The Irish Safe Ratings Group (ISRG)

The Irish Safes Ratings Group (ISRG) maintains and updates expert guidance to the recommended insurance rates of cash and jewellery cover for certified safes, strong rooms and secure cabinets conforming to European standards EN14450, EN1143-1, EN1143-2, for the Republic of Ireland. ISRG rates are the considered assessment of senior risk managers working with major insurance companies in Ireland. The work has been observed by the National Standards Authority of Ireland, The Private Security Authority of Ireland and has been assisted by the European Security Systems Association (ESSA) and the European Certification Board (ECB-S). Similar groups are to be found in most European countries.

The Irish Safes Rating Group inaugural meeting was held on the 18th of May 2016 at 12 Merrion Square Dublin 2

The group was formed at the request of the European Security Systems Association (ESSA) to make and periodically update recommended insurance ratings related to the overnight cash cover for certified safes, strong rooms and secure cabinets. EN14450, EN1143-1, EN1143-2.

Inaugural meeting attendees were;

• Dr. Ian Cowan – The National Standards Authority of Ireland senior standards officer
• Dr. Markus Heering – ECBS – ESSA – Managing director
• Falko Adomat – ESSA – ECBS – CEN Committee 263 Secretary - Certification engineer
• Paul Scallan – Private Security Authority CEO
• Paul Mullen – Chubb Insurance – Senior risk consultant
• Ciaran Roache – FBD Insurance – Senior risk manager
• Jason Kelly – Secretary of the Association of Irish Risk Management – Travelers Insurance senior insurance risk surveyor
• Cahill McGuire – SAVTA (Safe And Vault Technicians Association)
• Peter Walsh – Electronics expert – NATO contractor
• Alan Donohoe Redd – CEN committee 263 member – ESSA Member – I.S.R.G. Convenor - NATO supplier 

Accredited European certification

Accredited European certification is the basis for all insurance rate recommendations for safes in Europe (excluding UK) and provides a legal proof of standard of burglary and fire resistance for safes, secure cabinets, and strongrooms. EU Parliament regulation 765/2008 created the system that provides the legal basis of accreditation for the burglary resistance certification of safes and cabinets to:

• European standard EN1143-1 - the burglary resistance certification for safes
• European standard EN15659 - the protection of paper documents from fire
• European standard EN1047-1 - the protection of data from fire
• European standard EN14450 - the burglary resistance certification for cabinets

The ultimate protection against misrepresentation, when there is a need to ensure a secure storage product is suitable for a given risk or for regulatory compliance purposes such as the protection of important GDPR related documents or data, anything less than accredited European certification and the legal proof of standard it provides can leave an organisation or consumer vulnerable.

The relationship between accredited European burglary resistance certification and insurance cover

With the exception of the UK, insurance rate recommendations throughtout Europe are sourced from the insurance industry itself and provide a guide for both insurers and consumers in selecting a safe suitable for a given level of risk. These rates only apply to safes with accredited European certification of burglary resistance to European standard EN1143-1.

Recommended rates of insurance cover rise in line with certified burglary resistance grade of a safe, which can range from 0 to VI, as ascertained by an accredited European testing laboratory and subsequently certified by a completely independent accredited certification body, however, the final rate of cover is subject to the overall risk assessment of the insurer, while basic requirements are a monitored intruder alarm is installed on the premises where the safe is anchored and the safe is anchored correctly.

Irish safe ratings

In Ireland, the only source of insurance limit recommendations in relation to cash and jewellery cover for certified safes, sourced directly from the insurance industry, are Irish Safes Rating Group rates. Although you may encounter alternative and often highly inflated rates advertised by some safe sellers, especially when it comes to jewellery cover, such speculative marketing rates have no basis in reality and are a good indication of the overall reliability of a supplier.

The rates shown below presume a monitored intruder alarm is installed on the premises where the safe is anchored.

• The European standard for secure cabinets is: EN14450
• The European standard for safes is: EN1143-1
• The European standard for deposit safes is: EN1143-2

• Recommended amounts are for indicative purposes only and are subject to approval by the insurer on a case by case basis
• Certified deposit safes are only available in grade 1 to 5 and display the certification EN1143-2. Any other mark not accepted
• Certified safes with a weight of <1000 kg must be anchored at the place of installation in accordance with the EN1143-1 specification 

Download A Copy Of ISRG Rates - June 2020

What accredited burglary resistance certification looks like

A safe with properly accredited European certification of burglary resistance 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 and will display the word "SAFE" and the standard EN1143-1 alongside the logo of an accredited European certification body (not the manufacturer). The same information is also available on an accredited certification document which should always be asked for.

Certification documents

An accredited European certification document certifying the burglary or fire resistance of a safe or cabinet should always be asked for when purchasing either product. This document should match the product details displayed on the products metal certification plate and most importantly, confirm that the body issuing the certificate of compliance is accredited to ISO/IEC 17065, your legal assurance that the certifier is properly accredited under European law, providing a legal proof of standard. Of course, when it comes to product certification plates and certificates of conformity there will always be suppliers who will try and pass off a variety of plates, documents, approvals and guarantees as the genuine article, so it is important to always look for the logo of an accredited European certification body and the ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation for long term peace of mind.

Unaccredited marks often found on safes in Ireland

 For expert advice call: +353 1 7076011

Certified Safes Ireland™ in-house advisor on keeping jewellery, watch collections, goods, cash, documents and data, safe, secure, yet readily accessible, is Alan Donohoe Redd.

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 and a member of the U.S. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Standards Technical Panel TC72 covering standards for fire resistance of record protection devices. Alan is also 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 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. 

An expert on standards and fraud issues related to secure storage in Europe, the UK and the use of asbestos in European safe and cabinet manufacturing, Alan 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 and has been pivotal in having misleading standards and practices recognised and withdrawn in Ireland, the UK and at a European level.

Alan's seminars on safes, strongrooms and high net worth 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).

 Alan's expertise has been relied on by:

N.A.T.O. Europe, The U.S. Air Force (Europe), The National Treasury Management Agency (Ireland), The Department Of Communications (NCSC Cyber Security) (Ireland), The Revenue Commissioners, Electricity Supply Board (Cyber Security) (Ireland), The Danish Defence Forces (Afghanistan), PayPal (Worldwide), Grant Thornton, The Insurance Institute of Ireland, The Royal College Of Surgeons, BFC Bank, Interxion Data Centres, The Private Security Authority, Isle of Man Gold Bullion, Brown Thomas, Bvlgari, Boodles, Druids Glen, The Shelbourne Hotel, and many others ....