When you might need to invest in some safe accessories
Buying a safe is an essential element of addressing your security needs if you are a homeowner or a business owner. Protecting your assets can be a complex operation and can involve various security measures such as intruder alarms and CCTV, but a safe is a final layer of protection which safeguards your valuable items whether they have financial or personal value. We usually purchase a safe based on a risk assessment of various factors, such as the value of our items, the safe’s storage location and the security threats presented by your property. However, what do we do when those security threats or our security needs change?
It is common for our security needs to change based on:
- New threats in the locality
- More valuable items being stored
- A recent security incident
- A component of the safe is no longer considered suitable
Under such circumstances we might decide to carry out a review of our security needs and controls and that may lead to us having to address flaws in our safe security. It is not always necessary to replace a safe and invest in a new one. It might not be cost-effective but that shouldn’t be the primary consideration as comprehensive security is always the priority, and if that is being compromised you need to address it. But sometimes you may only need to invest in safe accessories to upgrade an existing safe or to replace important parts.
What are safe accessories?
Safe accessories are a series of spare parts which can be purchased as standalone items and which are usually only compatible with specific models of safe. A safe manufacturer will produce accessories which can be installed as replacement parts on their model of safe, or can be installed to upgrade the level of security on a safe. So you may invest in safe accessories to:
- Improve security
- Replace broken parts
- Improve organisation
- Meet compliance needs
Typical safe accessories include replacement latch mechanisms, replacement ring dials, replacement combination locks, replacement cam locks, replacement keys, replacement reading dials and replacement 6-lever or 7-lever locks.
Why you need safe accessories
Safe accessories help to enhance your current safe security in situations where you are storing new items or there are new security threats present, and a risk assessment has identified that the security level of your current safe is not sufficient. New locks or dials can improve this level of security to bring sufficient peace of mind, as they can provide the additional security required to ensure the safe cannot be accessed or stolen. Controlling access to a safe is essential so that you can restrict this to authorised personnel only, and so that you can deter more sophisticated criminals who may have more advanced methods of accessing a safe. Investing in safe accessories may be the best way to do this in order to maintain the levels of authorisation you need.
- Replacement of broken parts
It is rare for the component parts of a safe to break or malfunction, more likely that they become worn after an extended period of repeated use. You may feel like a lock is sticking or becomes unreliable or harder to operate. This could be the pins sticking or internal parts becoming worn. This is an unavoidable element of using safes with a more traditional locking mechanism, and not using digital locks with a simple bolt. In this instance, replacing locking mechanisms can restore the level of security you need.
Other safe accessories include items such as additional shelves, drawers or insert trays, or inner compartments that are lockable. These can also help to serve changing needs where a collection of valuable items grows, or where we need to separate different items and be more organised. Different organisation methods can also protect items from environmental damage, such as digital data from heat and humidity.
It is possible that an insurance company recognises that you don’t need to invest in a higher rated safe in terms of insurance rating, but it may be satisfied if you invest in safe accessories to add an extra layer of security. Replacement locks, dials and keys can be sufficient to satisfy insurance requirements and ensure a policy remains valid, without having to invest in a completely new safe. However, if a new safe is required as instructed by your insurance company, it is important to note that you should not compromise on security and attempt to bypass this with safe accessories, and only a new safe with the appropriate insurance rating will be sufficient in this circumstance.
You can check out our range of safes at MB Direct and select the right safe or safe accessories for your needs.