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Special precautions should be taken when contractors are working in a building, so that security measures are not breached. Unfortunately, contractors can be the primary cause of disasters and emergencies. For example, they might be using open flames for welding or construction; they may use hazardous chemicals; or they may be moving heavy equipment in and around records and archives. Contractors should also be monitored for any activities that might damage or harm materials, such as mishandling of water systems, smoking, eating or drinking in highrisk areas or the use of dangerous equipment such as open flame torches or items with heat sources. The use of such equipment should be considered a possible risk to the materials, as torches or open flames can easily ignite papers. Ideally, contractors should be supervised at all times to ensure they do not do anything that might harm records. For more information on security issues, see Preserving Records. Protection against Armed Conflict Organisations in countries or regions at risk for armed conflict, terrorism or other dangers should take particular precautions to protect material. UNESCO and the International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS) have developed a range of recommendations and instructions for action. For more information on UNESCO and ICBS, see Lesson 4. Among the key actions are the following. • Prepare lists of vital records (this action is discussed later in this module). • Establish priorities for the protection of records. • Copy inventories and store copies in various locations, including off site. • Make copies of critical records on microform or another medium and store the copies securely in a separate location. • Evacuate vital records to secure storage if an emergency is imminent. • Organise cooperative programmes with other institutions in the country to protect records or archives. • Raise awareness of the importance of records and archives among the military, security forces and police, so that they may take steps to protect records and archives during a conflict. EMERGENCY PLANNING FOR RECORDS AND ARCHIVES SERVICES 25
Activity 12 Is your country or region under threat of any possible armed conflict? If so, what steps has your institution taken to protect its information resources in the event of confrontation? Improving an Existing Facility If the measures outlined above are not sufficient or if the institution is able to put resources into improvements, it is possible to upgrade the existing facility in order to improve standards for the storage of records or archives. General improvements might include the following. • Waterproofing the building to reduce possible flood or water damage. • Reinforce the structural strength of key areas in the building. • Construct walls or external barriers to prevent accidents such as vehicles hitting the building. • Strengthen shelving to stabilise it in the event of earthquakes or similar disasters. • Repair or recover water and other pipes to prevent leaks. • Install security bars on windows and doors. Activity 13 Name three steps you would take to improve the facility for storing records or archives in your institution. Explain the priority in which you would do this work and why. Constructing a New Building If the institution’s risk assessment has determined that the existing facilities are inadequate, the ideal situation would be to construct a new, purpose-built facility, whether for office space or for semi-current or archival records storage. While building a new facility is very expensive, it is within the realm of possibility for some institutions. However, the success of a new building will come from good planning before it is built. A new building should be well planned and well designed. EMERGENCY PLANNING FOR RECORDS AND ARCHIVES SERVICES 26
Page 1 and 2: MANAGING PUBLIC SECTOR RECORDS A Tr
Page 3 and 4: MANAGING PUBLIC SECTOR RECORDS A ST
Page 5 and 6: MPSR Project Personnel Project Dire
Page 7 and 8: Donors The International Records Ma
Page 10 and 11: CONTENTS Introduction 1 Lesson 1 Id
Page 12 and 13: INTRODUCTION TO EMERGENCY EMERGENCY
Page 14 and 15: METHOD OF STUDY AND ASSESSMENT This
Page 16 and 17: EMERGENCY PLANNING FOR RECORDS AND
Page 18 and 19: • environmental, such as an aircr
Page 20 and 21: Conducting a Risk Assessment The be
Page 22 and 23: DETERMINING POTENTIAL IMPACT Once t
Page 24 and 25: Emergencies and disasters can have
Page 26 and 27: When preparing a risk assessment an
Page 28 and 29: very different when staff are not i
Page 30 and 31: METHODS OF CONDUCTING ASSESSMENTS I
Page 32 and 33: 7. Fire suppression systems are in
Page 34 and 35: • Compartmentalise holdings by in
Page 38 and 39: When constructing a new building, t
Page 40 and 41: STUDY QUESTIONS 1. What types of ri
Page 42 and 43: Activity 7 There are benefits to ea
Page 44 and 45: PREPARING AN EMERGENCY PLAN EMERGEN
Page 46 and 47: The format of the plan should be ea
Page 48 and 49: Preventive Measures This section of
Page 50 and 51: Key people inside and outside the o
Page 52 and 53: List of Emergency Equipment and Sup
Page 54 and 55: atteries for lights or flashlights
Page 56 and 57: OBTAINING APPROVAL In order for the
Page 58 and 59: person who developed the plan. Peop
Page 60 and 61: • Take action to prevent the same
Page 62 and 63: STUDY QUESTIONS 1. What is the purp
Page 64 and 65: Senior approval is critical as is c
Page 66 and 67: Another asset to identify, of cours
Page 68 and 69: ultimately, its success. Such suppo
Page 70 and 71: event that the building and surroun
Page 72 and 73: Remember, the ‘vital’ nature of
Page 74 and 75: • The records should be at a safe
Page 76 and 77: • Where should duplicates be made
Page 78 and 79: sometimes necessary to enter into c
Page 80 and 81: SUMMARY This lesson has outlined th
Page 82 and 83: ACTIVITIES: COMMENTS Activity 23 In
Page 84 and 85: Activity 33 When storing electronic
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It is suggested that an organisatio
Page 88 and 89:
International Centre for the Study
Page 90 and 91:
taken to prevent emergencies. Much
Page 92 and 93:
National Archives and Records Admin
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SUMMARY This lesson has provided an
Page 96:
ACTIVITIES: COMMENTS Activity 34 Ev
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