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A guide to securing your valuables and your business
If you’re looking for a sturdy safe to secure your cash or valuables, choose wisely – not all safes are created equal. Some safes are nothing more than metal boxes and do little to stop a thief.
What makes a safe… safe?
The stronger the safe, the longer criminals will be thwarted, giving police or security staff time to respond to a triggered alarm. The quicker a thief can break into a safe, or even walk off with it – the less of a deterrent it becomes.
NZI Risk Consultant, Julian Watson knows how poorly cheap safes can perform. “I’ve seen these safes opened with plain old hand tools, hammers, screwdrivers – they may look like a safe, but they’re just a metal box.”
Brenda Manion, Senior Security Consultant at Challenger Safes, also believes there’s a considerable amount of misunderstanding as to what a safe really is. She is discouraged, hearing time and again, how a business or family have lost their valuables. “It’s vital to have the appropriate fit-for-purpose safe, to protect valuables and to keep them secured from theft or fire, rather than vulnerable and exposed,” Manion says. “It’s about risk management for any application, be it for a commercial or residential property.”
" The stronger the safe, the longer criminals will be thwarted, giving police or security staff time to respond to a triggered alarm
A graded safe is your best protection
The best way to protect your business is to buy a safe with the right cash or fire rating, depending on what you’re storing inside. A safe’s resistance to attack is measured by a grading system. The harder it is and the longer it takes to successfully gain access to a safe, the higher the grade given. The grading range starts at the European Standard EN14450-S2 for entry level safes and then for full composite safes uses a numeric range from 0-6 for safes and 7-13 vaults, following the European standard EN1143.
Julian Watson says he’s only ever seen one graded safe broken into, and that was in a hardware store that just happened to have the perfect tool available. He believes safes are essential, provided they are fit for purpose, installed correctly and monitored. He also has a few tips for businesses.
Tip one: the cash drop
Businesses that handle a lot of cash – like supermarkets, dairies, petrol stations and pubs –need a way to store cash and reduce risk to employees. A cash-drop style safe, that allows notes to be inserted through a slot but provides no access for employees, is often a good solution. These safes can be time-locked – an effective deterrent, especially when window signage warns of this feature.
Cash build-up can also be an issue – especially over long weekends. Julian Watson says thieves are unscrupulous, and know when safes are full, so make sure your security pick-up regularly empties the safe.
Tip two: keys and codes
Like pin numbers, safe combinations are easily forgotten and often passed around a business. It’s not uncommon for an employee to let the number slip. Keys also tend to be hidden somewhere for easy access. Watson recounts finding one key on a hook, right next to the safe. It’s human nature, but also very much human error. So, when choosing a safe, consider who is going to have access and how that access will be managed.
Tip three: fire and data
If your business doesn’t carry cash but does have valuable files or documents that need protection, then you’ll need a fire-rated safe. It’s important not to get confused here, because data disks may melt in a fire-rated safe. To prevent this, you’ll need a data safe that ensures the internal temperatures don’t rise above 52 degrees. Look for safes graded European standard EN 1047.
For help purchasing the right safe for your business, talk to a professional security firm or consult with your NZI Risk Consultant.
