6 Accidents / Malfunctions
Cultural property is constantly at risk from accidental damage or technical malfunctions. Apart from major incidents such as the collapse of the Cologne City Archives in 2009, a large number of incidents that caused damage on both a small and large scale are known. The threats include mechanical damage, changes to the indoor climate and water damage.
Possible causes:
- Human error (improper handling, inappropriate behavior of staff, visitors or users)
- Failure of display cases, rooms and buildings
- Incorrect hanging of artifacts attached to walls
- Air-conditioning and heating system malfunctions
- Outdoor climate influences
- Power supply failure
Preventive measures can greatly reduce the likelihood of accidents and malfunctions and mitigate the potential damage.
1. Mechanical damage
Mechanical damage to cultural property can arise as a result of falls, knocks and tears. Above all this affects mechanically sensitive artifacts such as paintings, graphics, porcelain, small artworks, sculptures, ethnographica, old books and archive materials. Damage is usually caused by improper handling during use, shipping, or hanging, or by the inappropriate behavior of visitors and users. Such objects must therefore be packed and shipped only by staff with the relevant expertise. Trip hazards must be avoided within the institution. Self-closing doors must open automatically or be held open by another member of staff. Non-slip gloves should be used to prevent objects slipping from hands (also because of perspiration on hands).
Objects should be packed using padding and insulating materials. Special crates should be used for delicate artifacts. Objects should be transported using low-vibration vehicles and on well-maintained roads. Coordination with customs authorities and airports in advance may reduce time spent in transit, shorten processing times and create a higher level of awareness.
If artifacts are to be mounted on a wall (e.g. paintings, graphics, shelves for porcelain or small objects), this should only be done using suitable techniques with due consideration for the substrate in question. If necessary, adhesives should be additionally used and an anchor tester should be used to check the fastening. For added safety, load-bearing hooks or ledges at the bottom of the artwork can take some of the load.
Display cases should be designed and made by specialists. The design may be provided by architects with the necessary experience in construction and statics. The cases should be made by specialist firms.
In particular, careful thought must be given to the question of access to the object in the display case. It must be possible for doors to remain open without aids, and the weight of the open door must not cause the case to tip over. Opening a case by lifting a cover over the artifacts solely by means of glass suction cups must be avoided since the suction cups could suddenly fail and the glass cover would fall on the objects. Display cases should be constructed using secure profiles; statically loaded adhesives should not be used. Any technical equipment such as for air conditioning, lighting or security should be housed in a separate compartment in the base.
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| Figures 1 and 2: Display cases in Dresden’s Grünes Gewölbe museum The display cases in Dresden’s Grünes Gewölbe museum are equipped with active and passive air conditioning. A separately accessed services compartment ensures that service technicians carrying out maintenance work do not have access to the actual cultural objects. The doors and fittings are of a high architectonic quality and are virtually invisible. |
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Shelves, storage systems, sliding-frame and sliding-drawer systems must be planned and built by specialists with the requisite expertise and experience.
Walk-through inspections of rooms and buildings housing cultural property by representatives of building authorities, architects, civil engineers, fire services or insurance companies should be held regularly. The building must be maintained to a high standard (especially with respect to windows, doors and roofs). Any changes in the vicinity of the property must also be taken into account (e.g. landslides, major construction projects, quakes and floods). There is a risk that artworks and cultural assets may be intentionally or unintentionally damaged during an exhibition. Attacks with knives or acids thrown on paintings are well known (cf. Vandalism section). However, visitors stumbling or tripping can also cause damage. This can only be prevented by displaying exhibits under glass, behind barriers, in display cases, using electronic early warning systems and ensuring adequate attendant staffing levels.
2. Water damage
Cultural property can be damaged by water. Water ingress from higher floors in a building is particularly problematic. Unfortunately, service ducts for systems involving water (e.g. air-conditioning systems), through which heating, cooling and drinking water flow, are sometimes unavoidable on the floors above cultural objects. If it is not possible to move the systems for spatial or functional reasons, the risk of causing water damage in the floors below can be mitigated by the following measures:
- Installation of watertight floor seals (membrane, special coating)
- Installation of floor drains
- Installation of leak detectors hooked up to a building management or alarm system
- Installation of pipe-in-pipe systems and leak monitoring
- Monitoring the pressure in systems and signaling any drop in pressure immediately
- Installation of fast-closing valves activated by the building management system
- Reducing the length of pipes between valves to minimize the amount of water that might escape
- Daily preventive monitoring of systems for drips.
Water damage can however also be caused by water system installations (heating, drinking water) in the same room as cultural objects. For example, water can suddenly spray out of a pipe at high pressure. Measures to reduce such risks:
- Avoid joints (solder points, welds, press-fit connections) on systems in the room
- Artifacts should not stand directly on the floor, but on risers, pedestals or shelves
- Fit leak detectors on the floor and connect them to the building management system or alarm system (exercise caution when cleaning the rooms!)
- Protect against spray with water-deflecting sheets to prevent artifacts being sprayed directly
- Daily preventive monitoring of systems for drips.
Emergency plans and materials for “first aid” (emergency kit) should be on hand for use after any water damage is suffered. The emergency plans should detail the first actions to take to save the artifacts, as well as how they should be packed, along with the telephone numbers of the relevant partner organizations such as cold storage facilities, transport companies, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), expert colleagues and preparedness networks. An evacuation plan is used to clear the building, whether by the institution’s own staff or assisting organizations. The emergency kits for water damage should contain film dispensers, gloves, towels, writing materials, (possibly) safety shoes, overalls, power distributors, torches and pads for absorbing water.
3. Damage due to climatic changes
The complete or partial failure of some components of air-conditioning systems poses a risk to cultural property. Rapid changes of air are to be avoided, along with unsuitable temperature and relative humidity values. See the Climate section for more detailed information. The reliability of room climate control systems can be increased by the following measures:
- Keep systems well maintained
- Daily checks
- Keep emergency mobile air conditioning equipment on standby
- Monitor systems by means of a building management or alarm system.
Emergency plans and materials for “first aid” (emergency kit as for water damage) should also be on hand for use after any failure of air conditioning systems. Building maintenance and regular inspections must prevent outdoor climate infiltration through windows, doors and the roof (cf. 1. Mechanical damage and the Climate section).
4. Power supply failure
A power supply outage will cause the failure of technical systems such as:
- Heating and air conditioning
- Alarm system (usually delayed because of battery backup)
- Telecommunications systems
- Lighting
The failure of heating and air conditioning systems has already been mentioned. A failure of the alarm system as well as the telecommunications system creates a major security problem as no alerts or alarms from the alarm system and/or the building management system will be transmitted to the outside. Failure of the lighting will compromise working conditions. Precautions to avert electrical system failures:
- Systems should be inspected and maintained regularly
- Fixed equipment should be inspected every 4 years
- Movable equipment should be inspected every 2 years (as recommended by employers’ liability insurance associations).
Precautions for emergencies:
- Have a mobile standby power system (diesel generator) and keep it maintained
- Keep a stock of torches to hand
- In the case of particularly vulnerable properties, have parallel communication links to assisting organizations via cellphone technology
- Check the batteries in alarm systems regularly
- Emergency plan for a power supply failure
5. Accidents involving personal injury
Accidents involving personal injury are one of the worst scenarios for museums, archives and libraries. However, the SiLK Guidelines focus primarily on assessing and evaluating the threats to cultural property. In Germany, matters of personal safety are largely covered by legislation. The following rules and regulations are relevant to the construction and operation of public buildings:
- State building regulations (Landesbauordnung)
- Regulations governing places of assembly (Versammlungsstättenverordnung)
- Model ordinance for the electrical locking of doors in escape routes (Musterverordnung zur elektrischen Verriegelung von Türen in Rettungswegen)
- DIN and VDE standards for the construction and operation of technical systems (DIN- und VDE-Regelungen zu Errichtung und Betrieb von technischen Anlagen)
- Building permits from the local building inspectorate
- Fire regulations (Brandschutzordnung), ground plans for fire brigade use and escape route plans according to DIN 14095
Michael John
Photos: Michael John