Recent research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows that a third of companies thought business crime was increasing in their area. This comes as latest figures reveal a worrying decline in business confidence in profitability and revenue growth – the year-on-year decline in business confidence on the latest data is the largest on record, having fallen from 37.9 this time last year to 4.3 in the latest report.
Whether you’re a small or established business, safety and security is vital when it comes to protecting your business, both literally and in terms of profit and growth. A botched repair job, poor maintenance or incorrect installations can lead to easily avoidable security risks, invalidated insurance and even endangered lives, all of which can cost the business greatly.
Being aware of potential risks and knowing how to minimise them is paramount for ensuring the safety of customers, employees, assets and the future of your business.
Dr Steffan George, development director of the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA), which is the leading trade association for the locksmithing profession, shares his expert advice with TBE readers on protecting your business.
1) Think about who needs to access to your office and to which areas. Master key systems can be a great idea for offices and allow you limit access to the certain areas of the building. They allow you to allocate a key to specific locks, meaning an employee can have access to the handful of rooms they require, while you as the business owner can open all locks with a specially configured key.
2) Windows and doors are equally as important, especially those on the ground floor and at the back of the building – make sure you install solid, high-quality locks and consider using thick, laminated glass which is difficult to break. If you opt for a wooden door, ensure it is 44mm or more in width – but the thicker the better, or get a steel skin added! Additional safety measures for windows and doors include shutters and grilles. These will deter thieves as well as making breaking and entering a much bigger challenge.
3) Make sure expensive equipment cannot be seen by passers-by. Blinds can solve this issue, while a professionally specified and installed safe can also help. Lock away any valuables which aren’t used daily and anything you would like to secure overnight can be locked away at the end of each day. If in a retail environment then securely lock high value items in good quality display cabinets.
4) When thinking about the exterior, ensure shrubs and trees are kept to a minimum and cut back so they don’t work as a hiding place for a potential criminal, and invest in good lighting, visible cameras and alarms. Not only will they deter a would-be-thief, they will give you peace of mind and the ability to identify a burglar in the unfortunate case that an incident does occur.
5) Know the difference between emergency exit doors and fire doors – treating them differently can have serious consequences. True fire doors are designed to compartmentalise a building in the event of a fire and/or protect an escape route for a certain length of time, while emergency exit doors (or ‘fire exit doors’, as they are commonly known), must, by their very nature, be incorporated into the walls of a building. Their role is to allow swift escape from a building in the event of a fire, rather than to contain fire and smoke. Depending on whether your building is deemed to be “commercial” or “public” then the regulations relating to the panic hardware for emergency exit doors differ. Another reason to get your local MLA licensed locksmith to help!
6) No matter what security equipment you’re dealing with, regular inspection and maintenance is a must. Vandalism, misuse by occupants and attempted forced entry can cause damage, and of course, placing obstacles – such as piles of rubbish – in front of emergency exit doors will make them unusable.
7) If your business is open to the public, it’s vital to review safety, as well as security, on a frequent basis. Most importantly, ensure you have detailed and all-encompassing fire procedures and clear signs directing customers (who may not be familiar with the layout of the building) to evacuation and assembly points.
Finally, have a professional security installer assess, recommend and install the best equipment. An expensive security fixture can be made redundant if installed incorrectly. An MLA-approved locksmith can carry out a security risk assessment, recommending the most appropriate products for optimum security.
To find a locksmith in your area visit the MLA website at www.locksmiths.co.uk.
To review a list of independently tested and approved security products visit the Sold Secure website at: www.soldsecure.com.
Security guidelines for domestic properties can also be downloaded free of charge here.
Pictured above: Dr Steffan George of the Master Locksmith Association
