The process of art delivery is always connected with risks, ranging from physical damage to environmental impacts and security concerns. However, when you’re shipping large artwork, these risks increase manifold because of the item’s dimensions. Here is an in-depth look at the human risks associated with shipping such art pieces and professional solutions to these hazards.

Risks Associated with Shipping Large Artwork

While shipping art always requires precision and attention to detail, things get more complicated with oversized items that are often vulnerable to structural stress and flexing. Besides, large art poses additional packing and crating complexities because of its size and weight. Add transportation constraints and route hazards to the equation, and you get a task with a unique set of problems.

Preventable Human Errors You Should Anticipate

When you’re preparing to ship a large-sized artwork, you need to anticipate the following human risks and develop proper mitigation strategies for each of them.

• Handling art alone. There is a rule of thumb in professional art handling called the “two-person minimum.” Following this principle, at least two art handlers are required to move certain art objects. The rule applies even for small yet heavy art objects, and when it comes to shipping large artwork, you may need even more people to execute the task safely.
• Miscommunication. Team members’ inability to coordinate the art handling process is a serious source of risk. To avoid it, professionals use clear verbal protocols to standardize team communication and ensure proper alignment of efforts.
• Installation-related contingencies. If the team is too self-confident to skip installation planning, many things can go wrong in the process. These issues are manageable with pre-installation briefings, during which the team negotiates risks, considers spatial constraints, and distributes roles.

All these human errors point to the importance of following a safety-first culture in the process of organizing all art handling and shipping procedures.

Ship Your Art with Professionals to Avoid Risks

The human factors discussed above are generally avoidable if you work with an experienced company like Fine Art Shippers. We always take proper care of all aspects of artwork shipping organization, from on-site packing to its secure loading, delivery, and installation. That’s why your art, no matter the size or dimensions, enjoys flawless security protection at all stages of transportation.