Office fires are something that not everybody has experienced but they still happen often. With heavy foot traffic and a wide range of electricals, it is not uncommon for a fire to catch in comparison to a home. Often offices are equipped with sprinkler systems to prevent fires, but water can also ruin documents.
Fire risks
The first way to protect valuable documents is to make sure there are no fire hazards where the documents are being kept. As electrical equipment is everywhere in offices from laptops to heaters, offices are considered a hotspot for overheating. There are usually kitchen attachments to offices which can also be a cause of fires due to the appliances.
Sometimes human error can be the reasons for fires, these can include; candles, kitchen appliances and even heaters can spark and create fires on combustible materials. Combustible materials do not create fires, but they can spread it very quickly and it is important to keep them away from fire hazards. To prevent fires from starting, wires and appliances should be routine checked monthly but weekly is even better.
Fireproof document protection
Physical documents are hard to replace and are very delicate. Protection should be provided for these documents whilst they are in a home, in an office or whilst in transit. Fires and floods can completely destroy paper documents so keeping them in a fireproof and waterproof container is essential.
Fireproof Document Chest – Fireproof chests are perfect for a small number of documents and perfect for transit. Fireproof chests are small flat lockable box which can store papers and is relatively cost effective. The lock on the document chest is not as sophisticated as a safe but is can still be difficult for a thief to access. The chests are usually fire tested for 30 to 60 minutes where they can hold and protect delicate paper and media documents. Some document chests can be waterproof and flood proof for an even higher level of protection.
Fireproof and Waterproof Safes – The better option for protecting documents is a water and fireproof safe. They are designed to prevent theft and damage to the documents from fire or flooding. Its important to know that documents can still be destroyed from the heat even if they are not in direct contact with any flames because high temperatures can discolour the paper or just make it disintegrate entirely.
Most fireproof safes are tested up to 1000 degrees, the higher grade the safe, the longer the safe will be able to protect the documents for without becoming too hot inside. Water is also a factor that can turn documents to unreadable rubbish. Moisture can be a way that documents become water damaged so to prevent this, sealed safes can withstand water flooding it, usually as a result of a fire. A water and fireproof safe is a great investment to keep documents protected.
