Page 72 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

 © Tasmanian Parks and Wild- life Service. Drawings of artefact from a shipwreck.
Drawings of some artefacts can reveal more detail and informa- tion than photographs. It is skilled work and the Research Design needs to include planning for the people and resources needed to produce these drawings.
Documentation programme
Once a site has been disturbed, it cannot be restored to its original condition. It is therefore essential that a comprehensive site record be established and that all aspects of the project work are methodically doc- umented as a permanent archive. This documenta- tion needs to be stored in a stable environment and on stable and secure storage mediums. It is also important that documentation is to a standard that enables comparisons with data from other sites and other cultural heritage jurisdictions, so that it can become part of an increasingly valuable body of re- search. See Rules 26 - 27
Safety
Work in an underwater environment requires high standards of safety to ensure the well-being of all participants. Risk management should identify all possible dangers associated with a project and
provide strategies that mitigate dangers. Consideration should be given to issues such as: dive training, fitness to dive, and the availability of safety equipment and medical aid, injury management plans, decompression chambers, emer- gency evacuation plans and commu- nication plans. The environment of each site should also be assessed in view of depth of water, currents, and exposure to heat, cold or any other extreme weather that could affect the safety of the project team. An assessment should also be made of the potential for any toxic substances to be present in the water or in the sediment as these could result in long-term health problems. These substances are particularly common in rivers, harbours and near industrial facilities. But toxic substances can also be part of the deposit, just like unexploded ordnance or dangerous cargo. See Rule 28
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Project Design