ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 816

Most Common Health Hazards:
Chemical reaction of mixing non-matching items might cause serious problems. Holding the
cutter for long time is tiring for the new conservators. Also, working continuously on the microscopes is more tiring for the eyes for the new staff. A common expected health hazard over long
periods of time is neck disks. Table height, chair and sitting position should be appropriate, and
based on individual body needs to prevent it.
Maintenance Department
The following part is a review of the nature of the work of the personnel in maintenance department in Sharjah Museums’ departments. The maintenance department works closely with the
collections department. Their role is to maintain the conditions set by the collections department
for the historical items as well as the exhibition halls. Daily checkups are done to ensure that the
lighting levels are set and did not change. Maintenance work carried out for the museums are
completely different from the regular ones due to the collections and the artifacts available. The
temperature, humidity and lighting levels are considered carefully to provide perfect conditions
for the artifact in their showcases.
In Sharjah, the museums are equipped with BMS (Building Management Systems) that can control every room and gallery by the required conditions. Maintenance and collections department
provides the set points, and the operator undertakes continuous monitoring and checking. Additionally, every three months reports are generated with graphs from the environmental conditions and comparisons are done to check if there are any changes over time or there are any
mechanical problems. This period depends on the nature of the exhibitions if it is temporary the
graph is generated for every month.
Ventilation:
There is no special Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system for the museums; the
only important aspect is the ability in controlling different environmental factors in them. The
HVAC system in each museum is different from each other, depending on the age of the building.
The maintenance team has regular services for them to prevent any water leakage and damages.
The collection department usually sets the temperature usually between 24-25°C. Humidity levels
are set at maximum 50% and minimum between 40-45% in the permanent galleries. However,
each room and each gallery, depending on the items they have on display, may require different
conditions.
The maintenance team is available daily and any small water leakage or so are resolved on the
same day. They deal with the maintenance works related to the museums and exhibition areas.
Sharjah government is providing the service for the building maintenance from outside. However, the service is provided by the government is undertaking under the supervision of the maintenance department at Sharjah Museums. The technicians and the maintenance teams always
get different trainings with the collection departments in order to enhance their skills as well as
to update the required information. On rainy days, the heritage buildings face more challenges
in terms of water gatherings. To remove the water, water pump are used to avoid damages to the
buildings.
Pest Control:
The main policy is to prevent pest from entering the environment from the first place. It is mainly
conducted by controlling the indoor temperature and controlling the entrances and exit areas.
This is mainly to avoid the usage of insecticides in the museums. Usually, the type of insects and

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ZEMCH 2015 | International Conference | Bari - Lecce, Italy