SecurityWise: Further Advice on the Subject of Safes

08 Nov 2019

Further to our general guidance article ‘Back to Basics on Safes’ in October’s ‘Jeweller’ magazine, I would like to take a moment to think again about the subject of purchasing a safe online and offer further clarification on the subject.

Obviously most businesses these days have an online presence and that is perfectly acceptable and generally expected. However, not all online suppliers are equal!

We as insurers see a number of potential security issues for businesses considering purchasing a safe from an on-line supplier who may be virtually unidentifiable. I include in this the likes of various high-profile online sales platforms where individual sellers may be looking to dispose of new or second-hand safes.

Security concerns can occur where the model of the safe has been misidentified or the purchaser is not 100% sure what it is they are actually buying (is it up to spec?) It may even mean that there are spare sets of safe keys kicking around out there somewhere and when matched to a buyer’s location that scenario could prove to be catastrophic. 

Almost all safe companies, (as with most other types of businesses), have an on line retail website.  But a prospective purchaser should make robust enquiries, especially in respect of Second Hand safes, that they have been correctly reconditioned in line with the BS7582:2005 code of practice for the reconditioning of used safes, ensuring the locks and or combinations have been changed and that they are purchasing from a reputable supplier and not some faceless online trader.

Lee Wallace is the Security Lead at TH March and he is the Chairman of The Association of Insurance Surveyors Ltd.