Project pathway
The quickest route to the right decision.
Coordinate explosive ordnance surveys and archaeology in Paderborn
Are archaeological works also planned on your construction site in Paderborn? Their groundworks, ordnance assessment and subsequent construction must then be coordinated. FONTANA-EOD supports planning and documentation of permissible commissioned ordnance work. This needs precise information on working areas, depths and results already available.
Document the results of both investigations separately.
Coordinate preparation, investigations and construction.
Record which work each form of evidence covers.
Assess the construction project
Assign the results of both specialist tasks separately
Archaeological work and ordnance investigations may concern the same area but answer different questions. For your Paderborn project, we coordinate the commissioned ordnance task with the planned ground interventions. An excavated archaeological area does not become ordnance evidence merely through that work.
Project site
Connect the site with the specific construction task
Assess Paderborn's authorities and local example correctly
The general hazard response section within the public order office identifies ordnance clearance as a task. The lower heritage authority is responsible for heritage protection and conservation. The Stadthaus report describes separate archaeological and ordnance-related work on a specific project. Investigations needed for your property are determined from your own plans and local requirements. Paderborn is a town in the Paderborn district, Detmold administrative district, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Provide the precise project address and area affected. For work in another municipality in the district, clarify local responsibility separately. For archaeological and later construction work, contacts and spatially assigned specialist documents are also brought together.
Local context
Archaeology and ordnance assessment need separate evidence
Involve both areas of municipal responsibility
In Paderborn, the lower heritage authority is responsible for heritage conservation. Ordnance clearance belongs to the tasks of general hazard response within the public order office. If both questions matter for your project, involve both authorities. A heritage finding does not replace ordnance evidence.
Place the Stadthaus report as a specific example
For the new Stadthaus at Abdinghof, the town describes archaeological investigations and a planned deep-ground survey of borehole starting points as separate activities in the same construction sequence. The sequence described there does not automatically apply to other construction sites. Local findings, planned ground interventions and applicable requirements are decisive for your project.
The town commemorates the heavy bombing raid of 27 March 1945 and destruction of much of its historic buildings. For today's project file, documented wartime impacts, older structures and later ground changes are recorded with their respective origins. Archaeological findings and ordnance-related knowledge retain their own purpose. Investigation prerequisites for a specific area are clarified using the available documents and ground interventions actually planned.
Requirements
Clarify technical requirements and responsibilities within the project
Relate requirements to the specialist task
For the commissioned activities, the relevant technical requirements and questions of permits, competence certification and responsibility are clarified. The actual planned service scope is decisive. A general company designation does not replace checking that the tasks and interfaces are described appropriately for the specific project.
Link occupational safety to the construction sequence
The risk assessment, working areas and communication must fit the planned activities. Explosive ordnance specialist works are coordinated with the other construction works. Operational organisation, traffic safety and other technical checks retain their own responsible parties. Joint coordination brings the information together and assigns tasks and decisions to the respective competent participants.
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.
In Paderborn, the local public order authority is responsible for ordnance hazard response. It is supported by the state explosive ordnance disposal service at the Arnsberg District Government, active in the Arnsberg, Detmold and Münster administrative districts.
Procedure at the site: Town of Paderborn: general hazard response · Town of Paderborn: heritage protection and conservation · Town of Paderborn: archaeology and excavation preparation at the Stadthaus · North Rhine-Westphalia KampfmittelVO: Section 3 in particular.
Planning and documentation: BFR KMR: principles of clearance planning · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation · North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of the Interior: explosive legacy
The BFR KMR are used as technical guidance; locally applicable requirements and responsibilities must be clarified separately.
The permit, qualifications and responsibilities for the specific activity are assessed under the Explosives Act and the First Ordinance to the Explosives Act. The risk assessment under Section 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act relates to the planned activities. The DGUV Information 201-027 addresses preventive investigation and clearance of conventional explosive ordnance and defines its scope. The references it explains to DGUV Regel 113-003 concern specific activities involving explosives; they are not applied indiscriminately to every construction investigation.
Private works are subject to the exceptions under the KampfmittelVO and the requirements of the official guidance. The exceptions concern, in particular, downhole detection as part of specialist foundation engineering and explosive ordnance clearance during construction under the conditions laid down by law. Private explosive ordnance clearance during construction requires that prior investigation using recognised explosive ordnance detection methods is not possible. A relevant factor is also the state explosive ordnance disposal service's assessment that there are no specific indications of ordnance contamination on the site concerned. All further spatial, technical and organisational requirements are clarified for the specific activity. The competent authorities decide on the official appointment.
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.
General hazard response within Paderborn's public order office identifies ordnance clearance as a task. The lower heritage authority belongs to the planning office and is responsible for heritage protection and conservation in the town. The state explosive ordnance disposal service at the Arnsberg District Government handles state ordnance tasks for the Detmold administrative district. Specialist and official requirements are assigned to their respective remit; responsible authorities make decisions under the associated procedure.
Investigation task
Which specialist task comes next?
Read different sources together
Aerial photograph analysis, archaeological excavation plans and as-built documents may contain important information. Their respective findings are compared without equating them. An archaeological plan may provide spatial details but does not alone document an ordnance investigation. Any further task required follows from the specific project.
Assess historical documentsPrepare the next ground intervention with specialist input
Site conditions, planned depth and existing installations are considered during method selection. Necessary preparatory groundworks also need suitable prior clarification. Private activities are agreed within North Rhine-Westphalia prerequisites. A locally published construction project provides an example, rather than a general method requirement.
Compare investigation methodsProject types
Clarify work sequence and result limits between specialist tasks
Describe the first archaeological ground intervention
The planned groundworks must also be clear for a preparatory archaeological excavation. State the area, depth and expected condition of the working area. Any ordnance clarification needed beforehand is agreed separately. The archaeological task does not automatically answer this question.
A preparatory archaeological excavation may initially concern a strip or individual areas. State which areas are to be opened and how the working area differs from later construction work. For this first ground intervention already, necessary investigations and protective measures are clarified before work starts. Coordination keeps the archaeological task, ordnance task and creation of necessary access distinguishable. Those involved identify the document status underlying the next planned activity.
Provide specialist supervision of excavation
Show later foundations separately
The excavation, piles or support elements may extend beyond the archaeological section initially considered. Show their spatial scope additionally. Existing results are assigned to each planned ground intervention. Completion of an archaeological section or limited investigation is not transferred to all later groundworks.
Also describe, for example, an excavation's lateral working area, planned retaining elements and the spatial course of tie-back anchors where part of the plans. These areas may lie outside a previously excavated archaeological area. The plan should therefore identify both the investigated section and additional ground interventions. Specialists compare existing results with the new task and agree necessary additions. Appropriate reports with their actual scope are provided for the next construction phase.
Understand downhole surveys
Add new findings to the plan
If findings or exposed structures change the working area, those involved must know current conditions. Describe the change with a traceable plan version. Further investigation relates to it. An earlier task description does not remain applicable unchecked if access, surface conditions or intended depth change.
If an old basement is exposed, for example, update its known location and current condition of the adjoining working area on the plan. State whether this means changed access, additional groundworks or a changed foundation. The specialist contractor needs these details to compare the commission and investigation conditions. Unresolved points are assigned to the area concerned and agreed before affected work. The project file records which version applies to further planning.
Coordinate the sequence and tasksPreparation
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 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
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 scheduleTasks at the site
Show archaeological areas and later construction work on the plan
01
Archaeological area
Mark intended archaeological working areas and the ground movements needed. Clarify separately what ordnance assessment is necessary before these ground interventions. The archaeological question alone does not answer this.
02
Planned foundations
Also show later excavation and foundation work on the plan. It may extend laterally or deeper beyond the area investigated first. A result from a limited section must therefore not be transferred generally to the entire foundation.
03
Existing structures
Add known old basements, foundations and other structures with available location details. They may affect access and work sequence. An as-built plan alone establishes neither ordnance conditions nor suitability of a survey method.
04
Additional groundworks
Record additional groundworks for access routes, working areas or utilities individually. The term site establishment does not yet identify where or how deep the ground is affected. These details are also needed for supplementary work.
Project documents
Documents that establish the next step
Consider responsibilities together within the programme
Heritage and ordnance-related tasks are recorded with their respective contacts. Identify the results needed before the next ground intervention. This coordination links the work sequence but does not transfer decision-making powers between disciplines. Each form of evidence remains assigned to its actual purpose.
For phased construction, assignment by area and next work step helps. Identify who reports archaeological status, who provides ordnance documents and who plans the subsequent construction work. Each outstanding task includes the information needed and its intended recipient. If an investigation area changes, involve affected specialists with the new plan version. Site management can then coordinate the sequence using results actually available and consider official processing still needed.
Hand over reports by specialist task and area
Site management needs complete documents with maps and limitations. A short message should identify the investigation meant. The word addressed alone may conceal different work stages. Uninvestigated areas and specialist or official steps still needed remain explicitly identified.
For a section, bring together the associated report, its plans and the construction drawing used. These documents should show the area and depth addressed in each case and prerequisites for later work. A supplementary investigation has a clear reference to previous results. When documents pass to a new contractor, outstanding tasks and known survey limits accompany them. Recipients can then relate their next activity to the documented status. After ordnance clearance work, the clearance record with its scope, results and remaining limits is assigned to the ordnance documents for the section actually treated.
Construction sequence
Coordinate investigation and construction sections
Before opening a new archaeological excavation area
Compile planned work and existing findings. Involve the respective responsible authorities and identify outstanding questions. The ordnance finding needed is clarified separately. An adjacent section already addressed does not replace comparison for the additional area.
Before handover to construction
Compare later groundworks with the documented results of both specialist tasks. Assign maps and limits to each report. Measures still needed remain identifiable. Site management receives a traceable status without deriving blanket overall completion from completion of one task.
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 assessmentMagnetometric 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 magnetometryElectromagnetic 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 surveyingGround-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 limitationsDeep-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 interventionsSurvey 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 constructionTechnical assessment
What existing documents establish
Aerial photographs, archaeological plans and existing conditions
A historical aerial photograph analysis, archaeological documents and as-built plans can help preparation. They answer different questions. An archaeological site plan may show areas and structures, for example; it does not replace evidence of an ordnance investigation.
For older plans, compare date, elevation reference and construction conditions depicted with today's documents. A basement wall shown may still exist, be partly demolished or covered; establish the actual situation from available existing-condition information and planned work. The information's origin and accuracy remain identifiable. Investigation planning derives specific questions about access, working space and planned depth from this. Specialist assessment distinguishes confirmed details from assumptions still needing clarification.
Access and survey conditions
For a survey access, existing installations and possible interference must be checked. Also clarify prerequisites for preparatory groundworks. Merely observing excavation does not replace an appropriately determined investigation method. Where measurability is restricted, suitable supplementary investigations or permissible supervision during construction are agreed by specialists. The selected method and limits of its findings remain assigned to the specific commission.
Changed archaeological areas and depths
The clearance plan or the investigation plan needs a clearly identified plan version. If areas or depths change following a finding, check whether previous results cover the new ground intervention. Pass the updated plan to everyone affected.
A new archaeological finding may mean, for example, that an excavation footprint changes or a utility is to be relocated. Compare old and new plans so additional volumes of ground are identifiable. Existing results are then related specifically to this change. The client and specialists agree what further investigation is needed and who commissions it. Result documents distinguish areas already addressed from newly added tasks with a clear plan version.
Next steps
Compare results before the next ground intervention
Record work and contacts
Record archaeological work, necessary ordnance clarification and later construction. Identify contacts and documents needed for each task. Agree who must receive which results before their next work step. Provide the project address, investigation question and complete existing documents. Analyses and reports are checked for revision status, spatial relevance and gaps. For unresolved historical questions, undertake the necessary source research and aerial photograph analysis, assigning them to today's ground intervention.
Describe working area conditions
Describe the condition the area needs for each investigation. Record changed ground surfaces and structures already exposed. The commission must relate to actual site conditions. 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.
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.
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.
Identify the result and investigated area
Hand over the result with a plan of the investigated area and documented limitations. Even a short message must make clear whether it concerns archaeological work or an ordnance investigation. Saying that a section has been addressed is insufficient. The report and associated plans document specialist assessment, work areas and depths investigated, and remaining limitations. Agreed recipients receive the related results with outstanding follow-up tasks.
Clarify additional ground interventions beforehand
Before additional ground interventions, check which questions remain outstanding and involve responsible authorities. A new construction date extends neither a specialist investigation's findings nor an official decision.
Documentation
Keep archaeological reports and ordnance documents
Findings and their scope
Keep archaeological reports and ordnance documents with their associated plans. Identify which investigation addresses each area. For a plan change or further groundworks, the results available for them can then be checked specifically.
Project responsibilities
The BFR Kampfmittelräumung provide specialist guidance for traceable planning and documentation. Responsibilities and limits on private activities in North Rhine-Westphalia remain unaffected. FONTANA-EOD undertakes the permissible commissioned ordnance scope. Heritage decisions and specialist archaeological assessments remain assigned to the authorities and specialists responsible for them.
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
Assign specialist evidence separately within a shared construction programme
Different investigations may build on each other in time or be coordinated alongside each other. Their results nevertheless retain different purposes and limits. For each later ground intervention, the specific finding available must be identifiable. Organisational coordination replaces neither a necessary investigation nor an official decision.
Understand investigation reports and their limitationsCoordinate the work sequence for your own construction site
The Stadthaus sequence refers to the knowledge and plans there. Another area needs its own information and requirements. Use the example to illustrate coordination of different specialist tasks. The actual sequence is determined from your own project.
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 enquiry describes the outstanding task, affected areas and depths, and the results required. The permissible scope of services is agreed in line with the actual conditions and responsibilities.
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 coordinating archaeology and ordnance clarification
Is an archaeologically investigated area also considered investigated for ordnance?
No. The ordnance work actually performed and its documentation are decisive. Archaeological investigation answers different questions even where it concerns the same area.
Can archaeological plans be used for ordnance planning?
Yes, they may provide information on areas and existing structures. Their origin and plan version must be identifiable. Whether further investigations are needed must be assessed from these details, other site findings and planned groundworks.
Can the Stadthaus sequence be transferred to another project?
Not without review. The municipal report concerns a particular project. Another area needs separate checks of existing findings, planned ground interventions and applicable requirements. The Stadthaus sequence does not evidence an investigation of your property.
Who decides on necessary measures?
The authorities and specialists involved each make decisions within their own remit. Coordinate their requirements within the construction programme. A commission to FONTANA-EOD replaces neither heritage coordination nor necessary state ordnance tasks under North Rhine-Westphalia law.
How should an object suspected of being ordnance be handled?
Stop the affected work, do not touch or move the object and keep your distance. Keep other people away and notify the police immediately on 110 or the local public order authority. Follow their instructions; do not investigate the find yourself.
What must a short message about an addressed section identify?
The specialist task concerned, actual area and significant limitations. Saying addressed alone does not describe what results exist.
How are new archaeological findings passed on?
With an updated plan version and description of the effects on working area, access or planned ground interventions. The further ordnance task is compared with this.
Which documents matter and what do costs depend on?
Site management receives separate complete specialist reports with maps, result limits and outstanding tasks, together with the current construction plan. Different evidence purposes remain clear. Commissioning needs existing documents, the specific investigation question and current working area conditions. Effort depends on usable previous documents, accessible areas and preparation, number and depth of investigation points, a suitable method, survey conditions, interpretation and documentation. Specialist services still required are offered with their scope.
Project enquiry
Plan archaeology and construction together
Explain the work sequence
Describe archaeological ground interventions and later construction work with areas, depths and contacts. State which preparatory groundworks are due first and which areas are added later for construction. Assign plan versions and the respective investigation purpose to the complete documents. The description should also identify necessary access, known installations and outstanding spatial questions. The specialist contractor can then agree the permissible scope that may be commissioned and its execution prerequisites.
Send separate results
Include existing archaeological plans, ordnance documents and official information in full.
Survey methods and equipment
Survey methods and equipmentOrdnance investigation process
Ordnance investigation processAssign the region and project location
Assign the region and project locationUnderstand the construction task and project setting
Understand the construction task and project settingCoordinate the necessary recovery task
Coordinate the necessary 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.
