When running a business, it’s important to protect your most valuable documents. Whether it’s critical contracts and financial records or employee records, the fallout from losing some of these can cause big problems — not to mention financial devastation. That’s just one of the reasons investing in an insurance-approved safe is one of the smartest decisions you can make. But what does “insurance-approved” mean? And why should you care? We’ll explain all that and more and help you understand why it’s so important for your business documents.
Protecting What Matters Most
Imagine the devastating effects of losing key contracts, financial records, or staff records through a break-in, fire, or flood. The implications can be devastating and impact your business, reputation, and finances. However, insurance approved safes provides a solution.
An insurance-approved safe is one that meets specific standards for security, fire resistance, and overall strength set by insurance companies or standards-setting organisations in the industry. Simply put, it’s a safe that has been through tough testing and been proven to protect your prized possessions (like your business documents) — whether that means from fire, burglars, or both. Insurance companies sometimes strongly suggest, if not require, businesses use safes that meet approved certification standards so they know they’re getting a higher level of protection.
Certification means you can trust that your safe is going to do what it says it will — and sometimes, that’s an intangible kind of value. Or an extremely tangible one, in this case.
Compliance With Insurance Requirements
Does my insurance require a safe? Can my insurance refuse my claim if I do not have a safe in place? So many businesses rely on insurance to minimise the financial impact of the theft of cash or valuables. Most insurance policies require that you have certain security measures in place to protect your assets. This can be an insurance-rated safe to protect cash, jewellery, and/or important documentation.
Insurance-rated safes are tested for fire and burglary resistance; so getting one of these safes is not only the smart move to provide you with better insurance, but it also keeps your insurance company happy to be insuring you, as you’re taking the necessary steps to reduce the risks that exposure them to greater risks, great relationship!
Fire, Water, and Theft Protection
This level of protection goes beyond mere convenience; it could be the critical difference between recovering quickly from a disaster or losing valuable time and resources. It’s not just the burglaries that pose a risk to your essential documents—fires and floods can do the job just as well.
Most security safes that are insurance-rated have constructed materials that deem the unit both waterproof and fireproof, which means that should a disaster occur, your business documents are protected. These safes are tested to provide you with peace of mind so that the unit can be exposed to high temperatures and water for a certain amount of time. If the unspeakable happens, you can be on your way to using your business again and suffering a minimal loss.
Fire: A fire safe will have been tested and able to perform consistently over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit for over one hour. This is crucial for business documents.
Water: A safe that is water resistant will help protect documents from washdowns, sprinkler systems, and firemen’s hoses.
Preventing Identity Theft and Fraud
As the crime of identity theft and fraud spreads, the importance of protecting your business information is growing. All of the files, employee documents, company records, and financial information that your company works with are valuable sources of information that someone is looking to steal.
An insurance-approved safe offers a solid element of protection against unauthorised access to this potentially helpful information. Sufficient safes for insurance purposes include an anti-pick and anti-drill lock, reinforced construction along the bolts and around the safe, and materials to effectively resist amateur attack.
Peace of Mind for Small Business Owners
Running your own business comes with a lot of pressure; the safety of your paperwork should not be one of those pressures. An insurance-grade safe means your information is protected even when you leave the office. It is a constant peace of mind that helps you sleep at night, knowing your paperwork is safe from theft and Oregon weather.
Choosing the Right Insurance-Approved Safe
Not all insurance-approved safes are the same, so consideration really needs to be given to what will work for you and your insurance. The insurance safe will need to be the right size, have the right fire rating, have the right water rating, and have the right lock for you.