Standards in the museum care of photographic collections 1996 / Museums & Galleries Commission ; [editor, Crispin Paine].

  • Great Britain. Museums and Galleries Commission
Date:
[1996?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Standards in the museum care of photographic collections 1996 / Museums & Galleries Commission ; [editor, Crispin Paine]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 38 Protecting photographic collections from fire Museum buildings should be designed or adapted to minimise the risk of fire and to prevent its spread. Museum buildings must meet the legal requirements for fire prevention and means of escape. This will normally be the Building Regulations 1991 Approved Doc B Fire Safety. All contracts for work on the premises should be on a ‘Permit to Work’ basis, and no work involving heat sources such as blow-torches or arc welding machines should normally be permitted. If such heat sources have to be used it should be to the safety regulations contained in Section 31 (4) of the Factories Act 1969. Wherever possible, buildings housing museum objects should be covered by an automatic fire-detection and alarm system, installed and maintained in accordance with BS 5839: Fire Detection and Alarm Systems for Buildings Part 1 Code of Practice for System Design, Installation and Servicing. The premises should be equipped with fire-fighting equipment as recommended by the Fire Officer and complying with BS 5423: Portable Fire Extinguishers and BS 5306: Fire Extinguishing Installations and Equipment on Premises. Fire-resistant cabinets should be provided to house the primary records and museum documentation, and wherever possible copies of records and back-up computer discs should be kept in a different building. All staff and volunteers should regularly attend training in fire prevention and response. Guidelines and notes Legal requirements Depending on the use of a building and the number of people working in it, a fire certificate as required by the Fire Precautions Act 1971 may be needed. If chemicals are kept within the building, the conditions must be in accordance with the advice of the local authority’s Fire Officer and must comply with Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations. A suitable COSHH assessment must be made and a copy kept in a convenient place for passing to emergency services on their arrival at an incident. Revised proposals for Fire Precautions (Places of Work Act) Regulations and Associated Guidance are likely to be produced in 1996. Reducing risk through design Areas housing collections should be rigorously insulated to a high standard (not less than half an hour protection, but preferably one hour) against fire spread from areas of risk, eg. workshops, laboratories, kitchens, boilers, plant room or chemical stores. The degree of risk from ‘risk areas’ must be reduced as much as possible, for example, by using an external chemical store if necessary. The advice of the Building Control Officer and Fire Authority should be sought on the selection of all materials used in displays and storage areas. Normally, all such materials should be fire-retardant, class O or A. Independently of their statutory responsibilities these officers should be invited to inspect the premises at least once a year, and should be made aware of the particular requirements
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