Project pathway
The quickest route to the right decision.
Ordnance assessment in the Minette
After an industrial plant has been demolished, more may remain underground than the current site plan shows. For a new project, consider former uses, retained installations and planned ground interventions together. We clarify with you which information is needed for an ordnance assessment of your site in the Minette.
Identify remaining foundations and utility lines.
Separate completed work from work still planned.
Provide excavations and foundations with their depths.
Assess the construction project
How should demolition and later excavations be prepared together?
Relate existing reports to the ground conditions and demolition stage they concern. Show the next excavation areas and depths with known foundations and installations. The technical planners check the scope of earlier conclusions under the proposed conditions. Demolition, contamination remediation and ordnance investigation retain their distinct technical purposes.
Project site
Connect the site with the specific construction task
Relate development in the Minette to your own records
For your site, consider its history, earlier work and next groundworks together. The Esch-Schifflange example illustrates different planning and investigation tasks across several phases. The site's complete reports establish which results are available for your property today. Technical preparation uses these records to determine the prerequisites for the specific intervention.
Minette and southern Luxembourg refer here to a regional planning area within the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, not an additional municipal permitting authority. The Metzeschmelz example concerns land between Esch-sur-Alzette and Schifflange. For your project, the precise address, municipality and actual ground intervention are decisive. Where development crosses municipal boundaries, keep the respective planning responsibilities identifiable. Clarify the public duties concerning found ammunition with the responsible Luxembourg authorities.
Information about ordnance surveying in Esch-sur-Alzette, Dudelange and Sanem helps prepare your project enquiry. The deciding evidence is the records and planned ground interventions for each property.
Local context
Industrial history does not replace an investigation
Redevelopment of the former Metzeschmelz steelworks
The Luxembourg government describes Metzeschmelz between Esch-sur-Alzette and Schifflange as the redevelopment of a former steel industry site. Its April 2026 statement identifies planning, remediation and new infrastructure as different tasks. This specific example illustrates the range of work involved. It makes no general statement about explosive ordnance contamination at other sites in the Minette.
The Municipality of Schifflange's 2021 investigation framework
For the former Esch-Schifflange works, the Municipality of Schifflange included “ammunition finds” in the investigation framework in its statement of 26 November 2021. It also called for consideration of the effects of demolition, soil remediation and the later construction phase. The letter describes the investigation needs at that time rather than completed ordnance clearance. In phased redevelopment, distinguish which ordnance reports cover demolition areas and which cover later construction areas. Also ask which ground conditions and demolition stage a report concerns. This allows its conclusions to be checked against the next intervention; it does not automatically require a new investigation.
Establish your own site's history
An ordnance assessment of your site depends on what is known about its own use and earlier works. Old works plans, aerial photographs and earlier investigation reports may provide evidence. Relate them to today's property and proposed intervention. A report for a neighbouring part of the works cannot be applied to the entire site solely because the areas once shared a use.
The region's industrial history also spans the war years. In Dudelange, two forced-labour camps were established after compulsory conscription began in autumn 1942. Do not extend this documented local connection to every former works site. For a specific area, relate its own historical findings to the boundaries of use at that time; neither the regional event nor later redevelopment alone establishes explosive ordnance contamination.
Distinguish remediation questions from ordnance questions
Contamination, ground conditions and explosive ordnance require different technical assessments. A soil contamination investigation does not automatically answer the ordnance question. Conversely, an ordnance investigation does not provide a contamination or geotechnical assessment. Each specialist team should therefore know what work is planned and when it will involve the ground.
Requirements
Clarify technical requirements and responsibilities within the project
Relate requirements to the specialist task
For work in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the prerequisites for the specific activity are checked before work begins. Company qualifications and personal credentials are assigned to their respective purposes. The scope of services describes the technical tasks and coordination with the responsible parties. The records identify the notifications or documents required, who handles them and how the clarified status will be made available before work starts.
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.
Regional background: Luxembourg government: Metzeschmelz redevelopment · Schifflange: Esch-Schifflange investigation framework (2021, PDF pp. 57–59).
Planning and documentation: BFR KMR: clearance planning with a clearance plan – introduction · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation · Luxembourg Army: SEDAL · Luxembourg Environment Agency: reporting found ammunition · DGUV: explosive ordnance clearance FAQ
The BFR KMR are used as technical guidance; locally applicable requirements and responsibilities must be clarified separately.
For work in Luxembourg, check the locally applicable requirements for the specific activity before carrying it out. Guidance on temporary cross-border services and the posting of employees is provided by Guichet.lu: service provision and Guichet.lu: posting of employees. The necessary notifications and evidence relate to the type of service and personnel deployment. German technical guidance does not replace these Luxembourg requirements.
Working together
Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor
Client and operator
The project owner describes the project and provides existing records. Operators add information on use, access and timing requirements. A coordinating contact brings the information together. The parties agree their respective tasks and decision responsibilities. Before commissioning, the records identify missing information, 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 work within the permitted framework clarified for Luxembourg. The technical report identifies the task, areas actually covered and limitations of the findings. Required notifications and evidence relate to the activity and personnel deployment. The responsible Luxembourg bodies make the decisions assigned to them. The state SEDAL service carries out its responsibilities for found ammunition. The specialist contractor and project participants agree the necessary handovers with the responsible bodies.
Investigation task
Which specialist task comes next?
Use the next groundworks as the starting point
Describe whether the next task involves removing a foundation, conducting an investigation or excavating a new pit. Include the respective depths and working spaces. Compare the investigation scope needed with existing findings. An overall site name is less informative than a precise description of the actual forthcoming intervention and its geographical context.
Compare suitable specialist servicesCoordinate technical services with clear responsibilities
Account for contamination, ground conditions and explosive ordnance with their different investigation objectives. The parties need the relevant records and an agreed sequence of ground interventions. A result answering one question does not replace another technical task. Common drawing revisions help relate the services and record the prerequisites needed before work starts.
Compare investigation methodsProject types
Assess industrial sites against earlier work and the next intervention
Relate the historical assessment to your own part of the works
Relate earlier works plans, aerial photographs and existing specialist assessments to today's property. Changes to buildings and site boundaries may make this comparison necessary. The technical planners use the available sources for the specific task. Belonging to the same former works provides information about site history but does not replace reliable findings for each individual area.
If plots are subdivided, do not file historical maps solely under the current owner's name. Establish which former operational area lay within today's intervention area and which records actually address it. Identify incomplete map extracts or unclear boundaries. Treat missing geographical attribution as a specific research question. This keeps it clear which existing assessment already applies and which findings must be developed for the next construction task.
Arrange specialist assessment of historical evidence
Plan the technical service for current conditions
Identify existing foundations, technical installations and proposed demolition works. The technical planners consider which areas are accessible and what must be established before the next ground intervention. Changes to existing structures may affect conditions. Determine the next steps from the documented results and actual task rather than prescribing one method for every industrial site.
Removing a foundation changes the surface and may make previously concealed areas accessible. Record whether the foundation was still present during an earlier survey and which areas of ground could be assessed then. For additional exploratory works or a deeper foundation, compare the new geometry with the old results plan. Agree the appropriate technical service before that intervention; an area cleared for work is not equivalent to an area investigated to any depth.
Compare specialist services
Link results to the ground conditions and demolition stage at the time
Record which surfaces and installations were present during an investigation. The report's maps and limitations remain part of the handover. For later works, check whether the conclusions still cover the ground affected. A new use or ownership description does not, by itself, change the technical scope of an existing result.
In phased development, give each area handed over a traceable record of the work completed. Include the drawing revision used, ground reference at the time and subsequent ground changes where known. If material has been placed or moved, assign this to the affected section. The technical planners assess the scope of existing results against these details. Site management can then prepare the next contract using the reports actually available and outstanding tasks.
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
Make the site's current condition traceable
01
Locate earlier uses
Collect existing drawings and reports with their dates. Mark the areas each covers. Additional positional information helps where boundaries are unclear; keep missing records or results that cannot be assigned to a location visible as unresolved matters.
An earlier site plan and today's property layout may use different boundaries. Bring together identifiable existing features or available survey data for comparison. The responsible design team identifies the applicable drawing revision. A coloured overview without its supporting appendices is insufficient to transfer an investigation boundary to a construction section formed later. Obtain missing information before the technical assessment.
02
Identify remaining installations
Identify known foundations, pits, utility lines and other installations. Metal or structural remnants can affect measurements and access. This does not determine a particular investigation method; compare the actual conditions with the technical task.
03
Record the demolition stage
Distinguish components already removed from demolition works still planned. Include changes to the ground surface. For earlier measurements, check whether their documented scope covers the ground exposed today or to be exposed later.
Distinguish above-ground demolition from work affecting the ground. A remaining strip foundation, deeper shaft or underground sewer may still matter to the new investigation even after the hall has been removed. State which remnants are to be removed under the next contract. Relate preparation and investigation to these actual works. A demolition notice or future date is not evidence that the works have already been completed.
04
Include investigations before new construction
Geotechnical boreholes and sampling may precede the main foundation works. Include their positions and depths in the coordination. Clarify the ordnance question for these interventions rather than waiting until the later main excavation.
Project documents
Documents that establish the next step
Distinguish planned measures from completed results
An investigation framework or remediation plan describes tasks intended to be undertaken. Appropriate results documentation is needed to establish what has actually been completed. Identify these different document types in the enquiry. The technical planners can then use existing reliable findings and identify tasks that remain only planned or whose completion is not yet traceable.
Where clearance work has been carried out, a clearance record documents the commission, areas actually worked, methods, positional and depth references, findings, limitations and outstanding tasks. Hand over the accompanying drawings together. Keep an investigation framework from an earlier development phase distinguishable from these results. New project management needs the results actually delivered to relate the next ground intervention to the correct area.
Show underground installations on your own drawing
Provide known foundations, sewers and other installations with their positional references. Identify incomplete or uncertain records of existing conditions. The technical investigation can account for this information during preparation. A historical works plan provides evidence but, alone, establishes neither present access nor particular findings about the ground beneath or beside the installations.
If components are to be retained, show their known positions and the planned new interventions on the same overview. Technical ordnance investigation replaces neither structural stability assessment nor permission to open underground spaces. The technical planners need the accessible investigation areas and findings required. Do not enter or independently open unidentified voids for an enquiry. Assign missing information on existing structures to the responsible specialists for clarification.
Construction sequence
Coordinate investigation and construction sections
Include records of the work already completed in the enquiry
Send historical site records, demolition drawings and complete ordnance reports. Identify completed and proposed works separately. Include the current design for the next ground interventions. Initial coordination can then account for suitable earlier results and establish additional requirements for the actual forthcoming tasks, even if the overall development spans several years.
Compare results before the next construction phase
Site management receives the appropriate documentation identifying the drawing and ground coverage used. Following changes in position, depth or existing structures, assess their significance for the next intervention. Applicable conclusions remain usable. Define the reason for further work and the affected area before the corresponding groundworks begin.
Method selection
Select methods according to the task and survey conditions
Historical records and aerial photographs
Historical aerial photograph analysis and other older records bring together available findings on former uses and possible grounds for suspicion. For former works, relate the halls, tracks and operational areas at the time to today's property. Identify chronological coverage and evident gaps. Interpretation supports investigation planning but does not measure today's ground. An old works name does not establish a uniform conclusion for every plot formed subsequently.
Understand aerial photograph assessmentMagnetometric survey
Geomagnetic surveying records disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field, which may be caused by ferromagnetic objects, among other sources. On a former steel industry site, remaining foundations, utility lines and metal installations can affect measurements. A strong signal alone does not identify explosive ordnance. Assess the investigation objective, achievable coverage and existing interference together; account for conditions changed by demolition in the planning.
Understand the scope of magnetometryElectromagnetic methods
Electromagnetic methods can respond to metal objects. Determine suitability for the specific task and actual ground and interference conditions. A former hall footprint that is already clear may present different measurement conditions from an adjoining area with remaining plant. Document the data recorded with positional references and limitations. Further investigation follows the outstanding technical question, not merely the equipment available.
Understand electromagnetic surveyingGround-penetrating radar
Ground-penetrating radar uses electromagnetic reflections to investigate underground structures. Soil structure, moisture and conductivity affect its potential contribution to the ordnance question. Account for known pits, sewers and foundations as information on existing conditions. An investigation locating a structure does not, by that fact, provide a separate ordnance assessment. Relate interpretation to the agreed investigation objective and actual limitations.
GPR and limitationsDeep-ground and downhole surveys
Borehole methods may be considered for deeper interventions. For the new foundation, show positions and required coverage with the elevation datum and existing installations. An earlier investigation of upper layers does not automatically cover ground beneath a foundation removed later. Creating investigation access is itself a ground intervention whose prerequisites must be clarified beforehand. A general depth or standard grid does not replace site-specific planning.
Prepare deep interventionsSurvey during construction
Under suitable conditions, a properly planned investigation alongside construction can be incorporated into the proposed works. It includes the agreed investigation, interpretation and communication of findings; visual observation alone does not replace a survey required beforehand. For demolition and subsequent new construction, keep actual working areas and changes to existing structures traceable. Agree outstanding areas with the responsible parties before the next task.
Agree the approach during constructionTechnical assessment
Coordinate preliminary assessment and measurements
Assess historical documents
A historical aerial photograph analysis can bring together available sources on former use and possible grounds for suspicion. Chronological and geographical coverage and identifiable gaps are decisive. Describing an area as an industrial brownfield establishes neither an ordnance finding nor an all-clear.
Check measurement conditions on site
Whether a surface survey is suitable depends, among other factors, on installations, ground conditions and the investigation objective. Areas that cannot be investigated adequately must remain identifiable. Investigating adjoining open areas does not automatically cover them.
Describe new foundations separately
For deep or individual foundations, a deep or borehole survey may be considered. Assess its suitability for the specific position and intervention depth. Account for the preliminary drilling itself as well; a general reference to deep investigation is insufficient.
Next steps
From the documented demolition stage to the next investigation
Gather as-built records
Provide existing works records, demolition drawings and investigation documents. At first contact, clarify the project location and technical findings needed. Check existing drawings, statements and investigation reports for currency, geographical relevance, completeness and gaps.
Address outstanding historical questions
Where historical questions remain unresolved, the source research and aerial photograph analyses required are actually carried out within the agreed commission. Results are assigned to today’s parcels and ground works areas. Existing assessments retain their identifiable scope; new findings inform investigation planning.
Describe today's surface
Identify removed components, remaining structures and known ground changes.
Include the planned works
Identify exploratory works, demolition and new foundations with their positions and depths. Select a suitable method against the investigation objective, planned interventions and actual ground and measurement conditions. Agree access, protective measures and coordination between the works with the responsible parties.
Perform the agreed investigation
The agreed survey or professional investigation during construction is carried out in the defined areas and at the defined points. Measurement data and observations are assigned to the location and vertical reference used. Departures from the planned investigation areas, sections not covered and relevant interference are recorded.
Assess and document findings
The measurement data and findings collected are assessed professionally against the investigation objective and actual conditions. The report and associated plans document the areas covered, location, elevation and depth references, interference and limitations. Outstanding tasks are assigned spatially so that the next decision can relate to the work step concerned.
Agree the investigation commission
We discuss the technical requirements, possible methods and missing information. Hand over the report and accompanying drawings identifying the areas covered, limitations and outstanding tasks. Agree the decision needed for the next intervention with the responsible parties.
Documentation
Keep results tied to the section actually investigated
Findings and their scope
In phased development, keep it clear what was investigated in each area. The report should traceably identify areas, depths, methods, results and limitations. If the intervention changes, compare it with the documented scope. A later property sale or subdivision does not expand the investigation's conclusions.
Project responsibilities
Before mobilisation, check private investigation services against the requirements applicable to the project in Luxembourg. SEDAL is the Luxembourg Army's ordnance service and undertakes duties concerning unexploded ammunition, among others. A commission to investigate a former industrial site therefore does not automatically include defusing or destroying found ammunition.
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
Distinguish an investigation commission from evidence of completion
For each document, check whether it describes a need, commissions a service or documents its results. This distinction helps on developments spanning many years and involving numerous parties. A list of planned investigations is not a complete set of results. For the next construction task, bring together the findings actually available with their maps and technical limitations.
Understand investigation reports and their limitationsPreserve geographical attribution after later subdivision
When large industrial sites are subdivided, keep the original investigation maps available. Relate them to today's plots and include the drawing for the proposed intervention. New project management can then trace the existing findings. A general area description replaces neither geographical attribution nor a check that the documented depths match the current construction task.
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 redeveloping former industrial sites
Does former industrial use mean explosive ordnance is present?
No. Former use informs preliminary assessment but is not an ordnance finding. The assessment concerns available sources, earlier investigations and the specific project in each area.
Does a contamination report replace an ordnance assessment?
No. The two investigations have different objectives. A contamination report may contain information relevant to coordination but does not automatically provide evidence of a technical ordnance investigation.
Can measurements made before old foundations were removed still be used?
Check this against the documented investigation scope. The deciding question is whether the results cover the ground subsequently affected under the changed conditions. Demolition makes results neither automatically transferable in full nor subject to an indiscriminate new investigation.
Which records are particularly important for an initial enquiry?
The current site plan, known former uses, demolition drawings and existing ordnance reports with appendices are helpful. Include the planned exploratory and foundation works with positions, elevations and depths. Identify missing information explicitly.
Where should an ammunition find in Luxembourg be reported?
Stop the affected work. Do not touch, move or relocate the suspicious object, or expose it further. Leave the danger area and keep others away. From a safe distance, notify the Luxembourg police on 113 or SEDAL. Do not take the object to a police station or other official premises, or to a recycling centre. Follow the instructions of the responsible authorities.
Is an investigation framework already a results report?
No. It describes the intended requirements. Check the results actually obtained and their limitations in the corresponding reports.
What determines the cost of an explosive ordnance investigation?
The work involved depends on the investigation objective, existing findings and agreed scope of services. Remaining foundations, restricted access and interference from metal may affect the works. For a traceable quotation, describe the areas and points needed with their depths, work completed and existing reports. Keep research, field investigation, interpretation and documentation identifiable within it. Agree tasks arising from a changed excavation or areas initially inaccessible separately.
What helps when an industrial site changes ownership?
Complete reports with their original maps, related to today's plots and planned groundworks.
Project enquiry
Prepare the site's next use
Show the work completed
Send the current site plan for your project in the Minette showing known former uses, remaining installations and the demolition stage reached. Mark exploratory works, foundation removal and new excavations separately with positions, depths and elevation datum. Identify the first forthcoming ground intervention and its proposed timeframe. This provides a basis for discussing the technical findings needed for that stage.
Provide technical reports
Include existing site, demolition and investigation records in full with their appendices. Keep ordnance reports, contamination investigations and geotechnical reports distinguishable by subject. State which measures are only planned and which have been carried out and documented. Identify missing maps, unclear elevation datums or areas still concealed as unresolved information. During coordination, assign the technical tasks needed and handover of results to the responsible parties. Also identify who will pass the reports to the next site management team after a contract is completed.
Construction projects in Esch-sur-Alzette
Regional planning and responsibilitiesConstruction projects in Sanem
Regional planning and responsibilitiesCoordinate environmental and geotechnical matters
Explosive ordnance investigation and appropriate servicesUnderstand investigation reports
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.
