Safes – why do I need one?

Put simply, safes provide extra protection against the theft of valuables and important documents.

There are a range of methods of installation to suit your requirements.  The most common safes we supply are free standing, i.e. they sit on the floor or a shelf.  Underfloor safes used to be very popular, but the difficulties and mess in fitting has reduced their sales.  Wall safes are the least secure of all the safes as they are retro-fitted, using mortar, into a wall and can be easily removed

Types of protection

Safes generally fall into 2 categories; fire resisting and non-fire resisting.

A basic safe is a steel box with a locking mechanism which offers no protection against fire.  Other safes have a double skin construction with the inner filled with a fire resisting material.

But be aware of the level of fire resistance if that is one of your priorities.  There are specific standards for testing a safe’s fire resistance.  Some manufacturers carry our in-house tests which may not be comparable with an external body’s test.  And if you are looking to protect delicate items, like computer media, then you may need a dedicated data cabinet.

Insurance rating

On top of that you will also need to consider the level of protection offered by the safe, relative to the value of the items stored. All safes are advertised with an insurance rating. This rating is how much the insurance company would pay out in the event of a break in and is an excellent guide to the quality of the safe.

Insurance ratings are generally quoted as “Cash Ratings” with that number being multiplied by 10 for jewellery and non-cash items.  So, a £2,000 cash rated safe is suitable for protecting up to £20,000 worth of jewellery.  It’s really impirtant ton

There are some Standards that safes are manufactured to meet; EN14450 and EN1143.  A basic safe may have no recognised test and the insurance rating an estimate provided by the manufacturers.  These are not guaranteed  to be honoured by an insurance company.

EN14450 has 2 categories; S1 and S2.  S1 offers protection up to £2,000 cash and S2 up to £4,000 cash – 10x those values for jewellery etc.

EN1143 is divided into Grades and has higher levels of insurance rating:

• Grade 0 – £6,000
• Grade 1 – £10,000
• Grade 2 – £17,500
• Grade 3 – £35,000
• Grade 4 – £60,000
• Grade 5 – £100,000

Don’t forget to multiply by 10 if you’re protecting jewellery and other non-cash items

Don’t forget that if you need any help we’re only a message away – sales@mylock.co.uk