> >Fire broke out in an area of the roof that was being renovated!!
> >
> >AGAIN: remember the Hofburg in Vienna, Windsor Castle, and the Royal
> >Academy (May 4, 1997). All these fires were caused by construction
> >work.  This is the third museum fire within three months: Royal
> >Academy (May), Tate Gallery (June).....

> Add to these the Oskosh Public Museum in Wisconsin and the Louisiana State
> Museum fires--each of which was caused by construction on the roof.
>
> When is anybody going to get a clue about the dangers of construction in
> historic buildings?
>
> Claudia Nicholson
> Curator of Collections
> Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society

This does not only happen in museums but also in hospitals, theatres
etc. Almost all fires are caused by human errors. I am convinced that
a lot less fires would be caused by construction work if the
construction firms were forced by legal means to pay the damage. I
know that in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam it is strictly prohibited for
construction firms to do any welding or other work that might cause
fire without the presence of specially trained security staff. There
is a complete set of rules that construction workers have to live by
to prevent fire.
It is all a matter of prevention and responsibility.




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