CIRIA said unexploded ordnance, which includes bombs, bullets, shells, grenades and land mines, is a major issue for the construction industry as they are encountered during the initial intrusive engineering phase.
Military installations, cities and other parts of the UK’s infrastructure were subjected to extensive bombing campaigns by the German air force during World War II. According to figures available from the explosive ordnance disposal industry, 15,000 items were removed from UK construction sites between 2006 and 2009, ranging from aerial delivered bombs to ammunition such as mortar rounds and grenades. In April 2009, 1,000 homes were evacuated in Plymouth when workers discovered a piece of unexploded ordnance on a construction site, while in June 2008 a 1,000kg bomb was discovered in Bow, East London during construction work for the Olympic Games. This discovery closed two tube lines will it was defused. It is believed to the biggest unexploded bomb found in London in three decades.
CIRIA said there is little publicly available guidance to assist groundwork contractors, developers and other construction professionals in dealing with unexploded ordnance. As such, it has consulted a range of stakeholders to produce ‘Unexploded Ordnance – a guide for the construction industry’. This, it said, will “enable the construction industry to assess and mitigate [the] risk appropriately and cost effectively”.
The guide will be launched in London on 14 October.
The association has also worked on developing best practice guidelines for the unexploded ordnance industry across the UK, ‘A clients’ guide for assessing risk on UXO sites’. The Health and Safety Executive has approved this document.
