National Occupational Standards in
Archaeological Practice

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AE8 Implement routine interventive conservation procedures for archaeological items

AE8.1 Apply routine stabilisation

Performance Required

This will involve:

1. Working to a conservation plan agreed by a conservator
2. Treating the items, without compromising their integrity, in accordance with the agreed conservation plan
3. Removing, reducing or neutralising potential and active agents of deterioration
4. Minimising further deterioration by the application of the appropriate materials
5. Evaluating what is required in the future to maintain the condition of the treated item
6. Recording the treatment procedure accurately and correctly in the appropriate format

Occupational Context

1. Treating
   • Structure: Supporting/repairing
   • Composition: Chemically analysing/changing form
   • Appearance: masking, highlighting, preserving, exaggerating, cleaning, restoring.
2. Agents of deterioration
   • Environmental: exposed location, etc
   • Biodeterioration: insects, fungus, plant growth etc
   • Atmospherically: weathering, light etc.
   • Chemical imbalance / change
   • Physical / structural: vibration, etc.
3. Evaluating
   • In terms of efficacy
   • In terms of cost efficiency
   • In terms of reliability / sustainability
   • In terms of ease and ability

Knowledge Requirements

You need to know and understand how to:

• Monitor the item's treatment

You need to know about:

Stabilisation motivation, theory and practice requirements.

What is routine about the conservational plan:

• In terms of item's requirements
• In terms of organisational function
• In terms of team / supervisory / managerial function
• In terms of physical intervention, stabilisation, monitoring and evaluation

The agreed conservation plan

Treating Deterioration

• The agents of deterioration likely to be found in the item
• The weaknesses likely to be found in the item
• The available protective and preservative procedures, and which is most effective for the item
• The sort of data that should be recorded and the appropriate format
• The health and safety implications of different routine treatments
• How the effect of the treatment can be evaluated

Required Skills

You should demonstrate:

• Proficient handling of chemicals
• Dexterity in the handling of fragile and unstable items and structures
• Data collection and monitoring

Evidence Required

You should provide evidence that you can apply routine stabilisation

The candidate should be questioned, based upon the documentation provided, to explore how they

• minimise the deterioration of items that are moderately or seriously degraded and at least one unstable item.

Evidence Rules

The candidate should have been involved in

• Implementing routine interventive conservation procedures to a range of items typical to their work area

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Today's date: 4/2/2012
This page last updated: 6/8/2007 10:58