Identifying factors causing damage to welsh coal mining collections

A Burning Issue, is the Council of Museums in Wales’ survey of coal mining collections held in Welsh museums. The research undertaken offered a unique opportunity to research historical and technical details of the collections. It was also possible to investigate the condition of the objects and the factors which may have contributed to this. The paper outlines the survey method. This includes an assessment of the validity of the data collected and a discussion about identifying the critical factors from the survey affecting the decay of the collections. Analysis of the results allowed comparisons of object condition with a number of criteria. This comparison leads to a demonstrable correlation between physical protection and environmental conditions and the level of damage to mining collections in Wales