Door Industry Journal - Summer 2020

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk THE door industry journal summer 2020 Industry News 12 Creating a Line of Defence Across all sectors of commercial activity, business owners understand the devastation that can be caused by break-ins and burglaries. From the financial impact of replacing what’s stolen to the emotional distress it can cause, these events create significant disruption that challenge normal business operations. According to the Commercial Victimisation Survey, crimes against businesses have been trending upwards since 2015, with 10.1 million reports made during the last recorded year. Amongst this illicit activity, robberies and burglaries stand out as the most common crime. In fact, the Federation of Small Businesses believes that theft accounts for 42% of all reported crimes by its members. In face of the rising tide, it’s more important than ever for business owners to ensure that their premises main entry points are properly secured. BS3621 compliant locks One of the most important components in ensuring a door is safe is to invest in a high- quality lock. To this end, firms should only use locks that comply with British Standard 3621. Nowadays, this standard is the minimum that most insurance companies will allow when it comes to accepting claims. Despite this, many commercial properties still operate with sub-standard locks, which do not provide effective protection. If you’re unsure whether your solution is up-to task, check the faceplate of the lock, which will be visible on the edge of the door when it is open. Look for the British Standard Kitemark engraved on the plate, as well as the following important features: • Has a minimum of five moveable levers. • Provides a minimum of 20mm bolt throw into the door frame. • Is capable of at least 1000 different key combinations. • Features anti-lockpicking measures. • Includes hard metal plates to protect the lock from drilling. If your locks aren’t BS3621 compliant then there are still replacement options available, with a range of solutions for different door designs and requirements, including cylinder sashlocks and deadlocks. Look to fit a strong-bolt with anti-pick, anti-saw and anti-drill features, such as the UNION ® 2200S Strongbolt 5 Lever Sashlock or the A-Spec Easi T BS3621 Euro Deadlock. Similarly, where the installed locks do not comply, a possible alternative to replacing the mortice lock is to add a BS3621 rim cylinder lock, such as the Yale ® PBS1 Nightlatch. Once installed, the latch bolt will automatically deadlock when the door is closed, helping to provide security and peace of mind. Timber door reinforcement If you’re still concerned about the security of your door, it’s possible to further reinforce it with steel frame reinforcement bars. Solutions such as Kickstop’s Birmingham and London Bars are designed to strengthen the door and frame around the locks and hinges. The flat reinforcement bars can be easily retrofitted to almost any timber door and are manufactured from high-quality solid rolled steel. Adopting this form of reinforcement has a number of advantages, which provide additional security whenever the door is closed and locked. This is one of the reasons why it is among the measures recommended by the Metropolitan Police when advising on increased security. Security Hinges Finally, it’s important to remember that unlike doors on residential properties, commercial building doors tend to open outward. As such, they’re vulnerable to criminals attacking, or removing the hinges and hinge pins to enable removal of the door from its frame. To counteract this, it’s best to fit security hinges, which feature security pins that interlock within the door. This means that if the hinge barrel is cut or the pin taken out, the two leaves of the hinge will remain locked together to prevent the door being removed. At IronmongeryDirect, we offer a range of security hinges designed for high-use internal or external doors. Similarly, there are products, such as the ERA Hinge Bolts, that consist of a separate pin that is fitted on the hinge edge of the door to provide the same protection by locking into the frame. To find out more about our range of security products visit www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk .