'Covid-Safe' Art Handling Practice

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The National Gallery Covid 19 response: Art Handling, update February 2021.

 The National Galleries Art Handling team returned to the Gallery at the beginning of June 2020 to begin work preparing the Gallery for re-opening. Prior to this the department constructed new protocols for non-socially distanced working during the Covid 19 crisis and implemented these protocols on beginning work.

Aside from some minor tweaks to the protocols, the original document continues to be followed pretty much as written. The main points being as follows:

  • Weekly testing for the AH team has continued throughout the crises.

  • The wearing of PPE and cleaning regimes as described in the protocol document remain mandatory

  • The Team is broken down into select sections that do not engage with each other (initially two teams of 5 or 6 each).

  • Work is assessed on its “essential” nature and postponed or declined as necessary.

The team is now quite experienced in these protocols which have (mostly) been absorbed into the working culture. However, it's worth pointing out that no amount of testing gets you used to it (!) but in my view it remains a significant tool in our defences against infection. There have also been minor adjustments to some of the original ideas, face shields for example, were found to be impractical so though they are still suppled, are not used as a PPE option by the team.

It is also true that the team has not returned to what could be described as a normal full time shift pattern. A working day will be balanced on the scheduled work assigned and it is at the discretion of the team managers to end the day (send the team home) when all meaningful work is complete.

The team has also responded slightly differently to each subsequent lockdown. Work deemed essential has continued through these periods though again, a more ridged analysis of what essential means is adopted during these periods.  Attention is also given to degrees of vulnerability of individuals, relevant to the ongoing conditions in general.

Patrick O’Sullivan 11-02-21