Hello everyone:


I am the curator of the Smiths Falls Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario.

I am looking for information, suggestions, discussion etc regarding training
of volunteers  working in an industrial setting.

Volunteer tasks range from acting a a greeter at our front door to operating
a diesel locomotive and train (a huge range I admit)

My philosophy is that, with appropriate training, all jobs should be
available to all volunteers

Some specific questions:

Are there any museums that use outside agencies to certify their volunteers
(one example is first aid training, are there others)

On an industrial site what are your rules regarding safety clothing (a
person working on track maintenance wears safety boots, hard hat etc., a
person in the gift shop does not.  But what about a tour guide who may step
up onto a car platform in the course of a tour?)

What guidelines do museums have regarding the operation of historic
equipment?  Railway rulebooks are useful for safety concerns, but they do
not address conservation concerns.

How long and intensive is your volunteer training?  Obviously it should
cover the subject matter properly but too long and detailed a programme
means that volunteers never complete their training.  One solution I am
looking at is dividing training into stages.

If of general interest please post to the group, if you want to send e-mail
please send it to

[log in to unmask]

Our website is  www.magma.ca/~sfrm/


Robert L. Vaughan
Curator
Smiths Falls Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario