RISK MANAGEMENT
Only 1 million of its 80 million-strong collection of specimens are on show in the public galleries. he refers to mainly related to adjusting information flows and formalising the new processes to fit the requirements of the standard, which was the main hurdle. At this stage we arrive in the NHM’s Tank Room, which houses an 8.6m-long giant squid called Archie that was donated in 2004 and is preserved in the longest pickles jar I have ever seen. The preserving liquid is methylated spirits, so I have to turn the camera off to avoid a possible ignition. As there are around 480,000l of the 70% ethanol, the Tank Room is fitted with an air management system that changes the air three times an hour; ethanol detectors in the ducting can also
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activate a purge if ethanol vapours are detected. In total, the museum contains around 27km of shelving full of glass jars including, in front of me, specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s, which helped formulate the theory of evolution. In November this year MMRA will visit again to see what has been improved, what has been addressed, and what has been actioned. Weaver explains that certified organisations are obliged to carry out their own internal audits and reviews of PAS 7-related aspects. “I can chase up aspects of those and see what has been done.” Weaver believes that interest in PAS 7 is rising; MMRA is in discussions with eight other organisations of varied natures, ranging from mobile phone companies and banks to universities and even the administration offices of a nuclear power station. As we move between buildings, Murray points out some historical fire-fighting equipment that, rather in keeping with the place, has been left alone rather than evicted; an old hose reel cabinet, old risers and connectors. In the archive rooms, he says, there are ‘lovely’ patent leather fire-fighting buckets, as well as the fire helmet of the fire warden of the NHM during the Second World War. We reach Murray’s office and he shows me the over-arching risk management strategy document that was audited under PAS 7. The document covers strategy until 2020 for each building, outlining what the NHM aims to achieve and how each department contributes. It shows where all related documents are, outlines planning and objectives (such as unwanted alarm reduction), resources, communications between departments and the role of different departments, and how each building is used. The document is not the same as the guidance document for the local fire brigade. “We have standard procedures for them and every area is mapped, indicating access and escape routes, storage capacities and stairwells. Information includes compartmentation and minimum resistance of fire doors. “They are two separate documents; one tells you how the buildings work, the other how the organisation works. They go hand in hand,” concludes Murray. Walking out under the gigantic mouth of Hope the whale and through the crowds of happy children and adults, it becomes poignantly clear that keeping an institution like this free of fire is not just crucial for the people inside the building, but for the rest of mankind too.
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