Introduction
Hazards are inevitable in a collection like the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Spanning millions of years of human activity across all seven continents and the oceans, we care for an incredible diversity of materials. Some of these were intended to be dangerous, others may have become so due to the ways in which they have aged or been treated. However, most hazards in the collection can be safely managed with clear communication and personal protective equipment (PPE), reducing risk for both people and collections.
The following guide will introduce hazards found in the collection at MAA with recommendations on identification, management, and response. The purpose of this guide is to facilitate safe storage, handling, and access, and to promote transparency in our museum’s practices of care. It is intended to be used both internally and made available to external visitors, caretakers or other users of the collection.
The following recommendations are based on initial research in 2020 by Dr Lucie Carreau, MAA Stores Move Team Manager in collaboration with UCM conservator Kirstie French ACR. Over the course of the Stores Move Project (2020-2025), their original guidelines were supplemented by findings made by the Move Team and MAA collections managers in collaboration with Dr Ayesha Fuentes, Isaac Newton Trust Research Associate in Conservation, who wrote and designed the following guidance in August 2025.