At Brimstone, we offer a full suite of UXO risk mitigation services to clients both in the UK and overseas.

We are committed to ensuring safety, security, and efficiency in our work, with our expert team dedicated to providing unrivalled services, ensuring that all UXO-related risks are managed and mitigated effectively.

In this blog, we take an in-depth look at the range of UXO services we offer at Brimstone and how they can support your upcoming construction and development projects.

What are UXO services?

UXO services encompass a wide range of activities focussed on the identification and clearance of unexploded ordnance. These services are crucial for project sites that have been affected by military activity, including former conflicts, military training and weapons manufacturing.

UXO can pose significant risks to construction projects, marine activities, and public safety. Our UXO services are designed to identify and remove these hazards, ensuring a safe environment for all.

Our UXO services also follow and conform to CIRIA C681, the industry guide for the management of risk associated with UXO. This guidance is split into four key sections:

  1. Preliminary UXO Risk Assessment
  2. Detailed UXO Risk Assessment
  3. Risk Mitigation
  4. Implementation

By working with us, you will have followed CIRIA C681 to the letter!

UXO Risk Assessments

A UXO Risk Assessment is usually the first step that is taken when mitigating UXO risks. It comes in two key forms: a Preliminary UXO Risk Assessment and a Detailed UXO Risk Assessment.

A Preliminary UXO Risk Assessment can be turned around in 24 to 48-hours and establishes if there is potential UXO contamination on site that requires more in-depth research. This is the most cost-effective and fastest way of identifying or discounting UXO risks for your site, as it might be determined that your site is low risk, and no further risk mitigation work is required after this step.

If a UXO risk is identified in your preliminary assessment or your site is on former or current military land, you will require a Detailed UXO Risk Assessment. This is a more thorough investigation which analyses and evaluates the impact of allied and enemy action on the land in question. By placing the site in its military context and looking at any post-war developments, our researchers can identify the types of UXO that could be present and if your proposed works could encounter these items.

If you’d like to learn more about our UXO risk assessments, we took an in-depth look at them in our blog previously.

UXO Risk Assessment

UXO Surveys

The next step in UXO risk mitigation is often a UXO Survey, which uses advanced technologies to explore beneath the surface and detect buried ferrous objects that could be items of ordnance. At Brimstone we offer two types of surveys: Intrusive and Non-Intrusive.

An Intrusive UXO Survey is ideal for detecting deep-buried bombs on brownfield sites or sites with made ground and can provide UXO detection and clearance ahead of piling or drilling works. These surveys are undertaken using a CPT Rig, which pushes a magnetometer probe into the ground to survey a column of soil. Using magnetometry, it can identify if there are fluctuations caused by ferrous metals, which could be UXO.

If your site is on greenfield land or in an area that has a risk of shallow buried UXO items, a Non-Intrusive UXO Survey might be appropriate. This involves passing magnetometry sensors over the ground in either a pushed, towed, or aerial format to pinpoint anomalies.

Both of these surveying methods ensure that UXO hazards can be identified before any intrusive work begins, keeping your team and the wider public safe.

Interested in learning more? We covered everything you need to know about UXO surveys on our blog here.

UXO Surveys

UXO On-Site Support

At Brimstone we provide a range of on-site support services to manage UXO risks during construction and excavation activities. By having a presence on site during your work, our UXO engineers are available to offer immediate assistance, ensuring that any suspected UXO finds are handled swiftly and safely.

Our UXO Watching Brief service is suitable for a range of projects including excavation work, archaeology projects, reduced digs and trial pits. We find this is a popular UXO risk mitigation option for sites that are not suitable for UXO surveys. This service involves the continuous monitoring of ground intrusion activities by one of our qualified UXO engineers, who will use visual techniques to establish the presence of UXO or items relating to military activity which may inform the possible presence of unexploded ordnance in the surrounding area.

Another on-site support service we offer is a UXO Search and Clear. Suitable for greenfield sites or areas of made ground with low levels of metal contamination, our UXO engineers can use specialist search equipment to mark, excavate and identify targets in real time. We often find this is a cost-effective solution for clients who are undertaking shallow excavations or laying cable routes for example.

Our final on-site support service is UXO Borehole Support. Sometimes referred to as a UXO Downhole Survey, this is where one of our UXO engineers uses a down-hole probe to clear borehole positions as they get progressively deeper. We can support the use of cable-percussive, rotary, window and windowless samplers and other drilling methods to ensure that all operatives are kept safe from unexploded ordnance.

On-site UXO services

UXO Disposal

We are proud to be one of very few contractors in the UK who can handle the removal and disposal of UXO. Following stringent safety protocols, we can carry out both high and low order disposal techniques to destroy items of ordnance on site, or provide the safe transportation of UXO to our explosive stores.

It is worth noting that while we do have the licenses and capability to dispose of items of ordnance, where possible we initially lean on the resources provided by the British military to keep costs as low as possible for our clients. However, as there aren’t many UXO companies in the UK with an acquire and keep license, Brimstone is often called in to take over from other UXO firms or the military when multiple items are found on a site.

Brimstone UXO disposal

Marine UXO Services

Our UXO services are also available for marine environments, where UXO can pose significant risks to a wide range of operations.

Conducted by experienced professionals and using state-of-the-art equipment, Brimstone can provide a multitude of technical solutions to ensure that your project is safe and free of marine UXO, which services ranging from risk assessments and marine surveys to ordnance removal and disposal.

UXO marine services

UXO Training

In addition to our site based UXO services, Brimstone is proud to offer a range of comprehensive UXO training programs and toolbox talks which enable construction, engineering, development, and environmental professionals to upskill their knowledge of unexploded ordnance.

We understand that continuous learning and professional development are essential in any industry, and construction is no exception. This is why we developed our online UXO Awareness CPD Course. Approved by the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management and certified by The CPD Certification Service, this online course consists of five modules of in-depth information that teaches candidates about UXO risks, why UXO might be present, and how to respond to a UXO incident. This online course is available on-demand, allowing your team to complete the training at their own convenience and minimising disruption to your project timelines.

We also offer UXO Safety Awareness Briefs (also known as Toolbox Talks) which are included in our usual on-site services but can be provided as a stand-alone service. This short talk is delivered to your team by one of our UXO engineers either on site or online, and covers general risks and hazards, basic UXO identification, and what actions to take in the event of a UXO encounter. We find these talks are ideal for clients who want to add an extra layer of mitigation to their works, especially on sites with low to low-moderate risks.

If you are looking for something more bespoke, we can curate a training package that is specific to your site and the identified UXO risk. These are an extended version of our safety briefs and last for approximately two hours. Our UXO engineers will cover explosive munitions principles, sources of contamination, basic UXO identification, safety measures and specific historical information related to your site that has been obtained from primary and secondary research.

On-demand CPD training

Who are our UXO services for?

Our UXO services cater to a wide range of public and private sector clients of all sizes, both in the UK and abroad. From developers and building contractors to local authorities and private companies, we have supported projects spanning major infrastructure, commercial, residential, land development and restoration.

We understand that every project is different, which is why our UXO services are tailored to meet your specific needs and ensure a safe working environment.

If you would like to see examples of projects we’ve worked on recently, make sure you check out our case studies page here.

Bespoke UXO services

Ready to ensure the safety and success of your project? No matter where your project may be, we can provide bespoke solutions to the risk posed by unexploded ordnance. Get in touch with our Commercial Team today to get booked in:

• Email us at: enquire@brimstoneuxo.com
• Give us a call on: 020 7117 2492
• Fill out a contact form at: www.brimstoneuxo.com/contact

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