Bill;
We have similar problems, in that children, even quite small children, like
to climb all over the tanks, guns,etc., that we have in our courtyard and
adjacent open spaces...and the odd one does fall off. Short of fencung them
all off individually (which we don't want to do, as a large part of the
appeal is being able to touch them and examine them at close range), there
is not much we can do except keep our fingers crossed and trust to the
sensibilities of their escorts, though I'm bound to say I often shake my
head at the sheer stupidity of so many of the parents wanting photos of
their kids in what I would think of as dangerous places!
We did have a nasty incident last summer when a 7 year old fell off a
Sherman when his grandparents weren't watching him. Fortunately, the
adjacent courtyard had a large Canadian Forces display attended by more than
20 military personnel, and he had hardly hit the ground before a petty
officer and four of his hands were rendering first aid, calling an
ambulance, etc. Fortunately, the little fellow wasn't seriously hurt and,
once the Navy had checked him out, dusted him off, bought him some ice
cream, given him a cap and generally treated him like the visiting King of
Ruritania, he was right as rain.
We didn't get sued, but we DID get a wonderful letter from the grandparents
saying how impressed they were with the attitude and speedy response of the
troops, which I passed on to the Chief of the Defence Staff and Commander,
Maritime Forces, to ensure the personnel involved received some kind of
commendation.
Still, I worry about these things. At the Australian National Maritime
Museum, the visitors can climb over most of the superstructure of their
destroyer (ex-HMAS Vampire), which is attended only by the odd invisible
volunteer. No one seems to worry much about what will happen when someone
falls into the drink - and Sydney's harbour DOES contain some interesting
and not terribly friendly fish, so I am told!
I look forward to reading the responses to your post...and good luck to you!
Harry
Harry Needham
Special Advisor - Program Development
Canadian War Museum
330 Sussex Drive,
Ottawa, Canada
K1A 0M8
Voice: (819) 776-8612 Fax (819) 776-8623
Email: [log in to unmask]
> ----------
> From: William S. Hanable[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Reply To: Museum discussion list
> Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 1998 9:41 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Safety for Visitors
>
> We are giving daily tours at a nearby lighthouse under license from the
> U.S. Coast Guard. The lighthouse tour involves climbing and descending
> 135 steps to the top. Our past experience with elementary school tours at
> the lighthouse has convinced us that we need to limit children's visits to
> the top. So far we have tried school grade (must be in second grade), age
> (7), and height (must be able to reach hand rails). We also prohibit the
> carrying of children on the stairs by adults. Visitors' reactions to the
> restrictions is not always favorable although we explain our commitment to
> and the need for safety precautions.
>
> Legal advice indicates that waivers of liability would not be effective,
> and in any case visitor safety is our first priority.
>
> I'd be interested in other institutions' experiences with safety
> restrictions of this type, the criteria used, and techniques for gaining
> visitors acceptance.
>
> Bill Hanable
> Westport (WA) Maritime Museum
>
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