General thoughts
- Always work in pairs
- Access the magnitude of the situation: are a few boxes off the shelves or are entire shelving units toppled?
For small situations
- Proceed cautiously, making sure that shelving around you is stable and not at risk of falling
- Photograph the condition of the materials
- Assess if boxes have fallen open--if so, have collections mixed?
- Are materials damaged in some other way? Water? Soot and ash?
- Remove materials from damaged area and triage according to priorities
For large situations
- It may be advisable to have a trained professional with you as you make the first assessment
- Photograph the condition of the area and the location of materials
- Do NOT remove materials if there is a danger of causing further collapse of materials or shelving
- Proceed slowly and cautiously, reassessing the situation frequently to maintain maximum safety for yourself and the collections