Impartial by design
UXO risk assessments, and the mitigation they recommend, are by nature subjective: the outcome rests on the judgement of the author and the company writing the report. Where that company also sells the on-site mitigation as a turnkey provider, the assessment can easily become a sales funnel for its own services.
We believe impartiality is essential to effective UXO risk management, therefore we do not undertake preliminary or detailed UXO risk assessments.
Instead, we offer independent technical peer reviews of third-party UXO desktop studies and risk assessments, testing the evidence behind each identified threat against our own risk matrices to ensure the recommended mitigation is technically justified and suited to the proposed works.
Our aim is mitigation that is evidence-based, proportionate and commercially sensible, maintaining safety without adding unnecessary cost or construction risk. Where a new assessment is needed, we can refer clients to independent specialist assessors.
What we review
- The historical evidence behind each identified threat, such as bombing records, military land use and post-war development.
- The ordnance types assessed and how they would behave if disturbed, including fuzing and explosive content.
- The likelihood and consequence scoring, tested against our own risk matrices.
- Assessed bomb penetration depths and the risk pathways for each activity, from ground investigation and piling to excavation.
- Whether the recommended mitigation matches the residual risk: not too little, and not more than the site needs.
What you receive
A clear written review report, prepared in line with CIRIA C681 and C785 and the ALARP principle, with:
- a summary of the reviewed assessment and our overall finding;
- numbered review comments, each with a recommendation;
- a re-assessed risk matrix where our scoring differs;
- our conclusions and recommended mitigation, ready to share with your design team and principal contractor.
Where mitigation is needed, we can also deliver it, from UXO Overwatch and site safety instructions to on-site support and surveys and search & clear.
When to ask for a peer review
- Before you commit to the mitigation recommended in a desk study or risk assessment.
- When you are asked to price or deliver mitigation written by someone else.
- When the recommendations look out of proportion to the site or the works.
- When your works have changed since the assessment was written.
