The protection of cultural heritage requires careful and strategic management to prevent or minimize risks that could compromise its preservation. Risk Management for cultural heritage is a process that encompasses several stages, from identifying risks to choosing the best strategies to mitigate and monitor them over time.
Risk Management vs. Risk Assessment
The concepts of Risk Management and Risk Assessment are often confused, but they are two distinct and complementary elements:
- Risk Management: The global process of managing risks, which includes assessment, mitigation, emergency planning, and continuous monitoring.
- Risk Assessment: A phase within Risk Management dedicated to detecting and estimating the probability of a risk occurring and its potential damage. In this phase, it is crucial to identify all possible risk sources by progressively evaluating the environment, the structure, and the characteristics of the collection.
Damage and Decay Agents: A Complex Analysis
The deterioration of a cultural asset is often caused not by a single factor, but by the interaction of multiple agents. Recognizing the causes of damage is essential for effective intervention, especially when performing a risk calculation.
In fact, the definition of risk considers not only the impact of the event and the severity of the damage caused, but also the probability of the event occurring.
RISK = PROBABILITY X IMPACT
This is one of the reasons why we can speak of different risk classifications. The final stage of risk assessment shows how a risk manager must decide which risks are acceptable for the institution and differentiate them from those that are unacceptable—meaning they must be resolved. Accepting a risk does not mean ignoring it; it simply means not implementing any specific action against it at that time.
Another risk classification is based on the frequency of occurrence:
- Rare Risks: Occur less than once every 100 years (e.g., major earthquakes, devastating fires).
- Common Risks: Occur multiple times within a century (e.g., water leaks, small fires, or minor thefts).
- Cumulative Risks: Have progressive effects over time (e.g., fading, corrosion, material decay).
Unacceptable Risks and Fundamental Actions
As previously mentioned, if institutions accept a risk, they do not undertake any action against it. However, if they decide a risk is unacceptable, there are multiple paths to follow:
- Eliminate the Risk: Complete risk elimination is possible when acting directly on its source. For example, a museum that decides not to rent its halls for private events eliminates risks related to overcrowding, accidental damage, or theft.
- Can a risk always be eliminated? Not always. When elimination is not possible, alternative strategies come into play.
- Block the Risk: If the source cannot be eliminated, the decay agent can be blocked by adopting protective measures. For example, the use of display cases protects artworks from dust, humidity, or accidental contact.
- Monitor Decay Agents: Continuous monitoring allows for the detection of risk signals and timely intervention. Temperature, humidity, and pollutant sensors are essential tools for optimizing prevention.
- Respond to an Emergency: If a risk materializes, personnel must be ready to react quickly. The Museum Security and Emergency Plan (MSEP) defines the operating procedures to secure works during an emergency.
- Recover and Restore Normality: After an emergency, it is necessary to restore optimal conservation conditions for damaged works and review preventive strategies to avoid future recurrences.
