Technical map of the Braunschweig administrative area marking Braunschweig for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying and disposal in Salzgitter

For project owners, planners and site management, FONTANA-EOD compares existing explosive ordnance reports with the construction project in Salzgitter. Historical indications, technical findings and recommended follow-up measures are considered together with the precise position and depth of the planned earthworks. Send the complete reports and construction plans so that the next investigation or planning step can be agreed specifically.

Records

Check reports and official information.

Commission

Distinguish investigation from possible follow-up measures.

Result

Document areas and depths investigated.

Assess the construction project

Define the next commission from the existing results

For a project in Salzgitter, historical indications, technical investigation results and recommended follow-up measures must be considered separately. We compare these documents with your planned interventions. This identifies whether investigation, supplementary work or further planning is needed first.

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustration of a map with the Lower Saxony coat of arms, a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Site and existing requirements

Specify the actual project location with a site plan and the affected land parcels. Existing information, official conditions and reports are assigned to this area. Salzgitter is in Lower Saxony in the Braunschweig administrative area. The City of Salzgitter is responsible for explosive ordnance hazard response within the city; information and existing reports are assigned to the specific property and intervention. For projects in Lebenstedt, Salzgitter-Bad, Thiede, Gebhardshagen, Immendorf or Drütte, identify the available documents. For project locations in Braunschweig, Wolfsburg, Wolfenbüttel, Goslar, Peine or the wider Braunschweig and south-eastern Lower Saxony area, the municipality and competent authority are determined from the specific location.

Local context

What follows from suspected explosive ordnance

Local starting point

On its explosive ordnance surveying page, the City of Salzgitter explains case-specific assessment using aerial photographs and contamination maps. Where there are grounds for suspicion, technical investigation follows; if the hazard is confirmed, further measures are planned. These stages are different tasks. A general historical description of the city does not replace assessment of a specific project area.

The Salzgitter city history records the founding of the Reichswerke in 1937. For the war years 1939 to 1945, it describes frequent attacks on the steelworks while residential estates were comparatively spared. When preparing work on former steelworks, production and logistics sites, the operational boundaries and transport links at that time are therefore compared with the present location. Later extensions, demolition and terrain changes also form part of the document review. Information concerning the steelworks can only be related to a present-day construction section through its actual former land use.

Implications for construction planning

If an assessment already exists for a commercial site but the new foundations have not yet been designed, information needed for the investigation commission is missing. The area and depth must be defined for this. If a technical investigation has instead already identified a specific further measure, include the associated report. We can then discuss with you which service is needed next. For projects on industrial and steelworks sites, former production and storage areas and later extensions and alterations form part of the area comparison. On the site plan, define commercial and logistics areas, railway and linear infrastructure corridors, transport junctions, and development or conversion sites according to the planned intervention. Information about former uses and changes to the ground is assigned spatially. For utilities, chambers and deeper excavations, we also need the proposed intervention depths.

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 contractor performs the agreed investigation and documentation work. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the respective responsible bodies. The records needed for a specific procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report documents the specialist work carried out and its area, depth and limits of conclusions. The responsible bodies make official decisions concerning subsequent groundworks.

As the municipality, the City of Salzgitter is responsible for local hazard response. Lower Saxony’s explosive ordnance disposal service supports the public order authorities and assesses grounds for suspicion case by case using aerial photographs and contamination maps. The further measures needed are derived from the assessed findings and agreed with the responsible parties. Commercial specialist companies carry out commissioned technical investigations; contacts, official conditions, reporting channels and the handover of assessed findings are clarified for the project.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

First assess the existing findings

Aerial photograph analyses, official correspondence and earlier technical reports are related to the current project. What matters is which question each document answers and which spatial area it covers. Analysis of historical imagery must be distinguished from technical investigation of the present ground. If findings are missing or do not match the planned construction task, the further investigation needed is agreed with the specialists.

Assess historical documents

Relate the investigation to the area and depth

For the technical investigation, a suitable method is selected according to the objective, depth, ground and interference. A standard device alone does not define an appropriate service. The agreed scope identifies accessible areas and required results documentation. Even for a partial investigation, it must remain clear which area is actually investigated and which questions still require clarification afterwards.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Commission investigation and follow-up measures separately in Salzgitter

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

New foundations where an aerial photograph assessment exists

If a historical assessment already exists, its scope is compared with the planned foundations. It is an important basis but does not automatically describe a completed technical investigation. For the next commission, specify the actual foundations, depths and installations. Only then can a substantiated specialist decision identify which investigation will answer the unresolved question.

Provide the current foundation plan with the assessment’s complete appendices. It shows the foundation position, underside elevations and additional working space planned. The specialist planners compare these areas with the historical conclusions and recommendations given there. If this identifies an unresolved technical investigation task, describe it with its spatial reference. Also identify any foundation position changed in the meantime. The next commission specifies the investigation objective and results documentation needed for this intervention. At later handover, the historical basis and scope actually investigated remain separately identifiable and available together for construction planning.

Understanding historical aerial photograph assessments
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Technical report identifying further clarification needs

If a report recommends further work, hand over the recommendation together with the findings on which it is based. Clarify which areas have already been investigated, where interpretation remained limited and which specific task comes next. A single results graphic is often insufficient. The follow-up commission carries over the specialist reasoning and clearly defines its work area.

A recommended supplement may concern, for example, a measurement area with limited interpretability, an area not yet covered or further assessment of an anomaly detected. These reasons are distinguished in follow-up planning. The enquiry includes the complete report, affected plan appendices and specific recommendation. The responsible specialist company explains the resulting task for the planned intervention. A supplementary commission identifies the area, investigation objective and expected results handover. After completion, the new results are brought together with the previous report so that site management can trace the current status for the area concerned.

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

Alterations on a commercial site remaining in use

During alterations, existing foundations, services and operations may affect the investigation. These conditions are described with the planned intervention when selecting an approach. Former industrial use does not in itself establish a specific finding. Site records and specialist assessment of the actual construction task remain decisive.

The design shows which installations and operational areas are to remain in use during the planned specialist work. Accessible investigation areas are distinguished from areas that can be reached only in a later construction phase. Known installations and planned interventions receive a shared spatial reference. The specialist company coordinates the investigation task with the actual conditions; operational contacts clarify the associated access and timing possibilities. If these prerequisites change, the next investigation is coordinated again accordingly. For every area investigated, the results handover records the working conditions and task still outstanding for the subsequent alterations.

Specialist services and investigation 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 reliable process distinguishes work already technically clarified from prerequisites still unresolved. If an area will only be partly accessible, this must be taken into account when commissioning the work. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction programme. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, records, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

What needs clarification for the intended use?

01

Assess existing indications

Provide complete assessments, plan appendices and official correspondence. Identify whether each is a historical assessment, technical measurement result or documented find. These documents answer different questions and must not be treated as equivalent without specialist review.

02

Describe the planned ground intervention

For alterations, record new foundations, deeper work areas, services and their associated excavations. Mark these work areas on the site plan. They may be smaller than the entire operational site. The commission must identify which ground volume is to be investigated for the project.

03

From investigation to clearance planning

Surveying initially serves to investigate. Any clearance need derived from it requires further specialist planning with a described objective and area. In the commission, describe the existing finding and the next measure derived from it.

04

Consider other specialist planning

Soil protection, ground conditions and existing services may provide important conditions for execution. These investigations each answer different questions. Agree their sequence: which results are needed for the next investigation, and who must receive them?

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Keep the existing findings distinct from the commission

Identify whether the case is based on a historical assessment, technical measurement result or further investigation. The next commission can then be described. Generally calling it clearance would obscure these differences and may create unclear scope boundaries.

Pass on recommendations with their reasoning

A report’s recommendation is read with the investigation scope and limitations identified. State which follow-up steps have already been completed or commissioned. The work still outstanding can then be agreed specifically. Earlier results and new services remain traceably separate.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Preparatory investigation and initial ground works

The sequence is planned around the ground works actually proposed. Drilling, service diversions or temporary foundations may already be planned before the main excavation. For each affected area, it is clarified what must be established beforehand and which records are available. Construction plans already submitted may need additional construction details later. These additions are submitted for specialist assessment before the work concerned begins.

Further construction phases and changed plans

At the transition to the next construction phase, it is checked which results still apply. The location, depth and limitations described in the report are decisive. Additional working areas or changed methods are explicitly included. An interim release of an area for operational use and the technical findings of an investigation report are different matters. Site management receives the clarified status together with the associated plans and outstanding next steps.

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 may be suitable for certain metallic target objects and site conditions. Suitability is justified for the particular task, rather than inferred from equipment availability alone. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the conclusion required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and investigation conditions. Whether a supplementary method is needed follows from the technical assessment and remains a specific project decision. TDEM records time-dependent electromagnetic responses from electrically conductive objects.

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 investigation task affect interpretation. An anomaly is not automatically explosive ordnance, and an area without anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The technical interpretation and limitations are documented with the commission. An investigation for other purposes is not adopted as explosive ordnance evidence without assessment. Highly conductive ground can limit its range.

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, it is assessed whether a technically planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the planned workflow. Visual observation during excavation is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work takes place, how new findings are handled and which areas remain unresolved. Where the method is suitable, each working layer is technically surveyed and assessed before controlled removal in layers. Visual checks supplement the survey. The process continues to the agreed excavation base and, where necessary, along walls or slopes; the stop signal, authority to issue instructions and reporting channels are agreed beforehand.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Select investigation methods and plan further measures

Assign historical information spatially

A historical aerial photograph analysis is related to the current site plan and existing site records. Its coverage and resulting recommendations form part of further planning. Former industrial use alone establishes neither a specific explosive ordnance find nor the safety of the ground.

Spatial comparison includes the maps and explanations supporting the historical conclusion. The present design identifies the affected property areas and specific groundworks. Different former and current area names are brought together with their respective plan versions. If an assignment remains unresolved, identify the relevant marking or passage as a specific enquiry. Retain the response with its reference to the original document. This keeps traceable for the next specialist service which historical information was considered, where it applies spatially and which investigation question follows from the current project. Additional technical results are then added with their own scope.

Coordinate measurement methods and investigation objectives

For a surface survey the investigation objective and measurement conditions are decisive. Deeper interventions or interfering installations may require supplementary methods. Measurement must enable a traceable conclusion for the planned area. A method’s ability to provide findings must be assessed at the specific site; it cannot be stated generally for the entire city.

The task description identifies the volume of ground to be assessed, with its position, depth and elevation reference. Known obstacles, surfaces and accessible measurement areas are added. Using this information, the specialist company explains the suitable approach and any preliminary work required. For investigations in stages, individual tasks and their timing prerequisites are identified. The results report links the approach actually used, areas investigated and conclusions reached. Further planning can therefore assess which results concern the upcoming intervention. Changed working volumes or depths are compared with this information before an additional investigation is described and commissioned.

Plan necessary clearance separately

If the assessment identifies a clearance need, area clearance or another necessary follow-up measure is defined according to the specific finding. The BFR KMR guidelines describe the importance of clearance planning for this. Applicable responsibilities and requirements must be considered for the project; outside their direct scope, the federal guidelines are used as specialist guidance.

Existing records show which investigation has already taken place and which assessment led to the recommendation. For further work, clarify the specific specialist task, necessary coordination and local prerequisites. The follow-up commission distinguishes investigation, subsequent work and the results documents associated with each. It identifies who clarifies necessary enquiries with the competent authority and which documents are needed. After execution, the new documents are assigned to the existing project file. The next construction section can identify the status achieved and work still outstanding.

Next steps

From the investigation commission to documented results

01

Compile existing reports

Compile reports according to their subject and spatial reference. For unresolved questions about former use, supplementary historical records are researched and suitable wartime aerial photographs assessed, where available. The findings and their assessment limitations are assigned to the planned intervention and evaluated to establish further investigation needs.

02

Define ground interventions

Mark areas, depths and intended use on the current plan.

03

Clarify the next step

State whether grounds for suspicion need investigation or an existing report recommends further measures.

04

Agree the service scope

Clarify the investigation objective, prerequisites and results documentation before commissioning. The method is selected according to the findings needed, intervention depth, ground conditions, services, sources of interference and accessibility. Suitability and required preliminary work are explained for the areas still unresolved.

05

Investigate the agreed area

The specialist contractor carries out the commissioned investigation. Survey grids, necessary borehole locations and access for investigation are coordinated with the area, level reference, ground works depth and local conditions. Survey data and findings are spatially referenced; inaccessible sections and interference are recorded.

06

Assess findings and agree further work

The results are compared with the construction task. Anomalies, assessed findings and unresolved areas are identified separately. For confirmed explosive ordnance, recovery and further handling are agreed with the responsible bodies in accordance with the division of responsibilities in Lower Saxony.

07

Hand over results and outstanding follow-up measures

The report and its plans identify the points, areas and depths actually investigated. Survey conditions, limitations and outstanding tasks remain identifiable for the next investigation or construction activity. Where applicable, a clearance record relates the location, depth, findings and result of recovery work carried out.

Documentation

Document investigation results and outstanding measures

Findings and their scope

The documentation should identify the investigation carried out, its spatial and depth scope, and limitations. Recommendations for further measures must be distinguishable from the result already achieved. Always pass on the report with its plan appendices. It must show which work is complete and what still needs clarification.

Project responsibilities

In Lower Saxony, statutory hazard response is the responsibility of municipalities. The state explosive ordnance disposal service supports them and carries out its assigned recovery and disposal tasks. FONTANA-EOD provides commissioned specialist services within their agreed scope. The report identifies the areas actually investigated and the commissioned scope of services. Official decisions are made by the competent authorities; later ground interventions are compared with the documented result.

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

Read results together with their scope

A statement is understandable only with its investigation task. Check the area and depth described, methods used and restrictions. A report title or single result line is insufficient. For new work, these details are compared with the current plan to establish which knowledge remains usable and which question is unresolved.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Use project terminology unambiguously

Document review, surveying, construction-phase specialist work and recovery are different tasks. An enquiry need not identify the correct method in advance. An accurate description of the intervention and required decision is more useful. This establishes the appropriate technical scope and prevents a general term from meaning different things in design, procurement and execution.

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 investigation and clearance commissions in Salzgitter

How are investigation and clearance distinguished?

Technical investigation and any clearance required as a result are different tasks. The enquiry should identify the available findings and the next step needed. Before commissioning, agree which investigation or clearance measure is to be carried out.

Does industrial use establish suspected explosive ordnance?

Land-use history may be important for investigation. However, it replaces neither a site-specific assessment nor specialist evaluation of the planned intervention. Whether grounds for suspicion exist and which investigation is needed must be clarified for the specific area.

Which factors determine the investigation scope and costs?

Area, intervention depth, available documents, ground conditions, metal interference and access determine the investigation task. Required preparation, interpretation, assessment of findings and documentation must also be considered. Investigations already carried out and recommended follow-up measures are described separately so that the quotation covers the work actually still needed. Unresolved quantities and access are agreed before execution.

What should an enquiry include if surveying has already taken place?

The complete report with plan appendices, stated limitations and recommendations, together with the current construction design. State which recommended measures have already been implemented. A single results graphic cannot replace this necessary context.

What should I do if a suspicious item is found?

If possible explosive ordnance is found, stop work at the location immediately. Do not touch, move or expose the object further. Leave the immediate area, keep your distance and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police immediately on 110 and follow their instructions. Inform site management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call. An enquiry form for planned construction projects is not an emergency reporting channel.

Can a measurement signal immediately be described as explosive ordnance?

A signal needs specialist interpretation and, where necessary, further clarification. Its strength or graphical representation alone does not identify the object. The report must distinguish measurement findings, assessment and necessary subsequent steps.

When does a clearance plan become relevant?

If the available findings and hazard assessment require a corresponding clearance measure, its planning addresses the objective, area and conditions. The BFR KMR guidelines describe this specialist relationship. The requirements applying to the specific project are clarified with the competent authorities.

What must be checked if the construction method changes?

The new intervention is checked against the existing conclusion to establish whether it remains covered. This includes position, depth and the actual disturbance of the ground. Provide the changed design before execution; an unchanged project name is insufficient for assessment.

Project enquiry

Check existing reports and construction plans with us

Plan revision and decision deadline

State whether the enquiry concerns early planning, preparation for tendering or ground works about to begin. The date by which technical findings are needed helps coordination. Outstanding information is explicitly identified rather than replaced with assumed values. Specify the earliest ground works, construction time windows, maximum ground works depths and investigations already commissioned.

Assign records to their locations

Send a site plan and available reports with their associated appendices. For several construction phases, identify which document belongs to which area. Photographs supplement descriptions of access and existing structures; they do not replace information about underground structures or planned depths. Include official correspondence, conditions, service plans and ground investigation records or records of existing structures. Identify contacts and areas that are not yet accessible.

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.