are well dressed with weatherproof and warm clothing. No one but you will know if you are wearing 11longjohns 11 or thermal underwear but you will be warm, able to concentrate better and therefore safer. Equipment Always take a good torch, with well charged batteries, and in dark places, move with extra care. One old mine which I visited in Yorkshire contained a dark but otherwise innocuous looking passage which ended in an unprotected shaft about 150 feet deep. If you have to go alone to a site, whether it seems hazardous or not, take a mobile telephone. At least you should be able to call for outside assistance if an accident befalls you. Arrival at the site It is clearly good manners to introduce yourself to the owner or whoever is in charge. Do not trespass or prolong confrontations with belligerent owners or occupiers. If you visit a working building site then you MUSTintroduce yourself to the site agent or foreman. This person has overall responsibility for site safety and has the right to insist that you are properly prepared for the visit. They will also be able to warn you of any high risk areas. The inspection Always start at the lowest level of a building. This is to enable you to get some idea of the condition of a floor or a staircase before you walk on it. Having fallen through a floor once, fortunately with no lasting side effects, I can confirm that 'it hurts'. If floor boards look unsafe walk on the lines of the joists if you really feel you have to cross the floor. If staircases look dubious do not use them but, assuming that at least one reader is likely to be daft enough to try, keep close to the wall as this puts least strain on the stairs. In loft spaces, always walk on the joists if there are no access ways, but checking the security of the joist fixings first. I have never tried rock climbing but I understand that climbers only move one hand or foot at any one time. This seems to me to be good advice in loft and other similar spaces. Hang on to something if at all possible. Try not to go into hazardous situations alone; always leave a message as to your whereabouts and your expected time of completion but don't forget to confirm that you have completed your inspection and are safe. Do not lock yourself in a building alone; even if you are able to call for help, the assistance may not be able to 18 Tiger - "Beware of animals, this one has just killed a gain access easily. If electric wiring looks in any way unsafe, do not touch it, perhaps it is best not to touch electrical equipment at all if it can be avoided. I assume electric shocks hurt but so far I have managed to avoid that experience. Scaffolding Do not use incomplete scaffolding. If there are doubts about its safety, don't use it. Scaffolding should be well founded, upright and level, have proper handrails, toeboards and good ladders. Do not move boards about to enable you to gain access to otherwise inaccessible places and do not climb on unboarded scaffolding. Beware trap ends, that is board ends which oversail their last support by more than 100150 mm; if you tread on them they will tip up and you will go down - rapidly and painfully! Beware of holes and tripping hazards in scaffolding. If the weather has recently been windy be particularly careful that all the boards are in place. Never use a ladder which seems in any way dubious. Having, on one occasion, been presented with a ladder with several rungs missing I suggest that you do what I did: tell its owner that he should chop it up for firewood before one of his staff fell off it. He, being Sir?????****w*,as not best pleased but did take my advice and when I next visited he had bought a nice new aluminium ladder. Always hold on to the rungs of a ladder, never slide your hands up or down the stiles. If you slip whilst holding the rungs you may well be able to hold on but if you are holding the stiles your hands will slip. Other access methods Hydraulic platform hoists are wonderful things but must only be operated by trained personnel, be on a sound and level surface and should not be used in high winds. Rope access techniques are also very useful but only use them if you are confident that you know what you are doing. Likewise, only use steeplejacks' ladders if you feel confident and have had some instruction. It is not the fall that hurts, it is the sudden stop at the bottom! Other hazards Beware of dangerous dogs - the one that bit me looked rather sweet really but he seemed to object strongly to my motor bike. He bit me instead! I have a friend who maintains that his cat is dangerous so perhaps all animals should be treated with caution. Always wash your hands before you eat. Pigeons, rats etc. leave droppings which are dangerous to your health. Timber treatments against fungal decay and beetle attack can also be poisonous to humans. I always carry a packet of hand wipes in the car boot as it is often not possible to wash right away. Whilst on the subject of pigeons, it is worth mentioning that in derelict buildings they can startle you if they take flight unexpectedly. Do .not put your hand down drain gullies etc. as there may be used hypodermic needles or at the very least broken glass. If you need to examine a gully, use a stick. Many building workers are killed by collapsing excavations. Designing support systems for retaining the sides of deep excavations is a skilled task and if you are in any doubt as to the safety of excavations do not enter them. Conclusion Again speaking from the experience of doing what in hindsight were somewhat silly things, avoid the temptation of taking risks. Having driven many miles to get to inspect a roof only to find that the last three feet into the loft space defeat you there is always the temptation to climb on the arm of a chair or use an old ladder. Don't do it. Don't take risks, it isn't worth it. There will always be an element of risk when hazardous sites are visited but these risks can, if care is taken, be reduced. Good Conservation Officers are hard to come by; don't become a statistic; take great care when travelling and when visiting hazardous locations. Jan Hume is Chief Engineer, Conservation Engineering Team, English Heritage. Context 54 June 1997
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