28 | MAY 2020
PVCu & Colour
LOCKING UP ADVICE FOR THE LOCK DOWN
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the majority of high street retailers and businesses to shut up shop, with
some of those on the government’s exemption list electing to reduce opening hours, or close the retail outlet
side of their business altogether. In addition to scaling back services, those businesses that are operating
are having to adapt their working practices in line with the government’s advice on social distancing.
Customers and suppliers have been
adversely affected too. Many normally
office-based staff are now working from
home and have drastically reduced the
number of shopping trips taken. Busi-
nesses in the supply chain who are unable
to diversify operations to support the
national effort have either scaled back or
suspended operations. The overall result
is that otherwise busy retail, office, leisure
and distribution facilities are temporarily
unoccupied, making them increasingly
vulnerable to burglary, squatting and van-
dalism.
Keeping a smart eye on things
Police are advising business owners to
focus on the risk to their premises and
regularly review their security require-
ments. Burg-Wächter believes that good
security is all about building in layers.
Starting with the perimeter, ensure any
gates at chained shut, with doors, win-
dows and shutters secured with the high-
est quality locks you can afford. Use a
strong padlock, hasp and staple to secure
any outbuildings and warehouses, whilst
a padlock, chain and ground anchor are
ideal for keeping forklifts, machinery and
outdoor items in place.
High quality CCTV is both a great visual
deterrent and useful source of evidence.
Modern wireless CCTV systems are rel-
atively easy to install, with “smart” ver-
sions offering an array of features such as
remote monitoring and event alerts on a
smartphone. Similarly, a smart alarm and
monitoring system will notify you in the
event of a break in, flood or fire, whilst
smart doorbells allow you to see and
speak with visitors to your premises even
when you’re not there.
(Post) boxing clever
One side effect of the Covid-19 pandem-
ic has been a dramatic growth in online
sales. Whilst a large number of non-es-
sential workers are working from home
(and able to receive deliveries), many are
choosing to exert a greater control over
who and what comes into their property.
In addition, many business owners are
still being sent essential mail and other
deliveries despite not being there to re-
ceive them. Together, this has resulted in
a surge in demand for secure, reliable post
and parcel boxes to temporarily secure
any deliveries until they can be collected
or moved inside.
Reflected in the growing trend for
coloured uPVC windows and doors,
increasingly style-conscious customers
care as much about the appearance of the
outside of their property as the inside. To
help installers make the most of this in-
creased sales opportunity, Burg-Wächter is
promoting Europe’s largest range of stylish
post boxes.
Available in a wide range of designs and
choice of colours there’s a Burg-Wäch-
ter post box solution for every build-
ing. Stackable options meet the needs
of apartment and office buildings, whilst
the choice of either wall-mounted or
free-standing models bring added flexi-
bility to the range. There’s even a parcel
box for larger deliveries, which features an
innovative locking system that once trig-
gered by the courier can only be opened
by the owner. Customer appeal is further
enhanced by the variety of materials avail-
able, including stainless steel, high quality
plastic and powder-coated galvanised
steel.
Style is no substitute for substance and
all Burg-Wächter post boxes conforming
to the European standard EN 13724 assure
superior performance, enhanced weath-
er protection and greater resistance to
attack.
Safe as houses
The last line of defence for any building
should be a safe, which can be used to
securely store cash, valuables (including
goods, equipment and IT) and important
documents. Carefully considering what
you would like to store, its total value
and what danger you are trying to guard
against will help you pick the right model
of safe for your circumstances.
Cheaper safes tend to be little more than
glorified cash boxes, whilst “proper” safes
come in a wide choice of sizes and locking
mechanisms. They also have a selected
range of ratings which can be broadly split
into monetary insurance values and fire
resistance. It’s important to check your
insurance policy for the required rat-
ings and look out for the “AiS Approved”
logo, which proves the safe has been
independently tested and verified. It’s
worth remembering that the safe must be
properly installed in line with the manu-
facturer’s instructions, otherwise insurers
may not recognise the ratings in the event
of a claim.
Having buildings and assets protected
by reliable high quality security products
and systems helps to ease the strain on
absent owners. It minimises the potential
for further disruption of loss and damage
during these challenging times, enabling
the business to focus its efforts on getting
back on its feet when things return to
“normal”.
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