Advice for buying a safe

More information on burglary and fire protection.

The assessment of the security of a safe depends on the different inspection authorities that award certificates with national or Europe-wide validity.

Safes that have been made according to VdS regulations and in accordance with European standards, offer you the guarantee of the defined burglar-proof and fire protection of the indicated security classes. Safes for these standards are type-tested and are found to have a consistent quality; they are also subjected to regular inspection. Müller-safes fulfil these requirements comprehensively and reliably.

Before a safe series is approved for marketing under these provisions, it is tested extensively in a testing institute belonging to VdS (Association of Insurance companies, Cologne). Only when all of the criteria are fulfilled, can the safes be appropriately certified and then given marketing approval.

The VdS or ECB-S labels are visible on the inside of the safe door (see the following patterns).

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If you want to insure the contents of your safe, the professional fastening your safe is a minimum requirement of a weight of 1,000 kg, must be performed by VdS (Association of Insurance companies, Cologne). Each safe (according to VdS or ECB:S respectively) is therefore prepared by the manufacturer for floor fixing with a net weight of under 1000kg. The fastening must be done professionally with heavy duty dowels (stud anchor).


 

Notes on data protection and fire protection certification

Magnetic data storage devices are the most sensitive commodity that needs physical protection.

In long term studies, knowledge gained confirmed that even at temperatures that would “leave somebody cold”, the magnetic tape and magnetic disks in disks are vulnerable. It takes temperatures over 50° Celsius and of relative humidity of over 85%, in order to destroy the valuable disks of a company and with it (as the case may be) the question of its existence. However, so that you can be sure that your disks are safe, you should pay attention to the certification marks of the graded goods S 60 DIS and S 120 DIS.

Endurance test from Braunschweig Technical University

The legislature and insurance companies place high demands the protection of documents and data. In order to ensure the physical security of your important data in extreme situations, safes come from accredited testing laboratories and are divided into grade classifications. These classifications describe the fire resistance of a data protection case under sustained fire.

The Braunschweig Technical University endurance test provided the excellent Müller disks-safety results. The test chamber survived, unscathed, fire for 60 to 120 minutes, respectively, at a mid-temperature of c. 950 degrees Celsius, at its peaks, the flame applied was at a temperature of 1090 degrees Celsius. In addition, the test chamber was loaded to the medium capacity—the disks, provided by the Technical University of Braunschweig, are able to survive a burst of fire and an impact test from 9.15m. The tests showed high contingency reserves for magnetic data storages. The requirements set out in the certification class ECB•S CO2 were met. This qualified the certification mark of EN 1047-1 with the check note of class S 60 DIS und S 120 DIS.

Excerpt from the “ Certification Guideline-Fire Resistance Products-ECB • S C02 July 2007”

In the framework of the monitoring tests the auditor notes, whether the certificate holders manufacture, on the basis of a certified quality management system according to ISO 9001:2000 (EN ISO 9001:2000). The maintenance should take place at least twice a year. The number of maintenances can be reduced to an external quality control once a year, if no defects were found in the first year.

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Application of the certification label

The test standards of appropriate products must be identified by certification marks. Example of a certification mark for a data cabinet S 60 DIS according to EN 1047-1. The certification marks are numbered consecutively and are obtainable from ESSA. Your allocation to a product of certification is documented.

Grafes—Quality features for fire-protection

Documents and data cases according to EN 1047 must be subjected to a fire resistance test to determine the increase of temperature in the interior of the storage units. The test simulates the case of the a fire, a with a burst of fire and an impact test (for example, from the ceiling) on the products.

Abbreviations:
S – data storage unit from EN 1047-1
60 – 60 Minuten flame exposure
120 – 120 Minuten flame exposure
P – suitable for heat-sensitive paper documents with limits of up to 170°C
D – suitable for heat-and moisture-sensitive media with exposure limits of 70°C and 85% humidity.
DIS – suitable for heat-and moisture-sensitive media (discs) with exposure limits of 50°C and 85% humidity.

Mechanical or Electronic Lock?

	You do not need to remember an unlocking code, only those who need access to it will have a key		Electronic locks are opened with a 6 digit code. There is also no key that needs to be hidden, can get lost, or get into the wrong hands.
	It may be the case that burglars could search for the key on the premises, potentially leading to a considerable amount of damage		The code can be changed as often as you like
	The keys are usually very large, and thus cumbersome to carry		In the need of instant access whilst you are away, the code can be given out over the telephone.
	The cost of losing a key is very high		The batteries must be changed over time

Introduction by qualified personnel

We strongly recommend that our trained staff introduce to you and install the safe, as without this, most can just be taken away by burglars. We carry out this work professionally and cost-effectively for you. For prices, please refer to the menu option: Delivery and Installation