Technical map of the administrative district of Düsseldorf, marking Düsseldorf as a location for ordnance investigation and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveys in Moers: compare areas and reports

Which parts of your construction area have already been investigated, and what remains before the next groundworks? FONTANA-EOD supports commissioned assessment and documentation of investigation status in Moers. The report and site plan are compared with the proposed work. An investigation of part of a site does not automatically cover the whole project.

Interim or final report

Check which work is complete and which remains outstanding.

Investigated area

Locate the boundaries identified in the report on the construction plan.

Next groundworks

Compare location and depth with the existing result.

Discuss existing reportsExplosive ordnance assessment in North Rhine-Westphalia
Assess the construction project

Relate partial investigations to their actual scope

An interim report may already contain usable results while further areas remain unresolved. For your project in Moers, we compare the report, annexes and current construction plans. This identifies which findings concern the next ground intervention and what documents or work are still needed.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map with the North Rhine-Westphalia coat of arms, beside a tablet, safety helmet and notebook.

Place the Moers planning evidence in its time and area

The council papers dated 7 May 2024 for the fourth amendment to development plan 400 contain an interim report from the Düsseldorf explosive ordnance disposal service. It expressly concerns part of the site and announces a final report. For your project, the current investigation status, associated maps and planned work are clearly assigned. Moers is a town in the Wesel district, Düsseldorf administrative district, in North Rhine-Westphalia. For enquiries, provide the precise project address and area concerned. For a project in another municipality in the district, clarify local responsibility separately. The area information links the location with the appropriate procedure and specialist task needed.

North Rhine-Westphalia
Local context

Compare the investigated part with the entire project

A published Moers interim report as a specific example

The Moers council papers dated 7 May 2024 for the fourth amendment to development plan No. 400 reproduce an interim report from the explosive ordnance disposal service. It expressly applies only to the part investigated by then and shown on a map. A final report is announced for completion of the work. The documents record that project's status at the time; they do not establish today's conditions or those of other properties in Moers.

Establish the current status for your own project

For your project, compare the area investigated in the report with the work now planned. The same property address is not sufficient. Read the maps and annexes too, and check whether the document is an interim status or final result.

The equalisation-of-burdens records in the town archive record building-specific bomb damage from the war years, including 1942 and 1944. For today's project file, assign such details using the historical address and area affected. Later alterations, demolition or fill may have changed construction conditions. Historical building entries and technical investigation results retain their respective purpose; the specific next groundworks are prepared using findings relevant to them.

Working together

Allocate tasks within the construction project

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project documents. The operator adds requirements relating to use, access and scheduling. The participants agree their respective tasks and decision-making responsibilities. A coordinating contact person brings the project information together. Before an appointment, it is recorded clearly which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is intended to support.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist company carries out the agreed permissible investigation and documentation scope. Authority requirements and decisions are clarified with the respective competent bodies. The documents needed for a specific procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report documents the specialist service performed, including areas, depths and limits of its conclusions. Its applicability to further groundworks is checked against the specific intervention.

The local public order authority of the town of Moers is responsible for ordnance hazard response. It is supported by the state explosive ordnance disposal service at the Düsseldorf District Government. Competent authorities handle official requirements and make decisions within their respective remit. Private specialist work is prepared within its legally permissible, agreed scope and with necessary coordination. Technical results and outstanding official processing are assigned separately for the next construction phase.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Identify the kind of result available

An aerial photograph analysis, on-site investigation and report on an individual location answer different questions. Establish the basis of the interim status. Its title alone does not determine a method. Remaining needs follow from the actual content and planned ground interventions.

Assess historical documents

Derive an addition from the outstanding question

An uninvestigated part of a site does not automatically require repetition of all previous work. First assess existing results, limits and technical conditions. A suitable addition addresses the remaining task. Official requirements and prerequisites for a permissible private activity in North Rhine-Westphalia remain decisive.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Distinguish interim status, remaining areas and follow-up work

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

Identify the investigated area from the annexes

Read the spatial boundary together with the report text. A project address or property name often does not adequately describe actual scope. Request missing maps from the issuer. Investigation of individual areas is not extended to the whole project merely because the project name is shared.

Record the investigation boundary and intended construction area with a clear plan version. A construction section may include an area already addressed and an unresolved peripheral area, for example. Consider the findings usable for the next ground intervention separately for these areas. Specialists identify the necessary addition if the area or depth remains unclear from existing documents. The project file records which maps are used for further coordination.

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

Identify outstanding work steps specifically

An announced final report is not yet available evidence. Record which work or documents remain outstanding and the area they concern. Check the current status before the next construction decision. Time elapsed since an interim report does not evidence later completion of the work.

Identify, for example, whether another area must first become accessible, measurements remain outstanding or interpretation is not yet available. These tasks have different prerequisites and recipients. Date coordination therefore depends on the actual processing status of the area concerned. When new documents arrive, record their dates and relationship to earlier results. Provide site management with the updated status for coordination before the affected work.

Coordinate the sequence and tasks
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Compare current construction sections with the report

An existing partial result may be relevant to a particular section without covering further sections. Assign location, depth and planned activity to the documented results. The specialist decision follows this specific correspondence. Areas not addressed remain expressly identifiable even in a shared construction programme.

The question may change even in the same area, for example where a deeper excavation replaces a shallow connection trench. State the new depth with the applicable elevation reference and identify additional working areas. The specialist contractor checks existing results against this ground intervention. Necessary additions are agreed within their permissible scope. Before preparatory ground interventions, clarify the investigations and protective measures needed.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Historical preliminary assessment, technical investigation and specialist work during construction answer different project questions. The permissible private activity under the specific North Rhine-Westphalia procedure is clarified with the information objective and necessary authority involvement before an agreement.

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

The scope of private specialist work is agreed using the project documents, actual execution conditions and permissible activity. Necessary preparatory works, investigation, evaluation and documentation are described transparently. Costs and dates are related to these prerequisites and the required coordination. Changes to the construction plans are checked against the agreed contract before work is extended.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Four questions to ask of an existing investigation report

01

What was addressed?

Check which work the report describes. Historical analysis answers different questions from an on-site measurement or investigation of a suspected location. Documented content is decisive for your plans; the report heading alone is insufficient.

02

Where does the result apply?

Compare the area in the report with the current site plan. Property boundaries, investigation boundaries and excavation edges may differ. If the report's map is missing, request it from the issuer before assessing the result's scope.

03

What questions remain outstanding?

Look for uninvestigated areas, limitations and further work announced. An interim report may already contain usable results while the overall investigation continues. List outstanding tasks separately so construction planning considers them.

04

What work comes next?

Describe the location, depth and construction type of the next groundworks. A foundation may need different information from the neighbouring area already investigated. Use the report to check whether the result covers the intended work.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Keep the report and annexes together in full

A single extract may omit essential limits or outstanding tasks. Keep the covering letter, result report and maps together with their dates. Later additions identify which version was replaced or updated. The project file should show actual processing status, rather than merely the title of the most recently received document.

For a construction section, file related letters and plans so their connection remains traceable. For a plan supplied later, clarify which report version it belongs to. Identify the area changed by a correction while keeping older results still usable identifiable. A question to the issuer specifies the relevant location in the document and the outstanding spatial question. Missing information can then be added specifically.

Hand over completion with its remaining limits

Even a final report is read according to its task and applicability. Site management needs complete results and details of limitations. Completing the agreed commission does not automatically mean every future activity has been assessed. Changes to construction plans are compared separately with existing findings.

Before handover to another contractor, compare the planned groundworks with the documented service scope. State which area has since been prepared or become accessible and whether further foundations, utilities or ancillary installations are added. Those carrying out the work receive reports with their annexes and current construction plan. Outstanding specialist or official tasks are assigned to each affected work step. The next commission can then address a specific supplementary need. After clearance work, the clearance record with its scope, results and remaining limits is assigned to the construction section actually treated and its site plan.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Before using an interim report

Compile the report with all annexes and the current site plan. Identify the specific construction section and associated decision. Check whether newer documents are announced or already available. Assessment considers both usable results and parts expressly left unresolved.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Before starting a further construction section

Compare the new work area with the investigation status now documented. Update assignments if further reports or maps have arrived. Internal authorisation of a construction phase does not replace this specialist comparison. Outstanding prerequisites are agreed with those responsible before the affected work.

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 investigation task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, subsurface conditions, interference and investigation area required. Fences, utilities or existing structures can affect interpretation. A signal is therefore not classified as explosive ordnance solely on its strength. The method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task. Magnetometry measures the magnetic field passively. The magnetic effect of the target object is decisive; electrical conductivity alone does not establish its detectability by this method.

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 the mere availability of an instrument. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the required conclusion must also be considered. Results are documented with their locations and investigation conditions. Whether a supplementary method is needed follows from technical assessment and remains a specific project decision. Transient electromagnetic methods, or TDEM, evaluate the time-dependent electromagnetic response of conductive objects. The method is selected according to the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions.

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

What an investigation result establishes

Aerial photograph analysis and measurement

A historical aerial photograph analysis must be distinguished from an on-site technical investigation. Where several documents exist, record which investigation each finding comes from. Only then can it be assessed which questions for the next groundworks are already answered.

For several results, also establish the ground surface and construction conditions underlying each. After soil removal or filling, identical depth figures may describe different volumes of ground. Compare existing elevations with the current plan and identify missing references. Specialist assessment also considers known interference and uninvestigated areas. The data that can continue to be used are assessed from the complete documentation and new investigation objective.

Limits of the investigated area

For a survey the investigated area and documented survey conditions belong together. A result does not apply to additional ground merely because the report is later assigned to a larger project. Retain information on limitations too. Where measurability is restricted, suitable supplementary investigations or permissible supervision during construction are agreed by specialists. Methods and result limits are assigned to the specific commission.

Need for further work

The clearance plan or the investigation plan considers outstanding questions. First check what existing results already cover. What further work is necessary and permissible is clarified by specialists and with the responsible authorities.

If plans contain several options, identify the version applicable to the next decision. An additional route or relocated foundation may affect a volume of ground not previously addressed. Those involved clarify what information is missing and whether another investigation is necessary before the affected work. The quotation describes the agreed task with its prerequisites and result documents. After execution, new and reused results are brought together distinguishably in the project file.

Next steps

Compile reports for the next construction phase

01

Obtain the report with all annexes

Compile the report, maps and annexes. Check whether a newer version or the announced final report is now available. Read separate documents individually first; they need not have the same investigation scope. Provide the project address, investigation question and complete existing documents. Analyses and reports are checked for revision status, spatial agreement and gaps. For unresolved historical questions, undertake the necessary source research and aerial photograph analysis, assigning them to today's ground intervention.

02

Compare areas

Mark investigated areas on the current construction plan and identify unresolved areas. This defines outstanding tasks. Specialist assessment of the investigation method and its results is still required. The suitable method is agreed according to the information sought, intervention depth, ground structure, utilities and survey conditions. Responsibilities and execution prerequisites are clarified before work.

03

Perform the agreed investigation

The survey or investigation during construction appointed under North Rhine-Westphalia's requirements is carried out in the agreed areas and points. Measurement data and observations receive traceable location and elevation references. Uninvestigated areas, restricted access and relevant interference are recorded.

04

Assess survey data and findings

The collected data and findings are evaluated against the investigation objective. The technical assessment considers interference, the areas reached and remaining limits of the conclusions. It establishes which further investigation or work is needed for the planned groundworks.

05

Bring the report and plan appendices together

The report and plan attachments document the specialist works performed and their assessment. Worked areas, investigation depths, the relevant ground surface and limitations remain assigned. Reused older results and newly investigated areas are recorded distinctly. The agreed recipients receive the related documents together.

06

Assign new results to the previous status

For supplementary reports, state which earlier status they relate to. Keep the earlier documents. If results are summarised, limitations of each investigation must remain identifiable. The report and associated plans document specialist work performed, its assessment, areas and depths, and remaining limitations of findings.

07

Inform site management about unresolved areas

Hand reports and plans for the forthcoming work to site management. Identify outstanding questions and responsible contacts. For several parts of a site, it must be clear which result applies to which work area.

Documentation

Even a final report has a defined scope

Findings and their scope

Even for a final report, check which areas and work it covers. It is not an unlimited assurance for every later use. If a new area or different groundworks are added, specialists must assess whether existing results are sufficient.

Project responsibilities

The BFR Kampfmittelräumung describe documentation requirements. Outside their direct scope, they provide specialist guidance. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the responsibilities of local public order authorities and state explosive ordnance disposal services must be observed. FONTANA-EOD undertakes the legally permissible services commissioned.

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

Distinguish report date from processing status

An older interim report may still evidence part of the project history. It does not establish whether further work has since taken place. Ask those responsible for the current status and update the project file. An assumption about progress does not replace verifiable results.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Consider investigation limits in a final report

A report may close an agreed commission while still containing spatial or technical limitations. Read the task, maps and result together. Assessment of the next ground intervention rests on these details. A document title does not give an additional area a finding absent from the report.

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 separate areas and interim reports in Moers

What can be used from an interim report?

An interim report may contain results for a particular part of the site. Check which work was performed there and which remains outstanding. Usable results remain important, but must not be treated as completion for the whole area.

Is the property address sufficient to assign a report?

No. Compare the area identified in the report and its maps with the planned groundworks. Additional areas or greater depths are not automatically covered because the address is the same.

Does the published Moers interim report describe today's situation?

No. The 2024 council papers record the status of a particular project at the time. Today's planning needs the applicable current documents. The report also says nothing about other Moers properties.

How are unresolved parts of a site addressed further?

First determine further investigation needs from existing results and planned groundworks. Responsible authorities must be involved in the necessary steps. A permissible private commission describes the specific specialist service. State decisions and further investigations needed are clarified with those responsible. Existing results remain assigned to their actual investigation scope.

What should be done if a suspicious object is found?

Stop the affected work, do not touch or move the object and move away. Keep other people away and notify the police immediately on 110 or the local public order authority. Follow their instructions and do not attempt investigation or recovery yourself.

How can an announced completion be checked?

Through supplementary documents actually available and confirmed processing status. An announcement in an interim report or elapsed time does not evidence completion.

Can a partial result be used for a construction section?

This is assessed from the specific location, depth, activity and documented finding. The usable scope and outstanding prerequisites must be traceable for that section.

Which documents matter and what factors determine costs?

The applicable complete version is needed with its annexes and traceable assignment to earlier reports. Earlier results and later additions are kept together with their respective applicability. Effort depends on usable previous documents, access and preparation, the area or number and depth of investigation points, a suitable method, survey conditions, interpretation and documentation. Specialist services still required are quoted specifically on this basis.

Project enquiry

Compare existing reports with the next groundworks

Send complete reports

Include interim and final reports with maps and identify announced documents still missing. Also state the project address and investigation question for the next step. Reports include complete associated plans with dates and elevation references. Record which area is accessible today and what preparatory work is planned. The specialist contractor can then assign existing findings to the requested commission and identify further information needed.

Describe the next construction section

Show the specific work area with location, intervention depth and the decision for which the result is needed. Mark uninvestigated areas and known limitations on the current plan. For a change, identify the replaced version and show the additional volume of ground. Responsibilities and necessary coordination remain assigned to each task. For intended area clearance or a recovery task, clarify the specific scope and permissible commission with the responsible authority.

GPR on a construction site
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.

Send a project enquiry Call now Send documents Select services