Avonmouth Project - Watching Brief

Fellows were commissioned to provide a  UXO Engineer on-site to conduct a Watching Brief (UXOWB) whilst excavations were ongoing to the Marine Dock Wall. This was to identify any possible UXOs (pUXO), advise and react accordingly to any find.

A UXO Engineer acts as the UXO Banksman (Watching brief) during intrusive ground works at the site. 

The on-site UXO Banksman’s role is to provide proactive support to the intrusive works on the site. The client requested that the UXO Engineer scan areas prior to and during excavations by plant machinery, specifically areas for a piled wall as part of the  project. The maximum expected depth of excavation is approximately 6m bgl. There is no requirement for the engineer to enter a man-riding basket providing the bottom of excavations can be viewed from the surface.

The UXO engineer acts under the client’s local instructions, following the site rules as set out in the site induction.  The UXO Engineers duties may include but not be limited to:

● Visually monitoring all excavations in order to detect items / explosive residue that are potentially ordnance related if they are uncovered as work progresses. This will involve working safely in the vicinity of plant machinery.

● Where possible and safely accessible, use a handheld detectors to check the intrusive earth works locations for the presence of buried ferrous objects prior to excavation work starting.  (For monitoring to be effective the area of works should ideally be free of scrap metals).

● Being on-call on site to immediately respond to suspected ordnance that has been discovered by the ground workers on site.

● Carrying out UXO related toolbox talks to the ground workers and staff as required by the client on site.  

● Assist in liaison with the local authorities and police should UXO be identified and present an explosive hazard.

Buried anomaly investigation: Owing to the large amount of contamination in the ground from previous demolitions of buildings and infrastructure at this site, .the use of the detector is very limited. The UXO Engineer therefore is required to carefully watch the dig by the excavator. Any signs of pUXO the operations are stopped until cleared.

If you have any similar requirement, please contact Fellows and we will be happy to advise or help.   

 t. 08000 424424 e. info@fellowsintgroup.com