The Locksmith Journal Nov-Dec 2016 - Issue 47 | Page 32

32 • SAFELOCKS PROUD SPONSORS OF THIS PAGE EN 1300 – Unlocking the standard »»SAFELOCK SYSTEMS LTD IS A distributor of high security locks for safes and secure storage units. The company stocks high security locks from EN 1300 manufacturers such as LAGARD, Tecnosicurezza, KABA, Stuv and Wittkopp. Joint-directors Jasmine HuntBrown and brother Tony Brown talk about the what the standard means… STANDARDS. SAFE STANDARDS. LOCK STANDARDS. Standards are almost (but not quite) as impenetrable and as indecipherable as the safes and codes locking away our assets. Once all the acronyms, numbers, documents and dates are stripped away, there is one simple fact that remains: Standards are there for a reason. To quote the BSI, standards are “the distilled wisdom of people with expertise in their subject matter”. EN 1300 IS THE CLASSIFICATION FOR HIGH SECURITY LOCKS ACCORDING TO THEIR RESISTANCE TO UNAUTHORIZED OPENING. THE STANDARD WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2004. There are 4 classes of high security lock – A, B, C, and D, where class A has the lowest security requirement and class D has the highest requirement. Locks may be keylocks, mechanical combination locks or electronic combination locks. The EN 1300 standard does not just certify the level of security, but also considers reliability. For example, every lock must be in its normal condition after having been unlocked and locked 10,000 times. Or a mechanical combination lock must be operating normally after the code has been changed 100 times. EN 1300 REQUIREMENTS Full and detailed information about the classification of EN 1300 locks is available in the British Standards Institute publication BS EN 1300:2013, which can be purchased directly from BSI. The standard is also available from other European national standards organisations. In very general terms, some of the requirements are: CODES A minimum number of usable codes are specified depending on class and type, for example, a class A electronic lock must have 80,000 usable codes. If the code is mnemonic (remembered rather that cut into a key) it must be possible for it to be changed, and it can only be changed by entry of the original code. In most electronic locks, the manager / master or supervisor user can only delete a user code, they cannot change it. It must not be possible for any devices fitted to the lock, such as a micro-switch, to be used to obtain information about the code. BLOCKING The lock must be fitted with a blocking device (the bolt) and where the bolt is not moved manually, i.e. by the keypad, a key, a knob or by the boltwork handle; there must be a means to indicate that the lock is secured and the code is scrambled, such as a visual or acoustic signal. LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | NOV/DEC 2016 KEYLOCKS A manufacturer cannot repeat a code (the cut of a key), until at least 80% of the usable codes have been used. Codes must be chosen at random, and the code cannot be identified by markings on the key. The key cannot be removed from the lock when it is in the open position, and the key must not break under a force of less than 2.5nm. ‘every lock must be in its normal condition after having been unlocked and locked 10,000 times’ ELECTRONIC LOCKS A Class B lock or higher with more than 2 user codes must include an audit facility, the number of events that must be stored in a non-volatile memory is dependent on the class. In class C and D any attempt to manipulate the input unit or keypad must be recorded in the audit. Any attempt to guess at codes must be limited by a number of attempts per hour, dependent on class. This is normally managed by the penalty, whereby a number of failed attempts results in a time penalty. The requirements specify that there must be a means of indicating when the penalty is active. If the lock is powered by a battery, a full battery must allow at least 3,000 openings. The processing unit that handles the codes must be stored inside the secure container – codes are always recognised in the lock, and never in the keypad or input unit.