When you own a business, one of the things that you must consider is how you are going to secure your most valuable assets. Most business owners in Westwood will start with insurance, door locks, and security cameras. However, there is another highly effective security product that most locksmith experts would recommend: a commercial safe. Some business owners forget the value of this security vessel because they don’t keep most of their cash on hand. However, there are a variety of assets that one can keep in a commercial safe. Commercial safes protect important items from theft or damage, from hard drives to company credit cards to legal documents. Locksmith services in Beverly Hills can help you pick the perfect commercial safe for your business and install it on-site. Here are some security elements to consider when picking a safe. 

The UL Rating

“UL” stands for the “underwriter’s laboratory.” This rating system is based on regulated safety standards published by the UL safety organization. Under this organization’s guidelines, there are two main categories through which your commercial safe will be evaluated: fire safety and burglary safety. 

The Burglar Rating

First and foremost, commercial safes are made to protect your important items from being stolen. So, the burglar rating assesses the level of protection from safe cracking or break-ins that this safe provides. There are 5 main tiers: 

• B Rating: This type of safe is the smallest and least protective. Typically used in residential homes, this is not going to be an appropriate safe for business. 
• C Rating: Twice the size of a B-rating safe with a relocking device and hard plate, C-rated safes are better protected but still not strong enough for valuable business assets. 
• TL-15 Rating: The number 15 stands for the number of minutes it takes a professional to crack the safe open. 
• TL-30 Rating: This rating typically requires heavier equipment to break the safe, and it takes a professional closer to 30 minutes. 
• TL-30X6 Rating: The highest rating of all. Engineers who test out this safe are permitted to try breaking in through all 6 sides with an understanding of the safe’s design and structure. Most professionals still need at least 30 minutes to successfully enter the safe, even with these parameters, making it a truly resilient product. 

The Fire Rating

When you are choosing a commercial safe for your business, you will also want to observe its fire rating. Here are the 3 main levels of fire safety: 

• 1/2 Hour Rating: In order to achieve this rating, a safe is required to keep items protected for a half-hour of heat and impact tests. During the tests, the safe is exposed to 1550 degrees of heat and dropped from the equivalent of a 3-story building. 
• 1-Hour Rating: Safes with a 1-hour rating can maintain items for an hour of heat and impact tests. 
• 2-hour Rating: The highest fire rating yet. These safes can keep items protected for 2 hours of intense testing. 

Once you have chosen the right safe for your business, you can hire locksmith services in Westwood to recommend the appropriate lock pairing and install the vessel in your facility. Locksmith experts can help you evaluate the proper location for your commercial safe, provide efficient installation services, and offer long-term maintenance guidelines.