Addressing Occupational Health and Safety Hazards: How to Protect Yourself and Your Staff

Abstract

Occupational health and safety hazards in special collections and archives derive from the nature (and maturity) of the collections themselves — that we collect old stuff, and often, keep it in old spaces. In defense of history, we wage a never-ending war against mold, asbestos, bedbugs, silverfish, dim lighting, rickety staircases, failing HVAC systems, and the tenuous threat of death by halon, never mind COVID. How many of us have suffered respiratory distress, lifelong allergies, or physical disability as a result of our work in special collections and archives? Moderated by Amanda Sprochi