Certified Safes Ireland™ are the experts in:
- GDPR compliant burglary and fire resistant European certified document safes and cabinets
- GDPR compliant burglary, fire and structural collapse resistant European certified data safes and data rooms
- European certified security doors with fire resistance, sound suppression and anti-ballistic options
- Specialist, restricted, US/NATO level Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) hardware, service and and back-up
- Government & U.S. GSA locks and hardware
When it comes to staff safety and protecting physical data in the public sector there is no substitute for experienced, qualified advice. Considerations such as legally accredited certification of fire resistance and burglary protection is just the starting point. Different types of data media have different degradation levels under different stress factors, for example, humidity as well as temperature is an important factor for preserving magnetic data in a fire, whereas paper documents have a far higher stress level. Competent advice needs to be specific to the environment, the type of media, as well as taking into account legal and regulatory considerations.
N.A.T.O. Europe, The U.S. Air Force (Europe), The National Treasury Management Agency, The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) PayPal (Worldwide), Grant Thornton, The Department Of Communications (NCSC Cyber Security) (Ireland), The Revenue Commissioners, The Danish Defence Forces (Afghanistan) 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).
Why Accredited European Certification Matters For Government Secure Storage |
EU Parliament regulation 765/2008 created the system that provides the legal basis of accreditation for the certification of safes for both fire and burglary resistance to European standards. This system is backed by regular auditing and market surveillance and is verifiable, proof of standard for litigation purposes. 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 or fire resistance are obvious.
In the current market the majority of safes and cabinets that safe suppliers claim have an accredited certification of fire or burglary resistance have no such certification whatsoever. Often this is a side-effect of an ignorance of fire resistance standards for safes but as is the case with burglary resistance certification, technically there is nothing illegal about stating that a particular safe has a certain fire resistance as it may simply be a statement of opinion, so it is of primary importance that when it is claimed that a safe has fire resistance, we always ask, has the fire resistance claim been tested and certified, and if so, certified by who?
A safe with properly accredited European certification will display at least one stamped metal certification plate on the inside of the door. This will always be a stamped metal plate, never a sticker. An accredited certification plate for a safe will display the logo of an accredited certification body, burglary or fire resistance grade, and most importantly confirmation that the certification body is accredited to ISO/IEC 17065. This is legal assurance that the certifier is accredited under European law. The same information will be available on accredited certification documents which are freely available and should always be asked for.
*** If a safe is certified for both burglary and fire resistance this will be indicated on two separate plates.
Below are logos of the two certification bodies with European accreditation to certify safes for fire and burglary resistance that you are likely to encounter on a genuine certification plate in Ireland.
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EN1143-1 is the burglary resistance standard for safes, strong rooms, and ATM safes - Grades for safes in this standard currently range from 0 to XIII. Resistance to attack rises by 50% between grades. Certification for fire resistance will appear separately to any burglary resistance certification that may appear on a certified safe.
An EN14450 Secure Safe Cabinet is not a safe. EN14450 is the burglary resistance standard for secure safe cabinets. Security levels in this standard range from S1 to S2, both of which have an attack resistance far lower than a grade 0 certified safe. Resistance to attack between S1 and S2 rises by 150% but it must be emphasised that only light hand tools are used in testing of these units. Certification for fire resistance will appear separately on such a unit. An ethical safe supplier will never misrepresent an EN14450 Secure Safe Cabinet as a safe.
EN15659 is the “Light Fire Storage” certification standard (LFS). Units tested to this standard are designed to provide differing levels of protection against fire usually from 30 minutes (LFS30P) to 60 minutes (LFS60P). The certification plate for light fire storage will appear separately to a burglary resistance certification that may appear on the unit. Air humidity is not measured for this standard.
EN1047-1 is the data standard for safes and cabinets. S60P and S120P are standards for the protection of paper documents both having an internal temperature limit of 170°C during testing. Units marked S60D and S120D have an internal temperature limit of 70°C and a humidity limit of 85% during testing. Units marked S60DIS and S120DIS have an internal temperature limit of 50°C and a humidity limit of 85% during testing. Certification plates for this standard will appear separately to any burglary resistance certification that may appear on the unit
GDPR Compliant Tracking Of Access To Data |
Paper files with personal information are required to be protected against unlawful destruction and unauthorised access. Furthermore there is a legal requirement to record who accessed the files, for what purpose and when. This information must be recorded and maintained as part of process.
We offer a range of affordable, state of the art, data safe and data cabinet locks that can be easily retro-fitted to many existing data and filing cabinets. Not only do these locks record the access to files automatically but they provide the data controller with an easy method to download secure bank level audit trails via a USB flash port and FREE bank standard audit software. 1000 events and users are identified by a two digit number at the beginning of their access code. These audit trails can be downloaded and stored at regular intervals and are obviously a superb staff time saver. Theses locks are the very definition of the “Privacy by Design” concept of the GDPR when it comes to restricting and auditing access to relevant paper files. Originally developed for high risk banking, cash-in-transit, the system is demonstrably secure, restrictive, hierarchical and entirely suitable for purpose, quickly and affordably building automatic privacy and security into paper file or physical data processing.
Certified Security / Fire / Noise Suppression / Anti Ballistic Doors |
There are many security doors on the market but few with EN1627 certification to European standards, even fewer with 60 minutes certified fire resistance to EI60 and even fewer again with sound suppression and ballistic options to suit government applications. Our burglary tested security doors offer grade III EN1627 burglary resistance, are made to order, and tailored to meet specific size, furnishing, locking, surface and mission requirements. Doors are made of galvanised steel, primed and powder-coated and can come in sound suppression, fire resistance or anti-ballistic versions, with several locking options available, including integrated wiring to allow connection to an access control and alarm system. Integral locking systems come with drill protection. Door colour is available in most RAL and NCS colour charts. Standard size 9x21 or 10x21 but also available in special sizes of door opening in increments of 10 mm. Suitable for inside and outdoor installation.
Standard configuration:
- Certified burglary protection Grade 3 (EN 1627)
- Sound insulation 41dB
SCIF Door Hardware |
Named a Platinum Winner in Best Access Control Hardware by Government Security News and a Security Today Award Winner, the Sargent and Greenleaf 2890C solution combines a US federal GSA-approved combination lock with an innovative life safety component. Designed to meet Federal Specification FF-L-2890C, this high security door lock system protects critically secure environments while also allowing quick and easy emergency egress.
This is the first and only product suitable for SCIFs, data rooms and other high security areas that meets all the requirements outlined in U.S.federal high security specification FF-L-2890C. The system comes in ten configurations making it easy to standardize installation in government, military and commercial facilities. The system also offers the first GSA-approved Automatic Bolt Retraction (ABR/ADO) system as an add-on option to make high-security spaces accessible for individuals with disabilities.
Product Options:
- Exit Lever
- Exit Lever + Electronic Access Control
- Exit Device + Electronic Access Control
- Life Safety Deadbolt with Exit Lever
- Life Safety Deadbolt with Exit Lever and Keyless Thumbturn
- Secondary Entrance with Exit Lever + Electronic Access Control
- Secondary Entrance Panic Bar + Electronic Access Control
- Exit Only Lever
Nationwide Safe And Locksmith Services, Training, Support And Maintenance |
Certified Safes Ireland™ offer training and remote support to all of our clients, their staff, and on-site maintenance personnel, including, software installation and GDPR compliant management for audit and time locking, deposit safe cash drop scanning operation and back-office software, multi-user time lock and time delay lock programming and basic on-site trouble shooting, backed by an extensive range of specially recorded training and troubleshooting videos that is constantly being added to.
Certified Safes Ireland™ offer an efficient and highly cost-effective safe, vault, and locksmith service to all our clients, including nationwide coverage, 7-day support and emergency lock opening. Our chief safe and strongroom technician is a licensed locksmith and a specialist in non-destructive lock or combination manipulation (Non-Destructive Entry - NDE) with vast industry experience in Ireland and Europe.
As part of a larger group, we can offer fast and efficient service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to attend planned maintenance, commissioning, repairs and call-out duties, not only on safes, strongrooms, security doors and locks, but on all types of data infrastructure, fire, alarm, CCTV and electrical equipment on a contract basis. Our group partners IC Services And Maintenance has built its reputation on efficient planned programmes and quick response. Our integration specialists are the best in their respective fields and are always up to date with relevant codes of practice and training.
Expert Advice |
Certified Safes Ireland™ director Alan Donohoe Redd is a member of the European CEN263 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 |
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.
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.