Expertise
Certified Safes Ireland™ advisor Alan Donohoe Redd is part of the CEN263 Working Group responsible for writing European Standards for safes and vaults for the European Union
Unaccredited Certifications And Marks
Accredited European certification for a safe is essential legal proof of standard that will help maintain insurance cover long term and for certain types of business use will ensure regulatory compliance.
EU Parliament regulation 765/2008 created the system that provides the legal basis of accreditation for the certification of safes to European standard EN1143-1, a system that is backed by regular auditing, market surveillance and is verifiable, proof of standard for both insurance and litigation purposes.
Unfortunately there are several UK organisations and bodies that claim to "certify" or "approve" safes to a variety of standards including European Standards despite having no accreditation to do so.
Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) |
The Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) (UK) The Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) (UK) is a mark commonly encountered in the Irish market. LPCB has issued "certification" plates for safes (European standard EN1143-1) and secure cabinets (European standard EN14450) for many years, despite the fact the body has never been an accredited certification body for the burglary resistance of safes, not even in the UK, according to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). LPCB "certification" plates are in a similar format to properly accredited European certification, however, an ISO/IEC17065 accreditation which will be present on most accredited certification plates will be absent from an LPCB plate. The fact that LPCB claim to certify their own tests runs counter to any norms in Europe where both the tester and the certifier are legally required to be independent bodies. LPCB certification claims should not be confused with properly accredited European certification, which has a basis in European law as proof of standard, and on which all safe ratings in Europe are based. If you consider that 70% of safes tested for burglary resistance by accredited European testing labs fail on the first attempt, the implications of accepting unaccredited claims of burglary resistance for safes are obvious. |
The Association Of Insurance Surveyors |
Association of Insurance Surveyors Ltd (UK) - AiS Approved, AiS Safe List |
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Frequently encountered in Ireland is the mark of the Association of Insurance Surveyors Ltd. Since 2005, the Association of Insurance Surveyors Ltd "Safe Committee," a group set-up and dominated by people with interests in selling untested and second-hand safes, has promoted a marketing list of safes, called the "AiS Safe Rating List" both in Ireland and the UK. This list of safes "approved" and given "recommended insurance ratings" by the AiS "Safe Committee," includes hundreds of untested new and second-hand safes awarded "recommended insurance rates", by the AiS "Safe Committee" for cash and jewellery, presenting them as comparable with properly tested and certified models. What is particularly shocking regarding the "AiS Safe Rating List" is that from its first publication in 2005, AiS "recommended rates" not only included rates for untested safes being sold by their UK members, and members of the AiS "Safe Committee itself, but it also includes hundreds of pre-2000 safes that should be presumed to contain asbestos. Some AiS members have built substantial businesses on trading pre-2000 safes both in the UK and into the Irish market, so the fact that the "AiS Safe Rating List" and the "AiS Approved" sticker, were warmly welcomed by second-hand safe traders in Ireland wishing to emulate profits made by their UK counterparts should not be surprising. Using the official sounding “Association of Insurance Surveyors Safe Rating List,” which to the average person sounds like an insurance industry rating document, the safe supply trade in Ireland was armed with a powerful marketing tool for the sale of untested, uncertified, and demonstrably dangerous second-hand safes to the Irish consumer. The AiS "Safe Rating List" and "AiS Approved" logo should be a huge red flag to consumers that extreme caution is warranted. |
Sold Secure |
UK Master Locksmiths Association "Sold Secure"
Owned by the UK's Master Locksmiths Association, Sold Secure says on it's website that it is "the premier testing and certification house" for a range of security products that includes safes, despite being completely unaccredited to either test or certify, even in the UK. One can only imagine how accredited European testing and certification bodies operating under European Parliament regulation 765/2008, the legal basis of accreditation for the certification of safes to European standards (ISO/IEC 17065) would view such a statement. The accredited European testing and certification system ensures unbiased conditions for both testing and certification through a strict systems of checks and balances and is backed by regular auditing and market surveillance. Sold Secure on the other hand have their own grading system for safes, gold, silver, and bronze, based on their locksmith members opinions of products which many of those members sell.
Our expertise has been relied on by:
Bvlgari, Boodles, Brown Thomas, Isle of Man Gold Bullion, N.A.T.O. Europe, The U.S. Air Force (Europe), PayPal (Worldwide), Grant Thornton, The Department Of Communications (NCSC Cyber Security) (Ireland), The Revenue Commissioners, Electricity Supply Board (Cyber Security) (Ireland), The Danish Defence Forces (Afghanistan), The Insurance Institute of Ireland, The Royal College Of Surgeons, BFC Bank, Interxion Data Centres, The Private Security Authority, Druids Glen, The Shelbourne Hotel, and many others ....
Our seminars on safes, strongrooms and HNW secure storage have been part of Continuing Professional Development for underwriters and insurers having been awarded CPD points by the Insurance Institute of Ireland and the Chartered Insurance Institute (UK).
Expert Advice |
For Advice Call
Certified Safes Ireland™ director Alan Donohoe Redd is a member of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) Working Group responsible for writing European Standards for safes, strongrooms (vaults), secure cabinets and physical data protection for the European Union. A registered NATO supplier and a longstanding member of the European Security Systems Association, Alan has a vast range of experience spanning almost 40 years and encompassing installation of safes, strongrooms, physical data protection, CCTV, alarms, access control, secure storage control systems and Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) specification, design, and installation.
Alan is an expert on standards and fraud issues related to secure storage in Europe and the UK, has had articles related to these subjects published by The Law Society Gazette and Irish Broker Magazine, has forced retractions of multiple false claims related to secure storage offerings to the public, including some published by the Irish Times, and has been pivotal in having misleading standards and practises recognised and withdrawn in Ireland, the UK and at a European level.
Due Diligence Notes |
Most Locksmiths Know Very Little About Safes
Contrary to what many people may believe the profession of "Locksmith" has long been recognised as one almost completely separate from the supply and installation of safes and strongrooms in the E.U. With most insurers and An Garda Síochána (Irish Police) advising against the use of mechanical locks on safes due to the ease of opening via non-invasive manipulation, the last connection between these two professions is quickly disappearing. There are exceptions to every rule, and a locksmith may have the necessary knowledge to correctly specify, survey for, and anchor a certified safe, however, most locksmiths have very little knowledge in relation to European standards for safes and The Private Security Authority (PSA) does not require any qualifications to issue a locksmith license.
Pitfalls & Scams In The Safe Supply Industry
Ireland and the UK are notorious black spots for fraud and misrepresentation in the safe supply sector. Well-known safe suppliers being penalised for tax evasion and having served time in jail are just some indications of a wide range of malpractice and illegal activity throughout the safe supply industry. We strongly encourage due diligence before engaging a safe supplier or having someone survey your home or business, irrespective of who recommends them.
Standards
All of our safes have accredited European certification of burglary resistance, essential legal proof of standard to maintain insurance cover long term
Documentation
Accredited burglary resistance certification documents are provided with all of our safes. A certificate of anchorage is available on request for all safes we install
Insurance Liaison
We are uniquely qualified to liaise with your insurer regarding certification, alarm integration, or general risk assessment related to your choice of secure storage
