UXO – what’s it all about?
Unexploded ordnance. This is basically the terms used to refer to bombs, projectiles, small arms ammunition etc. which could have been fired, launched, dropped, or projected and should have exploded but didn’t.
How do you know the risk?
All Clients have a legal duty to provide Pre-Construction Information (PCIP) ahead of a construction project. This should include information on the risk of a UXO on the site. The first step is the assessment of the risk. What is the history of the area? Is it in a heavily bombed area? Can you look at pre and post war historical maps, bomb mapping, bomb damage maps?
All these questions need to be raised as soon as possible in the project, and considered as part of the risk management procedure. To help, there is specific advise out there for the construction industry - Unexploded ordnance (UXO): A guide for the construction industry. However, you may need a UXO specialist to help with compiling and examining the information. A UXO specialist can help with items like;
Likelihood of UXO contamination
Probability of the UXO remaining and the likelihood of encountering a UXO
Consequences of initiation
Types of UXO survey
After you have risk assessed the site, you may need a UXO survey to confirm or rule out any UXO devices. There are two levels of UXO survey – non-intrusive and intrusive.
Non-intrusive surveys
These are ideal for greenfield sites (undeveloped land) and are often done by drone, a towed vehicle or by walking the site. In good ground conditions a non-intrusive survey can detect a 50kg bomb up to 4m below the surface.
Intrusive surveys
This survey is ideal for detecting deep buried bombs even on previously developed ‘brownfield’ land.
A magnetometer probe is pushed into the ground under hydraulic pressure, and the experts will survey a column of soil to detect deep buried unexploded bombs (UXBs).
So, what if you find a UXB
Call in the professionals!
There are licensed contractors out there who can dispose of the UXB safely and securely.