Museums face a unique set of security and safety risks. If you manage a museum, it is essential that you take the time to understand the risks you face, so that you can take steps to safeguard your museum, your staff, your exhibits, and your visitors from all possible threats.
What Security and Safety Risks Do Museums Face?
When most people think about museum security, they most likely think about the risk of theft. The British Museum reported stolen artefacts as recently as 2023, while a Swiss museum recently experienced the theft of a £2m Ming vase.
Museums must also contend with health and safety risks for staff, visitors, and other members of the public. The Wirral Transport Museum was recently prevented from reopening due to the discovery of significant “hazardous substances risks”.
In recent years, museums and galleries have also had to contend with acts of vandalism carried out by activists. As well as the possible loss or damage of priceless artefacts, demonstrations from activists may also compromise the safety of other museum visitors. And if an activist harms themselves during their protest, will the museum be held liable?
Beyond this, museums face the same risks that any business or building in the UK must contend with, including, but not limited to:
- Fire
- Flood
- Burglaries – as in, the everyday theft of money or stock, rather than the high-profile theft of exhibits or artefacts.
- Public liability – if any member of the public slips, trips, or falls while on museum property, the museum may be liable.
- Product liability – if the museum prepares or sells food on the premises, they may face claims should any member of the public experience food poisoning or allergic reactions having consumed this food.
- Employer’s liability – in the UK it is a legal requirement to get adequate employer’s liability insurance if you have any employees.
How Can Museums Manage These Safety and Security Risks?
Arts Council England and the Collections Trust have produced a Museum Security Toolkit. This toolkit is designed to help museums understand the unique safety and security risks they may be facing, and to take appropriate action to manage these risks.
The toolkit advises on four steps for managing museum safety and security:
- Gather Information – Aim to get as comprehensive a picture as possible of the current measures you have in place to protect your collections, your staff, and your visitors. For this, they recommend an Environmental Visual Assessment (EVA), and a dedicated Museum Security Audit.
- Identify Threats – Devise an exhaustive list of all the threats to your collection, your staff, your museum premises, and to your ongoing operations should any of these threats occur. As part of this, they recommend creating and maintaining a good Collections Management System (CMS), to identify any particularly vulnerable objects.
- Assess, Plan, and Implement – Assess the likelihood of any possible threats or risks. Plan to manage these risks through either current or improved control measures. Then outline how you will implement these plans, including how you will communicate them across your staff. For this, they recommend using a Risk Awareness Profiling Tool (RAPT).
- Monitor and Review – As part of your ongoing management and planning cycles, you should continually review the threats your museum and your collections face, along with your control measures for managing these threats.
Is Your Museum Covered For All Possible Risks?
James Hallam is an independent Lloyd’s broker with access to a hand-picked selection of A-rated insurance providers. We can help you understand the unique risks your museum faces, before arranging for comprehensive insurance to cover your museum, your collections, your staff, and your visitors.
Get in touch for a free quote today.