Technical map view of the Darmstadt administrative district with Darmstadt marked for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying and clearance in Wiesbaden

Which areas have already been investigated, which remain occupied and which will become accessible later? For a construction project with several stages, this must be clear for each forthcoming ground works activity. FONTANA-EOD helps plan explosive ordnance investigations in Wiesbaden and documents the results for the individual work areas.

Work sections

Show investigated and outstanding sections on the plan.

Access

Account for access roads and areas that remain in use.

Handovers

Pass reports and plans to site management.

Plan investigations for your construction stagesExplosive ordnance assessment in Hesse
Assess the construction project

Linking each construction stage to its investigation status

For official information about your property in Wiesbaden, the contact is the statewide explosive ordnance clearance service at the Darmstadt regional administration. It specifies a written enquiry with an accurate site, cadastral or detailed plan and marked property boundaries. Alternatively, its website provides an online application for aerial photograph analysis. The statement describes possible contamination and the work required as a result.

We relate this statement and existing technical reports to your planned ground works. Investigated, outstanding and currently inaccessible areas remain distinct on the plan. Further investigation needs and the next steps are agreed with the responsible parties for each construction stage.

An example of our own local work is the ground-penetrating radar investigation in Wiesbaden-Biebrich. The method description helps place it in its technical context. For your project enquiry send the official statement, existing reports and current location and depth plans.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustrative map of Hesse with a lion coat of arms, tablet, white FONTANA-EOD helmet and notebook.

Identifying the project location and responsible bodies

For projects in Wiesbaden, the independent city and state capital, clearly identify the part of the city, project address and affected land parcels. This applies to the city centre and historic neighbourhoods as well as Biebrich, Schierstein, Dotzheim, Erbenheim, Mainz-Kastel, Mainz-Kostheim, Nordost and Sonnenberg. For enquiries from the surrounding Rhine-Main region, such as Hochheim am Main, Taunusstein, Rüsselsheim am Main or Hofheim am Taunus, the responsible municipality is identified from the project location. Mainz is in Rheinland-Pfalz and has a different state procedure. For each project, existing statements, investigation reports and the next ground works are brought together. In an evacuation, the specific official emergency response determines subsequent measures and when people may return; routine investigation services and such measures are recorded separately within the construction programme. Further project locations are available in the regional overview.

For the regional context of your construction project, the Darmstadt administrative district overview provides further local information.

Hesse
Local context

Responsibilities in Hessen and measures following a bomb find

Assigning the official specialist statement to the construction stage

The specialist authority for explosive ordnance matters in Hessen is the explosive ordnance clearance service at the Darmstadt regional administration. It processes enquiries with a precise spatial reference and issues a statement about possible contamination and necessary work. Compare the resulting tasks with the proposed construction stages.

The historical account published by the state capital Wiesbaden documents the air raid on the night of 2–3 February 1945. For investigations today, such historical indications are related to the specific ground works area. Available records and aerial photographs must be assessed for urban infill, older residential and commercial neighbourhoods, railway and route corridors or redeveloped sites. Documented reconstruction, filling and later earth movements may affect comparison with the present ground. For a proposed excavation, retaining structure, utility crossing or bridge project, the spatial references at the time are therefore checked against the current location and depth plans. The type and scope of further specialist work depend on the actual local findings.

Accounting for official measures following a find

When a bomb is found, the explosive ordnance clearance service assesses defusing or detonation and defines the safety area. The state capital Wiesbaden explains the evacuation procedure and the subsequent announcement that it has ended. Routine construction planning accounts for the fact that the duration and sequence of the official emergency response depend on the specific find.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

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.

The KMRD at the Darmstadt regional administration is responsible for the whole of Hessen. On request, it evaluates wartime aerial photographs and issues a statement on possible explosive ordnance contamination and necessary work. Investigation or clearance of the site is prepared with a suitable explosive ordnance specialist contractor. Defusing, detonation and removal remain the responsibility of the KMRD or persons it commissions. For a find, the local public order authority or police are involved; they notify the state service. The project owner, specialist contractor and site management record the respective brief, responsible persons and coordination needed for the specific construction stage.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Defining the investigation from the outstanding question

First establish which findings are still needed for the proposed section. Method selection considers existing findings, ground conditions and possible interference. An adjoining section already investigated does not automatically determine the method. What matters is whether the proposed investigation can provide suitable findings under the specific conditions.

Select the specialist service for the outstanding question

Assessing access that becomes available later

When a previously occupied area becomes available, its condition and proposed ground works are compared anew. Specialist planners relate the previous limitation to the outstanding task. An earlier investigation attempt is considered with its limitations. The required addition is described specifically before the work it affects.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Preparing different construction stages clearly

Illustration: two people with a tablet beside a drawing table and a survey trolley on a construction site.

Describing the area needed first precisely

Mark which ground works are next and the area they will actually affect. This includes preparatory ground disturbance outside the later structure. A shared project address is insufficient to establish the location. The specialist task is described by location, planned depth and the findings available for it.

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

Keeping inaccessible areas on the plan

If an area was inaccessible during the investigation, this remains documented with the reason. The other results retain their actual scope. Access cleared later initially creates a new opportunity to work. Whether supplementary investigation is needed, and which kind, is assessed professionally against the ground works concerned.

Document findings and their limitations
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Preparing the handover between construction stages

For each transition, record which results the following stage can use and which questions remain outstanding. Identify the person receiving these records. A shared schedule helps coordination, but does not replace comparison of the investigation scope with the ground works actually proposed next.

Coordinate the sequence and tasks
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 realistic programme distinguishes technically resolved work from prerequisites that are still outstanding. If only part of a site will be accessible, the commission must take this into account. Handover and assessment of the results also need time in the construction programme. The schedule and effort are agreed once the scope, access and prerequisites are clear. This coordination brings together the specified scope, access, documents, site conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Accounting for sections, transitions and associated work

01

Investigated areas and those not yet accessible

Mark on the site plan which sections are available for investigation, which have already been covered and which are not yet accessible. A continuous property may have different stages of work. Mark the transitions too. Before later ground works, check whether existing investigations cover these areas.

02

Access and utility routes during ongoing operations

Where building entrances, access roads or utility routes are needed during the project, describe these conditions early. Agree with those responsible on site which use is possible during the investigation. Record the agreed work windows, closed sections and responsible contacts on the current plan.

03

Utilities, drainage and additional ground works

Alongside the main structure, a construction stage may involve additional ground works for utilities, drainage or temporary facilities. Record such possible tasks with their spatial references. Check whether existing investigation results cover them. Assignment to the same construction stage is insufficient on its own.

04

Comparing records before the next construction stage

Before the next ground works, the plan version, investigation result and outstanding tasks should be available together. If the construction programme changes, these references must be checked again. A verbal reference to an earlier assessment is insufficient for traceability where the area covered or its boundaries remain unclear.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Handing over the completed area clearly

Link the report to a traceable area boundary and associated plan versions. Explicitly identify sections not investigated. Site management can then check which findings apply to the forthcoming ground works. Even a brief handover retains the complete appendices and technical limitations as part of the records. After clearance work, the clearance record, its scope, results and remaining limitations are assigned to the area actually treated and associated plan version.

Relating later changes to the affected section

A moved utility or additional foundation is shown on the current plan. The existing results are then compared with the changed ground works. Other areas retain their documented status. The necessary addition is determined from the actual difference, not simply inferred from an unchanged project name.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Defining sections before the first work

Compile the proposed construction stages with their associated areas and depths. Include existing statements and reports in full. The sequence in which results are needed is agreed together. Preparatory ground works that precede the main excavation or later foundations can then also be included.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Updating the status before the next section

Add newly available results to the common overview and check their relevance to the next activity. Outstanding areas retain their own identification. Where the plans have changed, the implications are clarified professionally. The handover thus describes the status actually achieved and the prerequisites still needed.

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

Assessing existing findings and survey conditions for each section

Assigning aerial photograph analyses and statements

The historical aerial photograph analysis and existing statements are compared with the proposed division into sections. Check the records to establish which findings are available for each section. The construction schedule’s sequence does not determine the coverage of an existing investigation.

Where reliable historical information is missing for an extension area or new construction stage, the necessary research and aerial photograph analysis are commissioned specifically. Existing explosive ordnance records are also checked with their file references, dates and spatial scope. The Hessen KMRD statement describes the possible contamination derived from aerial photograph analysis and the work required. If area boundaries change, those of the original enquiry remain identifiable. Additional exploratory work, utility trenches or excavations may affect different sections from those in the site plan initially submitted. Clarify such changes with the technical parties before the affected ground works.

Survey conditions on the available areas

For a surface survey an area being marked as available in the schedule is insufficient. Actual survey conditions and possible interference must be assessed. Record unanswered questions and agree the next steps. Completion of another section does not answer these questions.

Method selection considers the investigation objective, required depth and actual site conditions together. Fill, ground composition, metal utilities, reinforcement or interfering objects can limit interpretation. Specialist planners describe which investigation is suitable under these conditions and how remaining questions will be addressed. For deep foundations, retaining structures or borehole positions, the location and depth of the proposed work are stated specifically. Any necessary deep survey or borehole clearance is related to that task. If a survey point moves or the ground works depth changes, the existing investigation scope is compared with the revised plan.

When construction supervision is technically suitable

The explosive ordnance clearance during construction is planned according to the specialist task, existing findings and actual working conditions. According to the DGUV FAQ, visual observation alone during excavation does not meet the state of the art. Appropriate detection, technical assessment and documentation are provided for the agreed investigation scope.

The investigation is coordinated with the other work on site. For staged projects, identify approved access, transport and utility routes still needed, and operational restrictions. If storage areas or installations are removed, the resulting conditions are assessed before the next investigation. Site management needs the area covered and outstanding tasks in an unambiguous plan version. An agreed handover point in the construction programme ensures that results are available before the work intended to rely on them.

For a tender divided into sections, describe each investigation task with its prerequisites. These include the investigation objective, available area, proposed depths and required results documentation. Distinguish work already commissioned from additions whose need will be established only after further assessment. Travel to sections worked at different times, restricted work windows and handover to several executing contractors also belong in the scope agreement. Offers can be compared when they concern the same task and conditions. Changes are recorded against the affected construction stage and a traceable plan version. Additional depth or an extension area can then be addressed technically and organisationally as a separate addition, while previously documented results retain their original scope.

Next steps

Coordinate investigation and the construction sequence

01

Compare the initial enquiry with the section plan

Show areas, ground works and the intended sequence on the plan. The initial discussion records the construction task and results needed first. The document review compares existing reports and statements with the proposed areas and depths and identifies missing information.

02

Prepare historical records and access

Agree access and operational requirements on site. Where historical information is incomplete, the necessary research and aerial photograph analysis are planned. Uses, access and possible interference are recorded so that investigations can be prepared for the relevant areas.

03

Select methods, investigate and assess

Bring together the investigation task and existing findings. Method selection considers the investigation objective, depth and survey conditions. The commissioned survey or technically suitable supervision investigates the defined areas. Results are assessed with their interpretation limits.

04

Document the results and define the next work

Pass on the areas covered and outstanding questions clearly. The report and site plan document the actual scope completed. The next-step decision checks which subsequent ground works are covered and where further specialist work or consultation with the authorities is required.

Documentation

Handing over investigation status to site management

Findings and their scope

Site management needs more than the report date: its spatial and technical scope matters. Record which areas were investigated, the results and the conditions that applied. If further areas become accessible later, their investigation needs require separate clarification. The earlier result does not automatically apply to them.

Project responsibilities

Hessen’s provisions require assessed or cleared areas to be documented with a site plan. This spatial evidence supports assignment to the construction stage; official decisions are recorded separately. The planning and documentation principles in the BFR Kampfmittelräumung support a traceable investigation brief and complete results handover.

For handover between investigation and construction, the results plan, investigation brief and current construction plan are provided together. The plan shows the sections investigated, their depth references and areas with limited findings. For clearance work, the project file includes the clearance record with the actual scope completed. Hessen’s provisions require a copy of the site plan documentation to be submitted to the KMRD after completion. Agree the necessary records and recipients when commissioning. Site management or executing contractors brought in later can then trace the authoritative status for each section. Where area clearance or recovery are required, the task, area and responsibilities are clarified before work begins.

Hessen’s provisions require site plans at a scale of 1:1,000 for investigated areas or areas cleared of ammunition. The project file must retain a traceable relationship to the respective property and construction stage. Reports containing depths also record the vertical reference used. If excavation, filling or later construction has changed the ground, these conditions are compared with the original investigation. A local elevation change may affect which ground layers the next ground works reach. Use the associated plans together with the report and mark later changes. For a site in Wiesbaden suspected of explosive ordnance contamination, this comparison defines the outstanding specialist task more precisely. The next brief can then target the areas actually requiring supplementary work.

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

Documenting access separately from investigation status

An area’s availability and its technical work status describe different prerequisites. Document both in the project overview. If a previously inaccessible area becomes available, the outstanding task can be prepared specifically. A change in use alone does not add to the contents of an earlier report.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

A handover list needs spatial references

Use the same unambiguous names in the plan, report and construction stage. The list refers to the complete appendices and identifies outstanding points. Parties joining later can then understand the status. A brief note such as completed remains insufficient without the task and investigated area. Resuming work depends on the specific circumstances, official measures and prerequisites for the following activities.

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 staged explosive ordnance assessment in Wiesbaden

Can different construction stages be investigated separately?

Whether separate work is appropriate, and how it should be arranged, must be established from the specialist task and local conditions. Section boundaries and transitions must remain traceable. A result for one section does not automatically apply to an adjoining area or one added later.

What information is needed for access roads that remain in use?

Identify the access needed, operations affected and responsible contacts. These details form part of investigation planning. The use possible during a particular activity can be agreed only for the specific project. Agree investigation needs early, before the affected ground works. This includes preparatory ground disturbance before the main excavation.

Can an investigation be replaced by simply observing excavation?

According to the DGUV FAQ, visual observation alone during excavation does not meet the state of the art. Explosive ordnance clearance during construction needs a suitable, technically justified task and appropriate detection and documentation.

Who decides when people may return after an evacuation?

The official lifting of the evacuation is decisive. Wiesbaden’s emergency services provide information through the media, loudspeaker announcements and municipal crisis information. People may return only after it is lifted and in accordance with the authorities’ instructions.

What must happen if an unexpected item is found?

Stop the affected work, keep your distance and leave the object untouched. Notify the police immediately on 110 and follow the authorities’ instructions. Do not move the object, expose it further or remove it yourself.

What changes when a previously occupied area becomes accessible?

The outstanding investigation question can be prepared specifically using the area now available. This does not retrospectively extend the earlier report. Provide the current site plan, proposed depths and existing statements, complete investigation reports and utility plans. Clarify outstanding requirements in the KMRD statement with the bodies responsible for the project.

How are several construction stages recorded in an overview?

Each section receives a clear spatial reference, the proposed ground works and the results available for them. Outstanding questions remain separately visible.

Which factors determine the work involved in a staged investigation?

The area, ground works depth, access, interference and evidence needed determine the work involved. Several construction stages also require the relevant site visits and handovers. Agree the specialist work needed for each on the basis of the actual plan version.

Project enquiry

Explosive ordnance assessment for your construction stages in Wiesbaden

Show construction stages on the site plan

Also mark preparatory ground works and sections needed later. For a further construction project in Frankfurt the location, foundations and local investigation tasks are agreed separately.

Include the current status

Add complete reports and information on previously inaccessible areas.

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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