Project pathway
The quickest route to the right decision.
Explosive ordnance surveying in Speyer
An anomaly in survey data does not yet establish which object lies in the ground. For your construction project in Speyer, it must be clarified how outstanding suspected points will be investigated further and which findings will then be available for the proposed works. FONTANA-EOD supports coordinated investigation and documents results, including remaining limitations.
Read survey data and assessment together.
Address outstanding suspected points through specialist work.
Record results and outstanding areas.
Assess the construction project
Clearly allocate survey indications and clarified findings
For your project in Speyer, existing survey indications are brought together with their locations and work status. We distinguish the measured anomaly from a cause clarified by specialists. The result is documented with the area concerned and its limitations so that subsequent groundworks can be aligned with it.
Project site
Connect the site with the specific construction task
Relate the Speyer notice to the construction area at that time
For Schifferstadter Straße, the city describes an investigation in July 2023 where remaining suspected points proved to be, among other things, scrap metal or utility components. For your project, existing indications are likewise brought together with their actual results. Your own area, documented investigation scope and questions still outstanding afterwards remain decisive.
Speyer is an independent city in Rhineland-Palatinate. For a project enquiry, identify the precise property location and construction section concerned. The local notice about Schifferstadter Straße and the Wartturm is related to that specific investigation area. Surrounding projects, for example in Schifferstadt, Dudenhofen, Römerberg or Otterstadt, receive their own location documents and local contacts. These municipalities belong to the Rhein-Pfalz district. For a utility or construction section crossing municipal boundaries, plans show the respective subareas and responsible parties concerned. Existing investigations are compiled for the actual project location and proposed groundworks.
The overview of the SGD Süd provides further local information for the regional context of your construction project.
Local context
Speyer's history and present-day groundworks
Assess local history and investigation reports
On 27 July 2023, the City of Speyer reported completed investigations at Schifferstadter Straße. Following an earlier survey, remaining suspected points there were investigated by specialists. The city identifies causes including harmless bomb fragments, scrap metal and unrecorded utility components. No explosive ordnance was found during the investigations described.
In its notice, the City of Speyer relates the area around the Wartturm to bombing near the end of the Second World War based on a historical-genetic investigation. This specific historical reference explains the reason for investigation there. For another property, available records and aerial photographs are assigned to its own construction area. Former uses, documented ground changes and present-day intervention volumes are compared. History recorded for a particular area is related to its respective evidenced spatial context. Subsequent specialist investigation and results retain their own documented scope.
Observe the reach of the result at that time
The notice concerns the project at Schifferstadter Straße investigated by another specialist company at that time. It does not establish findings for other areas in Speyer. Further work on a survey indication must distinguish its cause from the investigation result. Even for the project described, the city rules out a guarantee of absolute freedom from explosive ordnance.
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
Risk assessment, work areas and communication must suit the proposed activities. Ordnance specialist works are coordinated with the other construction activities. Operational organisation, traffic safety and other specialist technical inspections retain their own responsible parties. Joint coordination brings the information together without equating the different tasks.
Use technical findings correctly
A measurement anomaly first requires specialist assessment; its appearance alone does not identify it as explosive ordnance. If an object is genuinely suspected to be ordnance, the prescribed reporting procedures and the measures set by the responsible authorities apply. Investigation reports specify the work completed and its limitations, so that results are not extended to unexamined areas or later design changes.
The municipal notice about Schifferstadter Straße of 27 July 2023 describes a completed investigation for a specific area. For your project, existing survey indications are compared with present-day construction areas and specialist works needed. Utility information required, access and the status of outstanding points are coordinated with the responsible parties involved before investigation. The notice at that time is used as a local case example; the associated current documents and specialist results are decisive for today's construction task.
The BFR KMR principles of clearance planning help structure the investigation objective and services required on technical grounds. The geophysics guidance supports method assessment; the guidance on documentation concerns results and plan appendices. For specific explosive ordnance hazards, the ADD explosive ordnance clearance service supports local regulatory authorities through administrative assistance. Preventive historical research and investigation services are commissioned according to the proposed intervention. Assign the official interface to the actual procedure using the ADD information sheet of June 2025. For occupational safety questions, the DGUV FAQs on explosive ordnance clearance explain, among other things, the classification of investigation and supervision methods. The risk assessment remains related to the proposed activities.
The BFR KMR serve as technical guidance. Local requirements and responsibilities must be clarified separately for the project.
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.
Working together
Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor
Client and operator
The client describes the project and provides the existing project documents. The operator adds the requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact agrees the assigned tasks with those responsible. Before commissioning, a clear record is made of which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the results are intended to inform.
Planning and construction management
The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.
Specialist company and competent bodies
The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent authorities concerned. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist service performed; its conclusions are not presented unchecked as general authorisation for further groundworks or as an authority's decision.
Investigation task
Which specialist task comes next?
Define the findings needed before further investigation
A survey anomaly alone does not describe its cause. Specialist work follows existing knowledge, the investigation objective and conditions at the location concerned. The next service is commissioned with a specific question. Independent checks of suspicious objects by construction personnel do not form part of this approach.
Select the specialist service for the outstanding investigation questionDocument interference with limits of findings
Utilities, metal installations and other conditions may affect interpretability. The report identifies findings possible and questions remaining. A presumed interference source does not replace specialist assessment. For further planning, limitations are therefore considered together with results and supplemented specifically where needed.
Compare investigation methodsProject types
From a survey indication to a traceable investigation status
Retain point designations across all documents
Link the designation of a survey indication to the associated plan and report. If numbering changes, the earlier allocation must remain identifiable. Specialists can then trace the position to which a later assessment relates. A list without a spatial link makes comparison with proposed groundworks harder.
Document findings and their limitationsIdentify the actual work status
Distinguish an indication still requiring assessment from completed specialist clarification. Record the document describing each status. Merely including a point in a work list does not mean completion. Verbal responses should also be supplemented by the appropriate result documents before the status is passed on.
Coordinate the sequence and tasksRead the cause of a finding in context
A documented cause is assessed together with the investigation commission and its spatial reach. This establishes the question actually answered. Completion of an individual point does not automatically describe the remaining area. Further groundworks therefore still require comparison with the area investigated as a whole.
Document findings and their limitationsPreparation
Prepare the scope and commission together
Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work
First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.
Define the specialist taskCoordinate preparatory work with the investigation
Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.
Clarify preparatory work in the programmeAgree a clear scope and schedule
A sound workflow distinguishes work already clarified technically from outstanding prerequisites. If an area will be accessible only in part, commissioning must take this into account. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction sequence. An enquiry therefore does not imply a blanket commitment on dates or cost. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, documents, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.
Discuss the scope and scheduleTasks at the site
Documents for investigating outstanding suspected points
01
Survey report and point plan
For an existing survey, supply the complete report and anomaly plan. These must show how the investigation was performed and its objective. Read the limitations described too. A point list alone does not necessarily contain this information. Allocation brings together the report version, plan revision and point designations used. Where coordinates are adopted, the reference used and identifiable conversions belong in the documents. The current excavation pit or utility route is compared with this information. Specialist planning can then establish which indications concern the ground volumes actually used and which documents are needed for further investigation.
02
Utilities and other installations
Supply existing utility plans and information about shafts or other installations. They may help interpret geophysical results. A presumed utility route does not conclusively explain an anomalous point, however. It must therefore not be regarded as resolved without specialist assessment. Operator information is compared with existing as-built plans. For a connection added later, the route and revision to which the information refers are recorded. Specialist assessment still depends on whether the relationship to the investigated point was actually demonstrated. A nearby structural element marked on a plan and the investigated anomaly must also be allocated spatially and traceably.
03
Access and proposed construction work
Identify points requiring clarification, accessible work areas and proposed construction work. Investigation of suspected points belongs with appropriately qualified specialists. Construction personnel should neither uncover nor examine suspicious objects themselves. Project leads identify accessible points and locations where operations or ongoing construction affect access. For work within a road or utility corridor, work areas required and proposed time windows are coordinated. The specialist company receives available utility information and details of changes since the survey. Relocated access or new installations are communicated before deployment.
04
Areas addressed and outstanding
Mark points investigated, points still outstanding and areas that could not be addressed. Completion of one task does not mean all proposed investigations are finished. If construction plans change, additional investigation needs are assessed. For several construction sections, an overview records investigated areas, outstanding areas and areas additionally used. A later intervention receives its associated report and plan revision. Where new working spaces, borehole positions or lateral connections are proposed, additional investigation needs are clarified before these works. Results already usable retain their documented subarea; the next decision relies on actual work status.
Project documents
Documents that establish the next step
Hand over results and outstanding points together
The handover contains the complete report with associated location information and limitations. Outstanding indications remain identifiable. Site management can thus assign the documented status to the next work step. A blanket completion notice may instead conceal differences between points addressed and areas lacking sufficient findings. The report includes allocation of points addressed, conditions actually covered and specialist assessment. After clearance work, the clearance record is added with actual clearance scope and results. Associated plan appendices show the areas addressed. Plan appendices identify information based on investigation and tasks still outstanding. A supplement identifies the earlier finding it adds to. Site management thus receives a traceable relationship between result, specific intervention and applicable limitations.
Assess later changes using the original allocation
If a pit or utility is relocated, its new position is compared with existing results. Earlier point designations and report versions are retained. Supplementary investigation needs follow from the specific change. A plan symbol moved afterwards must therefore not imply that the new position was already investigated. For a changed excavation pit, new dimensions and depths are compared with the previous investigation volume. A renamed point number is linked to its earlier designation so that report and construction plan mean the same location. Before work resumes or companies change, the current plan revision, result status and outstanding specialist work are handed over together. Responsible project participants can coordinate the next work step on this basis.
Construction sequence
Coordinate investigation and construction sections
Connect existing documents before clarification
Supply the survey report, point list and current intervention plan together. Identify missing appendices and conditions changed since then. The findings still required can thus be defined traceably. Specialist planning can build on the documented status without already treating a mere survey indication as a specific object. For the enquiry, distinguish results already available from the task still to be commissioned. Identify the construction section concerned, access needed, documents available and timing of proposed groundworks. The specialist company can derive the preparation, data collection and result documents required for the task. Missing appendices or contradictory point designations are identified with their actual clarification status.
Compare the entire intervention after work
Assign the result to the position investigated and agreed scope. Then compare which proposed groundworks it covers. Further points and uninvestigated areas remain visible in the overview. Completion of individual tasks is thus placed in a reliable relationship to subsequent construction planning. For partial work, available results are handed over together with outstanding tasks. If another point becomes accessible later or a construction section changes, those responsible coordinate the addition needed before intervention. A report extract is used together with its associated plans and limitations. For further commissioning, the previous scope and additional task remain separately identifiable.
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 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 magnetometryElectromagnetic methods
Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific decision.
Understand electromagnetic 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
Assess survey indications and observe investigation limitations
Not every anomaly is explosive ordnance
Geophysical methods detect physical properties of the ground and objects within it. A survey does not already identify the object unambiguously for every anomaly. The method, survey conditions and existing information inform assessment. If the cause remains unresolved, specialists decide how the finding must be addressed further.
Measurement conditions limit the conclusions
A surface survey may be limited by interfering objects, installations or other conditions. The number of points addressed demonstrates neither investigation of every ground volume nor every depth. The report must identify the objective achieved under actual conditions.
Supervision during construction needs a suitable method
If the project includes explosive ordnance clearance during construction, the task and suitable method must be established in advance. Observation of excavation alone does not replace proper specialist detection. The DGUV explicitly distinguishes visual observation alone from explosive ordnance surveying accompanying construction.
Next steps
From an outstanding survey indication to the report for site management
Compare the report and construction plan
Relate existing survey indications to the proposed groundworks. The initial project enquiry supplies the property location, construction plan, intervention depths and proposed dates. Existing survey reports, point lists and official information are checked for their revision, spatial coverage and gaps. Specialist planning compares their scope of findings with today's construction task. Missing appendices or different point designations are clarified for the area actually concerned.
Supplement historical information
Where information remains unresolved, historical research or aerial photograph analysis required is carried out for the specific construction area. Former uses and recorded wartime impacts are assigned spatially using available records and image information. Findings are assigned to the present-day area and assessed for investigation planning. Existing information already sufficient may continue to be used.
Coordinate further investigation
Establish the task, work areas and prerequisites for the specialist service. Method selection follows the investigation objective, site conditions, installations and depths required. On the coordinated basis, specialist personnel carry out the suitable investigation or agreed supervision within the permissible scope. Survey data and observations are recorded with the points' spatial reference and actual limitations. Changed conditions are handled through the established coordination routes.
Allocate points and results
Document points addressed, outstanding areas and limitations on the plan. Data and findings obtained are assessed by specialists using the investigation objective, method and site interference. The report brings this assessment together with areas actually addressed, results and limits of findings. Associated plan appendices show the relationship to the point list and construction sections. Outstanding clarification needs are passed on with their actual work status.
Hand over the report before construction
Inform site management about results and their scope of validity. The report and plan appendices are handed over together to the responsible parties concerned. Site management compares documented findings with the next interventions. For outstanding points or a changed construction section, the addition needed is coordinated before the work concerned. The subsequent decision thus refers to the investigation volume actually documented and proposed work step.
Documentation
The final report describes the investigation actually carried out
Findings and their scope
The report records the investigation objective, areas addressed, methods used and results. Uninvestigated or uninterpretable areas must remain identifiable in it. Designers and site management need this information to assess the groundworks covered by the report and questions still outstanding.
Project responsibilities
In Rhineland-Palatinate, responsibilities for official hazard prevention follow those described by the ADD. A commissioned specialist company replaces neither the local regulatory authority nor the state service. A possible explosive ordnance find must be reported immediately through the official reporting route; it does not belong in a routine project enquiry.
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
A point list needs the report and site plan
Only the combination of designation, location and specialist assessment makes an entry understandable for further planning. Keep the associated appendices together. If allocation is unclear, it is clarified. An isolated number or coloured plan symbol does not establish reliable completion.
Understand investigation reports and their limitationsAn individual finding without anomalies has a defined scope
The meaning of a result follows the task actually investigated. Even a clarified cause at one point does not answer every question about the surrounding ground. Handover therefore identifies the area covered. Additional groundworks are compared with these findings using their location and depth.
Understand the service scopeDesign and findings
Documents for the next construction decision
Historical evidence and the current design
Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.
Understand aerial photograph assessmentSpecialist reports for site management
The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.
Assess investigation reports
Further technical topics
Further technical information for your project
Determine the specialist service from the planned groundworks
Historical assessment, technical investigation and further work answer different questions. The service overview helps distinguish these tasks in an enquiry.
Compare servicesCoordinate the project sequence with everyone involved
Preparation connects the commission, site work and handover of findings. Changes to the project can then be incorporated into technical coordination in good time.
Process and documentationQuestions from planning
Questions about survey results and suspected points in Speyer
Is every anomalous survey point explosive ordnance?
No. Anomalies may have different causes. In its report about Schifferstadter Straße, the City of Speyer also identifies scrap metal and utility components. The cause of a specific point must be clarified by specialists. Unauthorised people must neither uncover nor examine it themselves.
Does the Schifferstadter Straße result apply to my property too?
No. The municipal notice of 27 July 2023 describes the project at that time and points investigated there. Another property requires assessment of its own knowledge, proposed interventions and investigation conditions.
Which documents are needed for existing suspected points?
The complete survey report with plans and limitations is needed, together with available information about installations, access and proposed groundworks. Only these documents allow the subsequent commission to be defined. Coordinate information needed and preparatory investigations with the specialist company and responsible local offices before groundworks. The ADD explosive ordnance clearance service supports local regulatory authorities with specific hazards through administrative assistance.
May construction take place everywhere after individual points are clarified?
The investigation applies to documented areas and the commissioned task. Clarification of individual points does not establish blanket findings for the entire property. Before the next works, check whether available results cover the proposed intervention.
What should be done about an unexpected suspicious object?
Stop the affected work immediately. Keep your distance, keep others away and do not touch, move or further uncover the object. Notify the police on 110 and follow official instructions. Do not use an enquiry form for this urgent situation.
How do renumbered survey points remain traceable?
The new and earlier designations are linked clearly to one another and assigned the same location information. Associated reports remain available.
What belongs in an overview of outstanding indications?
The clear designation, location, existing document and current work status. An assessment still missing is recorded identifiably as an outstanding task.
Why do utilities affect investigation effort and costs?
Because installations may affect investigation and matter for spatial assessment. A presumed utility does not, however, replace specialist clarification of a survey indication. Effort also depends on the number and accessibility of points, investigation objective and intervention depth, interference and usable earlier findings. Preparation, investigation, assessment and reporting are agreed with their specific scope. Privately commissioned services are distinguished from the tasks and costs of state hazard prevention.
Project enquiry
Clarify survey indications for your Speyer project traceably
Send point documents together
Send existing investigation reports with plans and describe the approaching groundworks. Mark outstanding suspected points and their work status so far. FONTANA-EOD discusses the investigation still needed and documents site management will require afterwards with you. For allocation, the survey report, point list and site plan belong together with clear designations.
Show the next groundworks
Mark new pits, utilities and changed intervention areas on the current plan. Also tell us which groundworks are due to begin first and which areas are not yet accessible. Necessary preparatory work and handover of results can thus be coordinated in good time.
Schedule investigation within the construction programme
Schedule investigation within the construction programmeInvestigation report and appendices
Investigation report and appendicesIdentify responsibilities by project location
Identify responsibilities by project locationDefine the construction task and investigation needed
Define the construction task and investigation neededAgree further work on findings
Agree further work on findingsPlace EOD tasks in the project context
Place EOD tasks in the project contextUnderstand the investigation basis and limitations
Understand the investigation basis and limitations
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.
