ACTIONS
- Protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage
- Learning and educational opportunities
- Cultural participation/social inclusion
- Sustainable tourism
- Support research
- Employment (recruiting, training, safety)
- Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions
- Waste management and reduction
- Transport (forms of, energy use)
- Commercial activities including copyright and IP
- Governance and management
- Security, disaster preparedness, risk reduction
- External partnerships and collaborations
- Publication/report
- Toolkit/framework/roadmap
SHARE Hazards in Museum Collections: a collections care how to guide
Intended Audience
Museums and museum workers
- SHARE (Museum Development East of England)
“This How To Guide is one of a series of collections care guides published by Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service in partnership with the Collections Trust. It provides an introduction to the recognition and management of hazards in museum collections, and is a starting point for managing associated risks. The guide covers some of the most commonly occurring hazards in museum collections and points you to other resources where you can find out more.” (p.3)
Avaiable in
- English
SDGs LINKAGES
The resource can help collections-based institutions plan the care and use of collections, considering collections hazards, notably chemical hazards. Implementing the resource can support the achievement of a number of SDG targets linked to chemicals, pollution, and safe working conditions and services for the public, including the following:
Targets relating to the reduction of waste and pollution: 6.3 (improving water quality, which includes reducing pollution), 11.4 (protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage), 11.6 (reducing the environmental impact of cities), 12.2 (sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources), 12.4 (environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, preventing their release into the environment) and 14.1 (reducing marine pollution).
These contribute to targets relating to safe and welcoming green and public places (11.7) and safe and inclusive learning environments (4.A).
In terms of working conditions, the resource supports SDG 3.9 (preventing illness from hazardous chemicals) and 8.8 (protect labour rights and safe working conditions).
Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Plans, policies and procedures in place to prevent harmful exposure to hazardous chemicals associated with collections, or collections-related activities.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place to ensure hazardous chemicals and other forms of pollutant are properly managed and disposed of, to prevent release into the natural environment.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive.
- Proportion of education facilities that provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
- Number and type of initiatives to improve effectiveness of learning environments.
- Support given to other education facilities to make them more inclusive and effective.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Amount of pollutants, and reduction in pollutants, to water systems.
- Plans in place for the identification, reduction, replacement and recycling of hazardous chemical and materials, to prevent their release into water systems, with plans to eliminate their use as soon as possible.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportions of staff working with collections in safe and secure working environments.
- Number of accidents and other health and safety incidents reported.
- Training and support provided for staff to ensure their wellbeing, health and safety.
- Education, awareness-raising and partnership programmes drawing on collections that address labour rights, notably those of migrant workers and others in precarious employment.
- Reduction of numbers and proportions of staff on short-term or zero-hours contracts.
- Fair pay policies and procedures in place to prevent exploitation.
- Procurement policies that ensure that collecting institutions make use of people who are in decent employment, and that avoid exploitation throughout the supply chain.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the safe use of collections for a variety of purposes, protecting and safeguarding both collections and those who use them.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the identification, safeguarding and protection of cultural and natural heritage at risk.
- Collecting programmes in place to protect, safeguard and make use of cultural and natural heritage, addressing the needs of communities and stakeholders, and ensuring that collections can be an effective resource for sustainable development.
- Number and diversity of educational, awareness-raising, research programmes, and partnerships that aim to strengthen protection of cultural and natural heritage.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Plans in place to reduce negative impacts on air quality, and volume and forms of waste.
- Plans in place to eliminate waste of all forms as soon as possible.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups, notably women, children, older people and persons with disabilities.
- Increases in numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups.
- Measures taken to remove barriers to access green and public spaces.
- Extent of green space provided by collections institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Reduction of material footprint in terms of reductions in consumption of biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores and non-metal ores.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Quantities, and reduction in quantities, of chemicals of all kinds, including chemicals used in maintenance of collections facilities, and chemicals used in care and preparation of collections, and all wastes throughout their life cycle, reducing release to air, water and soil.
- Plans in place to eliminate the use and release of hazardous chemicals and harmful wastes of all kinds into the natural environment as soon as possible.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of collections-related programmes, for example research and education, that aim to reduce marine pollution.
- Quantity, and reduction, of waste of all sorts, with plans in place to eliminate waste of all sorts as soon as possible.
- Quantity, and reduction, of plastic waste, with plans in place to eliminate the production and release of plastic waste as soon as possible.