Technical map view of the Lower Franconia administrative district with Würzburg marked for explosive ordnance investigation and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Schweinfurt

For project owners, designers and site managers in Schweinfurt, FONTANA-EOD relates existing explosive ordnance reports to the current construction task. Reports on ground conditions, contaminants and utilities are considered according to their respective investigation purposes. Send the complete specialist reports and current plan showing construction areas and ground disturbance depths so the explosive ordnance services still needed can be agreed.

Soil reports

Read each investigation objective.

Explosive ordnance

Assign results to the explosive ordnance question.

Construction planning

Agree outstanding tasks before ground disturbance.

Assess the construction project

How are contaminated land, geotechnical and explosive ordnance reports used together?

Assign each report its question, area and conclusions. Add the current ground works with their locations and depths. Specialist planning considers usable findings and identifies outstanding tasks. A favourable assessment within one discipline does not automatically answer the other questions, even if every report concerns the same property.

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map of Bavaria with its coat of arms, beside a tablet, safety helmet, notebook and pen.

Read the Schweinfurt planning example by technical question

The preliminary draft for Stresemannstraße addresses contaminants, ground conditions and explosive ordnance with different conclusions. Your project needs its own reports and current ground works. The city's overview shows planning areas only approximately; precise allocation uses the individual plan and, where necessary, inspection of the original.

Schweinfurt is an independent city in the Lower Franconia administrative district in the Free State of Bavaria. Identify the address, cadastral district and property, and the construction sections concerned, for the specific project. Local hazard response generally lies with the municipality as public safety authority; actual finds must be reported to the police immediately. The state explosive ordnance disposal service supports the authorities where legacy ordnance that has been found presents specific hazards. The Nürnberg disposal unit is responsible for Lower Franconia. Project-specific preliminary investigation and necessary private specialist services are coordinated with the project owner and responsible parties. For a project in another municipality, local responsibility follows its location.

Local context

Schweinfurt's air-war history and different ground-related questions

Place the air raid of August 1943 in its spatial context

The residents' magazine of the City of Schweinfurt describes the first air raid of 17 August 1943. The ball bearing works were the targets; areas hit included the city centre and station district. The article draws on a text from the city's exhibition about the first air raid and shows material from the city archive. For a present-day construction area, relate such documented wartime events to relevant aerial photographs, files and the precise location. Consider documented later demolition, reconstruction or ground changes where relevant to the area concerned. Specialist planning assigns the findings to the proposed ground works and determines the question still to resolve.

The different ground-related questions at Stresemannstraße

The preliminary draft for the third amendment to land-use plan W21b for Stresemannstraße 14–16, dated 24 February 2023, summarises an earlier contaminated land investigation. It records that further contaminated land investigation was not considered necessary, while a geotechnical investigation was proposed. At the same time, the explanatory statement identifies municipal records of bomb impacts and does not rule out explosive ordnance in the planning area.

Assign your report to its investigation objective

The draft thus shows different conclusions about the same property. It is not current evidence of overall clearance. For a new project, check each report and its scope: a conclusion about contaminants replaces neither geotechnical assessment nor a necessary explosive ordnance investigation. The planning status at that time also establishes nothing about other properties in Schweinfurt.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The project owner describes the proposed work and provides the available project documents. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact makes cooperation easier but does not automatically take on every other party's duties. Before commissioning, record clearly which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is 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 scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent authorities concerned. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist service performed; its conclusions are not presented unchecked as general authorisation for further groundworks or as an authority's decision.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Determine explosive ordnance needs from your own question

Further services are selected according to available findings, planned ground disturbance and local conditions. Consider findings from other disciplines without extending their conclusions. Determine the appropriate investigation method for the remaining task. The commission describes the conclusions needed and proposed results documents.

Compare suitable specialist services

Consider measurement conditions together with ground findings

Known made ground, structures or utilities may matter for preparation. Provide this information with the reports. A specialist assesses its effects on a method. A single ground characteristic establishes neither explosive ordnance contamination nor the suitability of a particular investigation automatically.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Relate the technical tasks clearly within the same ground volume

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

Assess historical indications from the documents

Information on earlier uses and made ground may support preparation. A specialist assesses its significance for the explosive ordnance question. A chemical ground finding does not answer that question directly. Provide complete documents so findings can be considered in the right context and specific unresolved investigation tasks identified.

Arrange specialist assessment of historical evidence
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Plan investigation points with later construction works

Geotechnical investigation may itself require ground disturbance. Describe the proposed investigation programme with positions and depths. Clarify its prerequisites before it begins. The later excavation may have a different scope and therefore needs a separate comparison with existing specialist reports and results.

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

Hand over the conclusions distinctly and clearly

A shared project file helps coordination but should identify each report's respective purpose. Keep location plans and limitations available. Assign the results needed for the next work. A summary status message does not extend the documented conclusions of individual investigations.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First clarify which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, investigation of a specific area, or work on a finding already assessed? These tasks require different information. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation scope that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore identifies the ground disturbance, location, depth and available findings. Agree suitable specialist work and the results documents needed on this basis. Mark preparatory ground works on the current location plan too: demolition pits, new connections, shoring positions and working spaces, where these belong to the project. Specialist planning compares these ground works with the areas and depths of the existing explosive ordnance investigation. A report from another technical discipline remains available within its own commission. Agree the specialist work and results documents needed for the explosive ordnance question still unresolved.

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 the work. Results handover and assessment also need time in the construction programme. An enquiry therefore does not produce a blanket commitment on timing or costs. Specific coordination relates the described scope to access, documents, construction conditions and the date a decision is needed. Identify areas already accessible and those that can be investigated only later in construction. Relate known structures, utilities and local measurement interference to the affected sections. These details inform the methods, work scope and necessary preparations. The quotation describes the agreed task and documents to hand over. For scheduling, record when the technically assessed results are needed for the next ground works.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Organise documents by what they actually establish

01

Consider contaminant questions separately

A contaminated land investigation examines different matters from explosive ordnance assessment. Information on ground composition, made ground or earlier uses may still matter for further planning. Provide complete existing reports. A conclusion that no further investigation is needed within one discipline must not be extended to other investigation objectives.

02

Plan geotechnical investigation points as separate ground disturbance

Boreholes and soundings for geotechnical investigation already affect the subsurface. State their positions and proposed depths before they are carried out. A later investigation commission for the building does not automatically cover these preparatory works. For the investigation programme, clarify which conclusions are needed before each ground disturbance.

03

Assign complete explosive ordnance results

For existing explosive ordnance reports, the location plan, depth and documented limitations matter alongside the result. Check whether these documents fit today's work locations. A brief summary in a planning statement may point to a report but does not replace its complete contents. Missing appendices should be obtained specifically.

04

Define the shared construction sequence

Where several disciplines are involved, the necessary conclusions must be available before each ground disturbance. Keep responsibilities and investigation objectives distinct. Define which question each commission will answer. A coordinated sequence prevents preparatory works starting while another necessary clarification remains outstanding.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Describe the next ground disturbance before selecting reports

First clarify which work is being prepared, with its location and depth. Existing conclusions can then be related to it. A report on earlier remediation is not suitable simply because it shares the property address. Compare its investigation objective and spatial scope with the current task. The associated plan shows which area was actually investigated. Document the commissioned explosive ordnance methods, areas or points investigated, depths, assessments and limits in the report and plan appendices. For commissioned clearance work, the clearance record with location and results forms part of the evidence. Assign technical questions to the responsible contact.

Define handovers between disciplines

If different specialist consultancies are involved, agree which documents are needed before each work step. Identify outstanding questions specifically. Responsibilities remain clear even if the same areas are investigated. A coordinated sequence helps use existing findings and prepare additional ground disturbance. Record the publication date of a notice separately from the preparation date of a specialist report. The 2023 preliminary draft for Stresemannstraße contains different conclusions about contaminants, ground conditions and explosive ordnance. The present construction task needs the respective complete reports with their maps and results. Keep later additions assigned to their original report. Compare the location and depth of the current construction design with these documents. The results file records which version is used for each work section.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Create an overview of specialist reports

For each document, note its date, purpose and area addressed. Add whether maps and appendices are complete. The initial discussion can then focus on outstanding questions. The report itself remains the basis for specialist assessment; the overview does not replace its conclusions and limitations. State which decision is needed before the next construction phase. An existing document register helps locate material, but technical assessment needs the associated contents. Add known utilities, ground composition and available access. Use the documents to identify the conclusions still missing for the specific ground disturbance. The next commission identifies the affected areas, suitable approach and results documents needed.

Relate preparatory boreholes to the construction sequence

State which investigation points will precede the main commission. Compare their positions and depths with existing results. Agree necessary specialist services before this ground disturbance. Give later changes to the investigation programme the same comparison so an earlier assessment is not extended to newly added points. If the contractor changes, give the succeeding site management team the complete relevant reports and plan appendices for the work area taken over. A handover list identifies outstanding tasks and technical contacts. After an interruption, compare the next planned ground works with the documented status too. Record new results and design changes with their dates in the project file and send them to the affected parties.

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

Address the outstanding explosive ordnance questions specifically

Assess the historical background

The Historical aerial photograph analysis and other available records may reveal the construction area's earlier history. Consider indications from ground reports in their appropriate context. Not every description of an earlier use establishes explosive ordnance. Conversely, a contaminant result without adverse findings does not rule out possible explosive ordnance questions.

Determine a suitable technical investigation

The Surveying is selected according to the investigation objective, proposed ground disturbance and site conditions. Known made ground, structures or utilities may affect measurement conditions. Specialist planning must explain the conclusions intended and where limitations are expected. A method is not suitable simply because it was used on another project.

Bring measures together in a clear sequence

A Clearance plan can relate necessary services and unresolved areas to the construction programme. Consider usable existing results without extending their conclusions. Visual observation during excavation alone does not replace a necessary investigation. A special method during construction needs its own technical decision and suitable conditions.

Next steps

These details help with an enquiry for Schweinfurt

01

Show working areas and investigation points

Mark the excavation, foundations, utilities and proposed geotechnical investigation points. Add depths and the current plan version. If the project will be built in sections, show this sequence. This distinguishes the investigation scope needed initially from later ground works not yet fully designed. For the initial project discussion, identify the address, construction phase and forthcoming ground works. Specialist planning checks existing explosive ordnance information and reports with all their appendices for plan status, area and depth coverage, and unresolved questions about the current task. Further work builds on the findings that can actually be used.

02

Establish the precise planning area

Schweinfurt's overview of land-use plans shows their areas only approximately. The individual plan defines the precise boundary; originals can be inspected at the city offices. Do not rely on the overview map alone to identify a property's planning scope. Obtain the associated explanatory statement and relevant appendices too.

03

Coordinate historical evidence and methods

Where the existing evidence does not yet answer today's question, the required historical research or aerial photograph assessment is carried out for the specific construction area. Findings are assigned spatially and connected to the planned ground disturbance. Specialist planning uses this to define the investigation scope and a suitable method. Ground structure, installed structures, measurement limits and intended depths are considered. Access and necessary preparatory work are agreed with the responsible parties. Existing knowledge that is sufficient continues to be used for further planning.

04

Hand over reports with their purposes and versions

Compile existing contaminated land, geotechnical and explosive ordnance documents. Their respective questions and assessment stages should be clear. Include maps, point lists and additions where available. This allows assessment of information already usable and technical conclusions actually still missing.

05

Carry out and assess the commissioned investigation

Specialist staff carry out the defined survey or supervision for the agreed task. Measurement data, findings and the investigation conditions actually achieved are recorded with location and depth references. Unaddressed areas and areas with limited interpretability remain identifiable. The data collected is assessed against the investigation objective and local interference. This establishes further work requirements or the results handover. If a suspicious object is encountered, work stops and the responsible response authorities are notified.

06

Compare results before construction

The site management team needs results clearly related to the next ground disturbance. Check changes in location or depth in particular. Areas not yet investigated must remain distinct from work locations already resolved. Combined records help handover but do not turn different specialist reports into unlimited clearance for every ground work. Record the specialist assessment in a report with the associated plan appendices. Document methods, areas and depths actually investigated, and limits. The site management team compares the next ground works with these and agrees any further work needed before the affected construction begins.

Documentation

Who is responsible during investigation and when an object is found?

Findings and their scope

Under the current Bavarian notice, preliminary investigation for a construction project is distinct from state disposal of explosive ordnance actually found. General searches on construction properties are not part of the state service's tasks. Local hazard response generally lies with the municipalities. Report actual finds to the police immediately.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD agrees the investigation and clearance services needed for your Schweinfurt project with you. The BFR KMR describe technical principles and documentation requirements for these tasks. Their direct scope concerns federal properties. Specific requirements for a private property follow its own circumstances; the BFR do not create a blanket additional duty to investigate every area.

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

Pass on a favourable partial result correctly

If a report recommends no further investigation within its task, that conclusion remains tied to the question investigated. Pass on its associated spatial scope too. Identify other unresolved technical questions separately. This allows a useful result to be used without turning it into broader evidence.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Update point lists when changes occur

If geotechnical investigation points are relocated or added, specialist planning needs the current version. Mark changes from the earlier programme. Assign existing results to new points where possible. Areas not covered remain identified and are addressed with the necessary further steps before construction.

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
Person wearing an orange high-visibility vest on a marked construction area with small piles of soil
Person wearing an orange high-visibility vest with a MALÅ survey cart on grass
Questions from planning

Questions about contaminated land, ground conditions and explosive ordnance assessment

Does a contaminated land result without adverse findings also establish absence of explosive ordnance?

No. The two investigations have different objectives. Ground reports may contain useful indications but do not replace necessary specialist conclusions about explosive ordnance. The question each report actually answers is decisive.

What does the Stresemannstraße preliminary draft show?

The 2023 version addresses contaminated land, proposed geotechnical investigations and explosive ordnance indications separately. Assessment of one technical question at that time was not used as a general conclusion for every ground risk. Obtain current documents for present-day works. Agree the assessment still needed with the specialist contractor before current ground works. The municipality provides local hazard response; the state explosive ordnance disposal service supports response to specific hazards from legacy ordnance that has been found.

Must geotechnical investigation points be defined before explosive ordnance assessment?

Where positions and depths are planned, they should be included in the enquiry. Identify options still open as such. Before carrying out the works, clarify which investigations are needed for the actual investigation-point positions.

Is the overview map of Schweinfurt's land-use plans sufficient?

It helps with initial orientation. The city nevertheless identifies its approximate nature. Use the individual land-use plan for the precise scope; if unclear, property-specific information is useful.

What should I do if a suspicious object is found in the ground?

Stop work and keep your distance. Do not touch or move the object, keep other people away and notify the police immediately from a safe distance on 110.

Which overview helps with several ground reports?

A list showing the investigation objective, date, area addressed and available appendices. The complete reports are also needed.

What do made ground and structures mean for method selection?

They may affect measurement conditions. Identify known made ground, utilities and structures with the existing reports. Specialist planning assesses their significance for the conclusions needed; a single ground characteristic establishes neither explosive ordnance contamination nor an appropriate method.

Does the project file replace individual reports, and which factors affect costs?

No. It helps allocation; the respective results, limits and appendices remain part of the technical basis. The work required for additional explosive ordnance services depends on investigation scope, area size or the number of points, depth, available documents, access, interference and the appropriate method. Agree preparatory works and results documents needed as part of the commission. For scheduling, agree when technically assessed findings must be available for the next ground works.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Organise reports by purpose

Include contaminated land, geotechnical and explosive ordnance reports with appendices. Do several ground reports exist for your Schweinfurt construction project? Send them with the current ground works plan. We will discuss which explosive ordnance questions remain unresolved and how the services needed can be defined.

Show the next ground works

Show investigation points, construction areas and depths on the current plan. Also state which earthworks are due to begin first and which areas are not yet accessible. This allows necessary preparations and results handover to be coordinated in good time.

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.