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Mould growth may be an isolated occurrence and limited to a small quantity of collection material. It can also be an extensive outbreak, affecting both a storage space and its contents. In the event mould is suspected within your collection, assessing the extent of the problem is essential to collection recovery, allowing you to plan for containment and informing a treatment strategy. Undertaking the following steps will form the basis of a collection assessment.

When handling collection material which you suspect is affected with mould, staff exposure should be minimised through use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

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Risk assess and survey

Risk Assess

A risk assessment will provide a framework to identify hazards, assess associated risks and determine appropriate control measures. When mould is present within a collection and/or its storage space, a Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) risk assessment should be undertaken in line with Health & Safety Executive guidance. A clear outline of the key risks and recommended mitigations should be made available to all those working with mould-affected collection material.

Survey

Systematic examination of the collection should be undertaken to determine the extent of a mould outbreak. This information can be used to inform a plan of action and underpin reporting to stakeholders when seeking investment or support for change. Whilst undertaking a survey, assess:

  • Is mould growth active or inactive?
  • Is it limited to a few items, or does it extend throughout the collection?
  • What percentage of the collection is affected?
  • Does it affect one or multiple storage locations?
  • Is it limited to the collection, or does it extend to the building itself?
  • Is this something that can be tackled with current facilities and/or staffing levels, or will you need additional resource? (Note: sector guidance on mould prevention and recovery suggests that for outbreaks exceeding 4m², professional assistance with remediation should be sought)

It is good practice to keep a record of your findings. Make a note of storage locations, inventory or reference numbers, format and materials, and extent of damage. It is also useful to take reference images which can be used to maintain an accurate record of condition prior to treatment, and to inform future checks.

Contain and investigate

Contain

The handling and movement of mould-affected material should be minimised to reduce the health risk to staff, and of cross-contamination within your collection. Material displaying inactive mould growth can be isolated in lidded plastic boxes, sealable plastic bags, or wrapped in plastic sheeting sealed with masking tape. Where possible, it should be stored separately to material unaffected by mould and should not be accessed prior to treatment. All affected housing materials should be disposed of and replaced.

To prevent further damage, active mould growth must be halted before wrapping, isolation and treatment. The ‘Remediation‘ section of this guidance has more information on treating active mould.

If the issue extends beyond a small amount of collection material, or if the storage facility itself is affected, then access to the location should be restricted and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) services isolated until further action can be taken. Access and handling should be undertaken only whilst wearing full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Investigate

In the event of an active mould outbreak, the cause should be thoroughly investigated. Findings will help to prevent its further spread and enable formulation of a targeted plan of action:

  • Make a visual assessment of the storage space – is there anything obviously wrong with the building? Is there water ingress? Standing water? Are there issues with building maintenance? Is the space well-maintained?
  • Do environmental conditions exceed recommended parameters – i.e., is the ambient relative humidity (RH) consistently above 65%? Is low temperature in the storage space leading to elevated RH? If so, can you determine why? Can the cause be easily eliminated?
  • Is there a consistent programme of housekeeping in place that removes dust and other potential sources of contamination?
  • Do you require input from other stakeholders? Should investigation be undertaken in parallel with your Facilities management team?

See Prevention and protection for more information on mould prevention, and our Handling page for guidance on working with mould-affected collections safely.