alone is not an investigation report. For planned earthworks, existing findings and documented investigations are compared with the new ground disturbance. Use establishes neither general safety nor specific explosive ordnance contamination.
Must surveying always be repeated after removing a foundation?
Not automatically. First check whether the previously documented investigation scope covers the exposed area and further ground disturbance. Only this comparison shows whether additional clarification or investigation is required.
Is construction supervision always the solution where surveying is restricted?
No. The suitability of explosive ordnance surveying during construction is assessed by specialists using the ground disturbance and conditions. Mere visual observation during excavation does not replace explosive ordnance surveying.
How is a possible explosive ordnance find reported during demolition?
Stop work in the affected area immediately. Do not touch or move the object. Leave the danger area, keep your distance and keep others away. Inform the police immediately on 110. Further hazard prevention is not a normal project enquiry.
Which cost factors matter for new construction and demolition?
The work required depends on existing evidence, outstanding historical questions, new and old working areas, depths of ground disturbance, access, existing structures and interference. Necessary preliminary work, suitable methods, interpretation and documentation are assigned to each partial commission. Usable results are considered. A changed demolition sequence or additional pit may change the scope needed. A quotation therefore needs the proposed construction phases and specialist tasks actually outstanding.
Must access construction work be described?
Yes, where it is intended to disturb the ground. The scope and depth of that work must be distinguished from later use of the access route.
What is checked after a change in working level?
Whether the next ground disturbance is still covered by the documented investigation area and depth findings. Outstanding questions are clarified before further works.
Project enquiry
Prepare construction and demolition with us
Distinguish locations
Identify old and new installations and foundations clearly.
Link location numbers to as-built and new plans. State which reports and appendices are available for each area. Explicitly list documents still missing. Add the specific spatial assignment to a shared project name.
Show the work sequence
Show demolition, access construction and new ground disturbance together.
Identify the condition before and after demolition, planned depths and elevation data. Mark additional access, ancillary pits and connection works. For each subarea, show which ground disturbance is next. Communicate changes since the original investigation for specialist assessment. State the project location in Bavaria or the different federal state concerned.
Construction projects in Regensburg
Construction projects in RegensburgConstruction sections and handovers
Project sequence and coordinationThe approach in a clearance plan
Understand investigation reports and their limitationsReports and records
Understand investigation reports and their limitationsIdentify the project location and region
Select a regionAssess the use and construction task
Describe the project settingAgree further specialist services
Clarify the recovery task
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.
