RISK BASIS
UXO desk studies and risk assessments
Sources, study area, threat items, burial or seabed depth, and whether the conclusions cover every planned activity.
DOCUMENTATION REVIEW
Independent review of UXO documentation and RAMS
We check whether risk assessments, method statements, permits and contractor reports describe the same project, the same risk and the same work that will actually take place on site.
WHY IT MATTERS
Good documents can still describe the wrong job.
UXO documentation is written by different parties at different times: a desk study during design, a survey specification at tender, RAMS before mobilisation, reports and certificates at the end. Each may be correct on its own and still fail to connect with the others.
Our review follows the thread from the hazard assessment to the closure documents and shows where assumptions, scope, depths or acceptance criteria have changed along the way.
WHAT WE REVIEW
Documents we review
SPECIFICATIONS
Survey and clearance specifications
Coverage, detection capability, target criteria, investigation and verification requirements, and their link to the risk assessment.
RAMS
Risk assessments and method statements
Whether the contractor's method, equipment, sequence and controls match the site conditions and the risk basis.
PERMITS AND PROCEDURES
Permits to work and find procedures
Authorisation chain, exclusion zones, stop-work rules, reporting of finds and cooperation with state authorities.
COMPETENCE
Personnel qualifications
Whether the declared EOD competence matches the task, beyond the formal certificate.
CLOSURE
Reports, certificates and ALARP statements
Traceability of results, open targets, deviations and the stated limits of the residual-risk conclusion.
HOW WE WORK
Four steps of a documentation review
Documents and question
We agree the scope: which documents, which project phase and which decision the review should support.
Desk review
A detailed check of consistency, assumptions, gaps and contradictions between documents.
Clarification
Questions to the author or contractor and, where needed, a site visit or an interview with the team.
Review report
Findings ranked by significance, required actions and the conditions under which the documents can be accepted.
WHAT WE OFTEN FIND
Typical gaps in UXO documentation
Scope drift
The risk assessment covers a different footprint, depth or activity than the final design.
Generic method statements
RAMS copied from another project that ignore the local ground, seabed or water conditions.
Missing find procedure
No clear rule for stopping work, reporting and handing over a suspect item.
Open-ended certificates
Closure documents without stated limits, assumptions or period of validity.
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS IN POLAND
What the Polish regulation requires and what we check
In Poland, land clearance is governed by the Council of Ministers regulation of 26 September 2023 on clearance of land from explosive and dangerous materials (Journal of Laws 2023, item 2286), in force since July 2024. When reviewing documentation for projects in Poland, we check that these requirements are reflected in the contractor's RAMS, schedule and reports:
Search depth
§ 6(3)Land is searched to a depth of at least 2 m. A shallower depth, but not less than 30 cm, is allowed only where justified by the type of terrain, its features, natural values or the structures and installations on it. We check that such a justification exists and fits the planned works.
Real-time EOD supervision
§ 6(8)Supervision must allow an immediate response to a hazard within the work of each machine and each working group. We check that the number of supervisors matches the number of machines and groups in the schedule.
Technical and organisational records
§ 6(13)Every cleared area is assigned to the person who cleared it and to the person supervising. The records include maps or sketches of the work areas and find locations, and photographs of the items found. We check that they are complete and traceable.
Qualifications and equipment
§ 6(11) and (12)Work is done by persons meeting the conditions of Article 19 of the Polish act on explosives for civil use, using certified equipment able to detect items to the required depth. We check that the contractor's declarations confirm this.
Destruction of finds
§ 6(6) and (7), § 9If the contractor cannot destroy found items itself, it must contract another licensed company or specialist military services before the contract starts. Destruction at the place of discovery is allowed only if the measures used protect life, health, property and the environment.
Acceptance
§ 12Cleared land is handed over on the basis of a protocol. Acceptance includes a control check of at least 10% of the cleared area by qualified persons.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Frequently asked questions
What does RAMS mean?
RAMS stands for risk assessment and method statement: the contractor's description of how the work will be done safely and which risks it controls. For UXO work it should follow directly from the project's UXO risk assessment.
When is a documentation review most useful?
Before tender, to set the requirements; before mobilisation, to accept the contractor's RAMS; and before sign-off, to accept the closure report and the residual-risk statement.
Do you rewrite the documents?
No. We identify gaps and the actions required. The author remains responsible for the document, which keeps our review independent.
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See also
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Client-side monitoring and sampling inspections of UXO survey and clearance.
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Send the documents you need checked
Describe the project, its current phase and the decision the review should support. We will propose a scope and timeframe.