PLANNING & PREPARATION

Planning for first aid for finds is a collaborative process between archaeologists and conservators. Their combined expertise will generate predictions about the nature of the archaeology, burial environment and finds to support the planning process. The occurrence and condition of finds dictates the level of input of conservation expertise, facilities and supplies needed.

Here you will find essential information to plan for first aid for finds actions in the field and beyond.

Personnel for First Aid for Finds

The role of a conservator

Input from a professional archaeological conservator will be useful, or critical, at various points in the fieldwork process. A conservator should be as part of the expert team on call to provide advice and support to the director or project manager and the finds staff.

Key points at which the conservator would offer input are outlined in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1 The contribution of conservation to archaeological fieldwork

Where first aid for finds is not undertaken by a conservator, appoint a member of the project team to this role. This would usually be the finds officer or an assistant. Employ a conservator to provide pre-excavation training in handling and packaging of finds for all excavation staff and first aid for finds training for the finds officers. A conservator may also be required to attend where complex objects are discovered, such as waterlogged wooden structures or spreads of painted wall plaster.

Finding a conservator

Conservators are skilled professionals, with specialist training in the theory and practice of conserving materials and artefacts. They work in public or private sector organisations (e.g., museums, universities, and archaeology companies) or may be independent private practitioners.

Professional conservation is governed by national and international codes of practice. The Institute of Conservation (Icon) and the Institute of Conservation and Restorers in Ireland (ICRI) formally accredit conservators who meet defined standards of professional practice in the UK and Ireland. Find accredited conservators through their registers which are searchable by specialism, for example, archaeology. Contact information for these organisations can be found in Sources of Further Information.

Developing a Conservation Strategy

Key considerations

Write a recovery policy for archaeological material at the fieldwork project design stage, in line with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists standards and guidance for archaeological materials. Develop a conservation strategy as part of this and as a collaboration between finds officers, conservators, finds specialists and other relevant professionals (e.g., museum curators or archive managers). Include conservation actions including a method statement for recovery and lifting, cleaning, storage and transportation of finds.

Key considerations for the development of a conservation strategy are outlined in Table 1.2.

Table 1.2 Considerations in planning a conservation strategy

Contingency planning for challenging sites and finds

Some sites may require more urgent input to first aid for finds than others, depending on the nature of the finds and their state of preservation. They may also have more complex resource requirements for personnel and materials. Desk-based assessment or field survey may help to predict this in advance of excavation. Consider the following site types and their likely complexities.

A waterlogged site: Expect waterlogged organic finds. Specialist facilities, equipment and materials for recovery and processing will be needed, including cold storage (see Complex Finds).
A Romano-British villa site: Expect mosaics or wall plaster. Sites may include wells with waterlogged finds in deep deposits. Specialist in-situ conservation and lifting expertise will be required, likely from a conservator (see Complex Finds).
A furnished burial with grave goods: May include mineral preserved organics.
An industrial site: Expect contamination from industrial waste which may be harmful or hazardous.

Provide additional health and safety measures as required (see Health & Safety). Expect a greater number of finds due to the shorter burial timeframe. Prepare personnel for identifying more modern materials.

Develop a thorough understanding of the site and likely finds survival prior to excavation. This will be collaborative, requiring archaeological and conservation input and an understanding of materials and their decay in the burial environment (see Archaeological Materials & Decay).

There will be resource implications for complex sites with additional staff time and materials costs to be managed within the constraints of a project.

Facilities, Supplies & Equipment

Establishing a finds processing area

Whether finds processing and first aid actions take place on site or elsewhere, there are certain requirements of a finds receiving or processing area that allow for effective finds activities. Acknowledging that not all fieldwork projects will have access to the same level of resource, Table 1.3 offers information on the basic and best practice requirements to assist in setting up an appropriate space.

Table 1.3 Basic and best practice requirements of a finds processing area

Tools for First Aid for Finds

Establish a tool kit for simple first aid actions in advance of a project to ensure that staff are well-prepared and can receive training in its use before fieldwork commences. Basic tools that are recommended for first aid actions are listed in Table 1.4. Some are general purpose while others have specific applications but many are available from non-specialist suppliers. For specialist items, conservation suppliers are listed in in Equipment & Suppliers. Consult a conservator for advice on their procurement.

Table 1.4 Basic tools and resources for first aid for finds and their uses

Materials for labelling, packaging and storage

Most basic labelling, packaging and storage of finds can be achieved using the materials listed in Table 1.5. The methods and materials suitable in each case will depend on the nature of the finds, whether they are wet or dry and whether they require a specific microclimate. More information on the choice of methods for particular find types is available on the Packaging Finds page.

Table 1.5 Basic materials for labelling, packaging and storage of finds

Storage facilities

Provide suitable interim storage facilities when finds are to be in the care of the excavating team in the medium-term. Security and a stable temperature and relative humidity will be the most important considerations for the storage environment. Manage the specific needs of different find types through appropriate secondary packaging.

Pragmatism is required in setting up finds storage, but simple choices can help to provide the most effective environment (Table 1.6):

Table 1.6 Considerations for setting up a finds storage area

Health & Safety

Risk assessment

All first aid for finds actions should undergo a risk assessment, which involves:

Identifying the hazards involved in a process.
Assessing the risks posed by the hazards.
Implementing controls to mitigate the risks.
Recording the findings in a risk assessment form.
Reviewing the controls periodically to ensure that they continue to be effective in mitigating the risks.
All personnel who will carry out a task reading, understanding and signing the risk assessment in advance.

More detail on risk assessment, including a risk assessment template, can be found via the Health and Safety Executive in the UK. To support identification of hazards and risk, consult the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health data. This will give you information on long and short-term workplace exposure limits and types of hazards presented by particular materials e.g., solvents.

Contamination and biohazards on site

With increasing interest in early industrial sites, and the redevelopment of brownfield land across the country, archaeologists are regularly faced with sites that may have been contaminated through their previous industrial or commercial use. Contaminants risks arise from modern sewerage, oil and fuel spillages, toxic waste and residues from industrial processes, agrochemicals, unexploded ordnance, asbestos and biohazards such as anthrax. Agricultural land may also be polluted from the use of insecticides and fertilisers.

Assess the risk from contamination at the project planning stage. Ensure appropriate levels of Health and Safety precautions are in place. Personnel must follow these, especially in the use of personal protective equipment on site and when processing finds.

On all sites, but especially where contamination is confirmed, risk management requires:

Risk assessment.
Detailed health and safety plans and procedures.
Comprehensive reporting and record keeping.
Health and safety training.
Good communication.

On some sites, the nature of the hazard may be such that close contact with sediments or finds is not possible, and contingency plans must be put in place for health surveillance and decontamination procedures. Bring concerns about contaminated materials to the designated Health and Safety Officer or Project Manager immediately.

Further Information

Birmingham City Council Birmingham Museums and Sam Paul Heritage. 2019. A Standard for the Creation, Compilation and Transfer of Archaeological Archives in Birmingham.

British Standards Institute (BSI). 2016. Conservation of cultural heritage. Guidelines for the management of waterlogged wood on archaeological terrestrial sites BS EN16873:2016

British Standards Institute (BSI). 2017. Conservation of cultural heritage-conservation process-decision making, planning, and implementation. BS EN 16853:2017.

Brown, D. H. 2007. Archaeological Archives: A Guide to Best Practice in Creation, Compilation, Transfer and Curation. London: Institute of Field Archaeologists on behalf of the Archaeological Archives Forum.*

Caple, C. (Editor). Preservation of Archaeological Remains in Situ. Routledge, London, UK.

Caple, C. and Garlick, V. 2020. Studies in Archaeological Conservation. Routledge, London, UK.

Caple, C. and Williams, E. 2023. Conservation skills for the 21st century: judgement, methods, and decision making. Routledge, London, UK.

Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA)

2017. Updated Guidelines to the Standards for Recording Human Remains

2020. Standard and guidance for the collection, documentation, conservation and research of archaeological materials.

2020. Standard and guidance for the creation, compilation, transfer and deposition of archaeological archives.

2022. Toolkit for selecting archaeological archive.

Collections Trust. 2022. Emergency Planning for Collections

Cronyn, J.1990. The Elements of Archaeological Conservation. Routledge, London, UK.

Department Culture Media and Sport (DCMS). 2023. The Treasure Act 1996 Code of Practice (3rd Revision). Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

Donnelly-Symes, B. 2020. Archaeological Archives Standard. Northamptonshire Archaeological Resource Centre

Grey, T. et al. 2006. Archaeological Finds Procedures Manual. Museum of London Specialist Services. Museum of London, London, UK.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 2022. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), L5 (6th Edition). Approved Code of Practice and Guidance.

Historic England

2011. Environmental Archaeology. A guide to the theory and practice of methods, from sampling and recovery to post-excavation (2nd Edition).

2015. Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment: The MoRPHE Project Managers Guide.

2015. Geoarchaeology. Using earth sciences to understand the archaeological record.

2016. Preserving archaeological remains, decision-taking for sites under development.

2017. Land Contamination and Archaeology. Good Practice Guidance.

2018. The role of the human osteologist in an archaeological fieldwork project.

2018. Science for Historic Industries. Guidelines for the investigation of 17th to 19th century industries.

2020. Deposit Modelling and Archaeology. Guidance for Mapping Buried Deposits.

2022. Radiocarbon dating and chronological modelling. Guidelines and best practice.

Institute of Conservation (Icon).

2009. A brief guide to the principles of archaeological conservation.
2011. Care and Conservation of archaeological materials.

National Museum of Ireland. 2012. Guidelines on the Care of Archaeological Artefacts.

Oxfordshire Museums Service 2020: Documentation Manual Requirements for Transferring Archaeological Archives 2020-2021.

Pedeli, S., Pulga, S., and Risser, E. 2013. Conservation practices on archaeological excavations: principles and methods. Getty Publications, Los Angeles, CA
www.getty.edu/publications/resources/virtuallibrary/9781606061589.pdf

Robinson, W. 1998. First Aid for Underwater Finds. Archetype Publications, London, UK.

Society of Museum Archaeologists (SMA). 2020. Standards and Guidance in the Care of Archaeological Collections and Materials Factsheets. (Editors G. Boyle and A. Rawden)

Viduka, A. J. 2012. Conservation and Finds Handling. Unit 11. Training Manual for the UNESCO Course on the Protection and Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage. UNESCO, Bangkok.

https://unesdoc.unesco.org

Williams, E. and Peachey, C. 2010. The Conservation of Archaeological Materials Current Trends and Future Directions. BAR International Series 2116. Archaeopress, 2010 Oxford, UK.