HOTLINE SET UP AS IFA DISMISS 'MOANS IN A PUB'

The Institute of Field Archaeologists have said that allegations about an IFA Registered Archaeological Organisation (RAO) are 'moans in a pub.' The Digger published claims by a reader that the unit, based in the south of England, ignored health and safety and machined out stratigraphy and human skeletons without proper recording. Other readers wrote in with similar stories of bad practice and The Digger passed the name of the unit to the IFA to investigate.

However, the IFA says it will not act unless a formal complaint is made. An article in the latest edition of the IFA magazine The Archaeologist says: 'Moans in a pub reported third hand and without evidence don’t take us far' but complaints 'with names, dates and description, and ideally with photographs, will be taken very seriously indeed' by the IFA’s RAO Committee.The IFA response has prompted David Connolly, who runs the British Archaeological Jobs Resource (BAJR) website, to set up his own hotline to report rogue units. Once David has established that a complaint is genuine and 'seriously breaches codes of conduct in the IFA guidelines or has serious Health and Safety implications,' he will contact the appropriate County Archaeologist or HSE officer. David says that: 'This procedure is designed to have a positive effect on the profession.

'The hotline number is 0787 6528 498 or email info@bajr.org.

an unannounced visit... what do you think?