Technical map view of SGD Süd in Rhineland-Palatinate marking Neustadt an der Weinstraße as a location for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveys in Worms for planned ground interventions

Which area does the map show, which year is the aerial photograph from, and where will construction actually take place? FONTANA-EOD supports clients and planning consultancies with explosive ordnance investigations before construction projects in Worms. We compare existing documents with the planned groundworks and document the commissioned specialist service. Send the site plan, intervention depths and existing reports for initial coordination.

Location of groundworks

Mark work areas on the current plan.

Year of the aerial photograph

Consider the period shown.

Investigation scope

Document results with area and depth.

Discuss maps and investigation needsExplosive ordnance assessment in Rhineland-Palatinate
Assess the construction project

Show investigation points and ancillary areas on the site plan

For a traceable intervention plan, the city of Worms offers geodata services with base maps, development plans and aerial photographs from different years. These data help show the present construction area. Current orthophotos provide a basis for planning and orientation; they are neither wartime aerial photograph analysis nor evidence of explosive ordnance contamination.

If your construction area is on land suspected of containing explosive ordnance, we assign existing analyses and technical reports to the planned groundworks. Show individual investigation points, equipment setup areas and additional interventions with their depths on the plan. Photograph year, plan version and elevation reference identify the area a document concerns and the investigation questions remaining.

One reference lists work in Worms and Neunkirchen. It does not specify separate quantities for the two project locations. To help select a suitable method, we explain the capabilities of the ground-penetrating radar investigation. For your project enquiry, send the groundworks marked on the plan and existing investigation documents.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustrative Rhineland-Palatinate map with the state coat of arms, tablet, white FONTANA-EOD hard hat and notebook.

Preparatory work on the Bürstadt–BASF power line

Worms is an independent city in Rhineland-Palatinate. The official gazette of 15 March 2024 announced geotechnical investigations for the Bürstadt–BASF power line. Explosive ordnance investigation was planned at the designated investigation points before the geotechnical work; the land-parcel list distinguished pylon locations from access routes. For your project, your own groundworks are similarly described spatially and compared with existing knowledge. The specific investigation required is planned from this.

To identify a project, its address, cadastral district and land parcels are connected with the current intervention plan. The city provides maps of development plans, cadastral districts and building-supervision districts, among others. Identify which map provides orientation and which specialist investigation results already exist. For projects spanning city or state boundaries, the competent body for each location is determined using the actual municipality and federal state. A shared route name does not replace this local allocation. Further project locations are shown in the regional overview.

The overview of the SGD Süd provides further local information for the regional context of your construction project.

Rhineland-Palatinate
Local context

Historical imagery and present-day planning in Worms

Use geodata services for spatial orientation

The city of Worms provides geodata services for development plans and aerial photographs from different years. These allow a property and proposed works to be shown spatially. Check the date and information contained in every map used. For the explosive ordnance question, the period shown by a photograph makes a difference.

Distinguish historical from present-day imagery

A modern aerial photograph does not show an area's entire wartime development. For a historical assessment, suitable sources from the relevant periods are analysed by specialists. Therefore keep current orientation maps, historical findings and technical investigation reports distinct.

The Worms City Archive documents the destruction in spring 1945 with photographs of the city centre. To investigate a present construction area, suitable contemporary photographs and other records are related to its actual location. Reconstruction and subsequent ground changes receive their own date reference. Historical knowledge available for an excavation, route or preparatory drilling is assessed for the area concerned. Present-day geodata help locate areas; the historical specialist task considers suitable earlier sources.

Also consider preparatory investigation points

Preparatory work also needs precise locations. In the Worms official gazette of 15 March 2024, Amprion announced geotechnical investigations for the Bürstadt–BASF power line. Explosive ordnance investigation was planned at the affected points before the geotechnical work. The attached land-parcel list distinguishes pylon locations and access routes. Planning should therefore show drilling and survey points, equipment setup areas and access routes separately on the site plan. Clarify where ground interventions are involved and what investigation is needed. The announcement at the time and results actually obtained subsequently are recorded with their respective status. For new groundworks, the investigation scope required is determined using your own planning.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.

Planning and construction management

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

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation work. Requirements and decisions of public authorities are addressed with the responsible bodies. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the work carried out, including its documented area, depth and scope. Decisions reserved for public authorities are made by those authorities.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, local regulatory authorities are generally responsible for hazard prevention; in urgent danger, the police are responsible. The state explosive ordnance clearance service supports the competent authorities through administrative assistance in specific hazards. ADD also maintains a clearance team in Worms. Suitable private specialist companies are involved in preventive historical assessment and further commissioned investigations. Recovery or clearance work required is coordinated according to the findings, permissible task and official responsibility.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Select historical sources according to suitability

Specialist analysis requires material suited to the explosive ordnance question and period considered. Present-day orientation maps serve a different task. Available sources are therefore checked with the scope of their findings. Planning retains a traceable account of what knowledge can be obtained and where the imagery does not permit sufficient findings.

Assess historical documents

Relate technical investigation to the specific groundworks

The appropriate method is determined using the investigation objective and local conditions. Access, installations and ground volume required are considered. Method information from an earlier announcement is related to the investigation task described there. Your own commission identifies its task, prerequisites and possible limits of findings.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Turn map information into a specific investigation task

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

Identify the origin of each representation

For maps and aerial photographs, record the source and identifiable date. A current image can support spatial orientation while older material answers a different question. These purposes must remain identifiable when comparing with the project. A screenshot without its origin makes specialist assessment more difficult.

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

Show investigation points and work areas separately

Mark not only individual points but also other areas where preparatory groundworks are proposed. Identify planned equipment setup areas and access routes with their actual interventions. Specialist planning can then assess their needs separately. A point symbol describes neither the entire work area required nor automatically all associated ancillary work.

Document investigation points and work areas
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Compare the map extract spatially with construction planning

Check whether the extract used covers the entire project and can be assigned unambiguously. Boundaries, distinctive reference points and a current site plan help comparison. Unclear overlays are clarified before commissioning. Similar depictions on two maps do not in themselves demonstrate that they describe the same investigation area.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A realistic programme distinguishes technically resolved work from prerequisites that are still outstanding. If only part of a site will be accessible, the commission must take this into account. Handover and assessment of the results also need time in the construction programme. The schedule and effort are agreed once the scope, access and prerequisites are clear. This coordination brings together the specified scope, access, documents, site conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Describe planned groundworks on the site plan

01

Work areas within the property

Mark areas where groundworks are proposed. If, for example, the excavation, connecting utility and additional foundations are separate, show these areas individually. The property address alone does not describe the investigation area required.

02

Current and earlier plan versions

Identify the plan valid for the forthcoming work. Attach the site plans and original task descriptions to older reports. Similar outlines do not automatically mean the same area has already been investigated for the same question.

03

Intervention depths with elevation reference

When specifying an intervention depth, state the ground or design elevation used as its basis. Show planned excavation or fill. Without an elevation reference, a depth cannot be reliably compared with the scope of an earlier investigation.

04

Additional interventions at the edge

Include groundworks outside the future building footprint too. These may include shoring, temporary utilities or additional shafts. Clarify investigation needs for these areas before execution so that they can be considered in commissioning.

Before the appointment, clarify which access routes can be used and when the investigation areas are freely available. Where operations continue or several contractors are involved, work areas and communication channels are agreed. Site management identifies contacts and considers when results must be available for the next work. If new obstacles or limitations are found during investigation, their effect on the agreed scope is assessed by specialists and communicated before the next affected intervention.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Connect results with the area actually addressed

The documentation shows which points or areas were investigated and what limits apply to the findings. Associated location information is retained whenever it is passed on. A report on preparatory investigations can thus be interpreted correctly in the later construction sequence. Its findings do not automatically extend to every adjoining work area.

In the project file, the plan version, section designation and points or areas investigated remain linked. A later user should be able to identify whether information comes from an adopted document or the newly commissioned investigation. Measurement data, assessment of findings and spatial representation are handed over together. A clearance record describes clearance work actually performed with its respective area. Changed construction planning is subsequently compared with these documents; additional areas receive identifiable investigation requirements. Where area clearance or recovery are required, the task, area and permissible responsibility are clarified before execution. Records subsequently handed over describe the work actually completed. They are brought together with the plans used and outstanding tasks.

Consider changed areas and elevations when comparing results

If plans subsequently change, new interventions are compared with the existing investigation scope. This includes shifts, additional areas and changed ground elevations. Identify the difference between the earlier task and current planning. Further specialist clarification needs can be derived only from this specific spatial comparison.

If ground is excavated or filled, old and new elevations must be compared. A depth below the former ground surface may concern a different ground volume from the same figure on the current plan. Therefore document the elevation reference used and known ground changes. Also record whether the earlier report concerns a single investigation point, a corridor or a continuous area. The subsequent specialist decision is based on these actual limits and forthcoming groundworks.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Describe the entire intervention scope before preparatory work

Show planned investigation points with their associated groundworks on the current plan. Add existing results and relevant local information. The investigation scope required for preparatory activities can then also be agreed. A later main construction project and its preparatory work may have different specialist tasks and spatial limits.

The tender describes which knowledge is required before which groundworks. Identify documents to be supplied, areas that can be investigated and preliminary services required. Measurement, interpretation and result handover receive a traceable service scope. If a further work step is determined only after findings are assessed, that dependency remains identifiable in the workflow. An equipment name alone does not replace a description of the task to be solved.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Compare the later construction task again after investigation

Assign results to the points and areas actually addressed. Then compare which findings can be used for further construction planning. Additional interventions are considered separately. Completing preparatory work does not yet demonstrate full investigation of the entire later construction area or other land parcels.

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 survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations 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 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 advance investigation cannot be completed in full, it is assessed whether a specialist-planned approach accompanying construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the proposed work sequence. According to the DGUV FAQ, visual observation alone during excavation does not meet the state of the art. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work takes place, how new knowledge is handled and which areas remain outstanding.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

From existing documents to investigation planning

Locate historical indications on the present-day plan

A historical aerial photograph analysis must identify where the indications analysed lie in the present investigation area. Suitability of the material and spatial allocation are checked for this purpose. A forwarded screen marking without its origin does not replace the report and its explanations.

Before historical research, investigation areas are defined so that they can be compared with later groundworks. Besides the excavation, these include investigation points, temporary access and work areas with their own ground interventions. If sources from relevant periods remain outstanding, the research or aerial photograph analysis required is planned as a specialist task. Plans passed on identify map origin, processing status and spatial reference. When transferred from a GIS, scale and orientation remain in the readable extract. Specialist analysis describes the sources used and knowledge derived for the agreed area.

Check measurement areas and obstacles on site

Before a surface survey, the investigation objective and local conditions are assessed. Access, surface structure and installations may affect measurement. The results report must show the area actually addressed. The commission alone does not yet demonstrate complete investigation.

A digital map and the actual measurement area are compared on site. Existing utilities, reinforcement, foundations or other larger metallic installations may affect interpretation. Selection of the investigation method therefore follows target objects, intervention depth and local conditions. Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide supplementary information about subsurface structures. The findings this provides for the explosive ordnance question are assessed by specialists. For a partly accessible area, areas addressed and tasks remaining are documented separately. The result can thus be assigned to a specific section of further construction planning.

Clarify outstanding depth questions

If a planned foundation extends beyond the area investigated so far, the outstanding depth question requires specialist assessment. Whether a downhole survey or another method is suitable is assessed using the task and local conditions. A map or equipment name alone does not permit a reliable statement of achievable investigation depth.

For deeper interventions, drilling points and work areas required are described with the proposed depths and associated elevation reference. Borehole clearance certification relates to the documented investigation scope and task considered. Planning also considers ground movements required to create an equipment setup area. If location or starting elevation subsequently changes, the specialist company receives the new planning before the intervention concerned. For several investigation sections, record which results already exist and which work still requires specialist clarification. This helps site management coordinate preparatory investigation and subsequent execution.

Next steps

Information required for the initial enquiry

01

Compare the project and documents

State the address and land parcel; mark planned groundworks on the current site plan. First contact clarifies which work is being prepared and what knowledge already exists for it. Document assessment compares plan version, report scope and planned interventions. Missing appendices or unclear locations receive an identified need for clarification.

02

Define historical information and methods

Attach investigation reports and aerial photograph analyses with their maps and explanations. Where historical sources are outstanding, plan the research and aerial photograph analysis required for the area concerned. The suitable investigation method is then determined using the knowledge available, investigation objective and local conditions.

03

Investigate and assess results

Mark new depths, ground changes and additional structural elements on the plan. The agreed survey or investigation during construction addresses the defined areas under agreed prerequisites. Findings and measurement limits are evaluated. Changed conditions are communicated to site management so that the next work affected can be coordinated.

04

Document results and the follow-up decision

Identify outstanding questions and agree the investigation scope and result documents required. The report, plans and assessment of results show the scope actually addressed. Together with the participants, these establish which groundworks are covered by existing knowledge and what further specialist clarification or official coordination is required for the next section.

Documentation

Distinguish investigation results from authorities' tasks

Findings and their scope

The report documents areas addressed, methods used and findings obtained. Areas not investigated or subject to limited interpretation remain identifiable. If planning subsequently changes, this allows a check of whether the new groundworks are covered. The property address alone is insufficient for this.

Project responsibilities

In Rhineland-Palatinate, suitable private specialist companies undertake commissioned preventive investigation, historical research and assessment. ADD maintains a clearance team in Worms whose administrative assistance is limited to immediately necessary measures against specific hazards. A precautionary property-specific specialist task is commissioned separately with its investigation objective and service scope.

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

The photograph year and purpose of analysis belong together

An aerial photograph shows a specific moment and is read for a specific question. Its year alone does not describe its specialist suitability. For a historical assessment, material and time reference are checked together. Current images and maps can clarify the present location without fully depicting earlier wartime events.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

An access route may create its own planning task

Describe whether an access route will merely use an existing surface or actually involve a ground intervention. Only this information permits comparison with the investigation scope. Being part of the same construction project does not replace that description. Preparatory work at the edge of the construction area is also assigned traceably.

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 explosive ordnance investigation in Worms

Is a current aerial photograph from the Worms geoportal sufficient?

It can help show the project spatially. A historical explosive ordnance assessment requires suitable sources from relevant periods and their specialist analysis. Therefore check the photograph year and scope of findings of the material used.

Which plans help with an initial enquiry?

Send a site plan with the proposed groundworks and existing analyses with appendices. State depths and the respective elevation reference. Missing information should be explicitly marked as outstanding. Agree investigation needs with the specialist company before the planned groundworks, and requirements applicable to the location with the competent body. Planning considers research and investigations required and result handover.

Can an old investigation be used for a new excavation?

Possibly. Compare location, intervention depth and investigation limits with the new planning. An older result does not automatically apply to a relocated or deeper excavation. Have the outstanding questions clarified.

What are the tasks of the Worms clearance team and private specialist companies?

The state explosive ordnance clearance service supports competent authorities with immediately necessary measures to prevent specific hazards. ADD also maintains a clearance team in Worms. Suitable private specialist companies may be used for preventive historical research, aerial photograph analysis and other commissioned checks.

What should I do if ordnance is suspected?

Stop affected work immediately, keep your distance and do not touch, move or further uncover the object. Keep other people away and notify the police on 110. Follow the authorities' instructions; do not attempt investigation or recovery yourself.

How do equipment setup areas affect work and costs?

Creating equipment setup areas may involve groundworks of their own. Their location and actual intervention must be known to assess investigation needs separately. Additional areas, depth, accessibility, interference and separate deployments affect the work involved. Precautionary private investigations are commissioned for a fee. Agree the investigation task, prerequisites and result documents for the actual work.

Does a result for preparatory work automatically apply to the main construction project?

No. The documented scope of preparatory work is compared with the later construction task. Additional areas or depths may raise further questions. The workflow connects document assessment, historical analysis required and method selection with investigation, assessment and documentation. The follow-up decision relates to results actually obtained and forthcoming interventions.

Which information helps when planning an access route?

Whether and where a ground intervention is involved. Using an existing surface and altering it structurally are different tasks.

Project enquiry

Prepare your construction project in Worms

Attach maps with their date

Identify the source and photograph year and add the current intervention plan. For GIS files, state the coordinate system used.

Include preparatory work

Show investigation points and additional groundworks at equipment setup areas or access routes.

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.

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