ToThePOINT
Best Practices
LOSS CONTROL SERVICES
SECURITY
VAULTS & SAFES
Increase protection and likelihood
of detection
Many vaults and safes are manufactured and modularfabricated with varying dimensions and specifications.
Regardless of the construction, manufacture, or modular
fabrication of a safe or vault, it must be evaluated for
adequacy for what is being protected, location of the
unit, size, construction, classification, electronic detection,
and access control, along with the surrounding exposures
such as building construction, protection, detection, and
notification systems and equipment.
Vaults
When used in combination with adequate burglar alarm
systems that are part of an enterprise-wide crime and
security risk management program, safes and vaults can
provide the necessary time delay or deterrent to allow
security personnel and law enforcement to respond to
the protected premises. A vault adds another obstacle
the burglars must overcome, adding time to their efforts,
thus increasing the chances of detection and possible
apprehension. It must be recognized that even the most
sophisticated vault can be penetrated given sufficient time
and the proper tools.
A vault is a completely enclosed, walk-in container designed
and constructed to safeguard valued commodities. Vaults
can allow for work areas as well as storage areas. The entire
vault is considered a single unit including walls, floors,
ceilings and doors. The vault should be constructed so
that it is structurally independent of the building in which
it is located. There must be no common walls, floors, or
ceilings (roofs). The building flooring must allow for both
the weight of the vault and the live-load contents of the
most appropriately burglar-resistance classified unit. Vault
walls should be built around structural columns, instead of
columns being incorporated into the walls.
Classifications
The classification system for vaults has been established by
American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Underwriters
Laboratories (UL), and Underwriters Laboratories of
Canada (ULC) in their Standard 608, Standard for BurglarResistant Vault Doors and Modular Panels (2004). When
the UL standards were first promulgated in 1980, they only
contained requirements for vault doors. Prior to this, the
classification system for a bank vault was established by the
Insurance Services Office (ISO). The ISO system was viewed
as the standard for vault construction. The ISO standard did
not consider the performance of the vault in withstanding a
burglar’s attack. The ISO standard was developed for rating
vaults for insurance purposes only.
The UL classification for burglar-resistant vaults is based on
the length of time the vault will resist the efforts of skilled
technicians using tools and torches to make a significant
penetration or entry. Entry for a vault is defined as opening
the door or making a 96-square-inch opening entirely through
the door, door frame, wall, floor, or ceiling. The smallest
dimension of the opening must be at least six inches.
UL classifications are:
•
•
•
•
Class M-1/4 hour
Class 1-1/2 hour
Class 2-1 hour
Class 3-2 hours
These penetration times apply to doors, frames, modular
panels, or a seam joining two or more modular panels.
Additionally, in order to meet classification standards, the
vaults must have a combination lock of Group 1, 1R or a
time lock.
Other considerations in the classification of vaults include:
•
Emergency and normal ventilation systems, as listed
by UL.
•
Lighting must conform to the National Electric Code
(NEC). All conduits leading into the vault and piercing
the ceiling, wall, or floor must not exceed 1½ inches in
diameter and must not form a direct path through the
wall or floor. This requires that a path be offset at least
once at a 90º angle.
relocking devices. Since the resistance to attack is through
the use of steel and alloys, these safes are not intended to
protect their contents from heat, as the metals are usually
good thermal conductors. Fire-resistant safes are designed
to protect valuable papers, electronic documents or records
from heat damage. When an attempt is made to drill or torch
the locking bolt to the combination lock, the re-locking device
is automatically triggered to lock the bolt work, preventing
the bolt work from being retracted. Expert assistance is
required to open the safe after such an occurrence.
Vault Construction Types
Alarm Protection
Modular Panels—These panels are of composite materials
that resist tool and torch attacks, high-strength concrete with
special reinforcing, and lightweight, laminated panels. An
advantage to a vault fabricated with modular panels is that it
can be dismantled and relocated if necessary.
UL lists “partial” and “complete” alarms for vaults and safes.
The “partial” system protects (with recognized devices)
the outer door and door lock of the vault or safe. The
“complete” system protects the top, bottom, all sides, and
outer doors of the vault or safe.
Reinforced Concrete—These vault walls are known as
generic walls and there are a variety of thickness options
including 9” (Class M), 12” (Class 1), 18” (Class 2), and 27”
(Class 3). They must have reinforcing bars forming grids no
larger than four inches on center.
The evaluation of the adequacy of alarm protection must
include the type and value of the commodity in the vault
or safe, access controls, and the location of the unit in the
protected premise and related protective systems. “Partial”
alarm protection provides minimal protection on a vault or
safe. As values exceed $3M USD, consideration should be
given to having two UL-certified alarm systems protecting
the vault or safe. Each of these systems must have line
security and not be connected to the same monitoring alarm
company. A typical arrangement has a building perimeter
alarm and the “partial” alarm system installed by the same
central station, as well as a “complete” alarm installed by a
different UL-listed central station.
Reinforced Concrete Block—Vault walls can be constructed
of 8-inch, 12-inch, or 16-inch thick concrete blocks filled with
concrete, reinforced with steel rods, and lined on the inside
with steel plating. This method is less expensive and lighter
than a reinforced concrete wall. However, no equivalent
rating has been developed by UL. These reinforced concrete
block vaults, when lined with steel, are often referred to as a
jeweler’s special.
Laminated Panels—A steel-ply system consisting of two
layers of low-alloy steel with thick, exterior-grade plywood
in between. Frequent application of laminated panels can
be retrofitted onto walls, ceiling, and floor of a vault lacking
burglary resistance classification. Depending on the tools,
penetration resistance is approximately 15 minutes.
Steel Lining or Plates—Steel lining or plating alone is
unacceptable as a burglary-resistant vault wall construction.
UL tests have shown that steel lining alone is very vulnerable
to attack, particularly by oxyacetylene torch, with a resistance
of less than four minutes.
Safes
A burglary-resistant safe is designed to provide protection
for valuable commodities from unauthorized access. This
protection is achieved by the use of steel and/or metal alloys
in the body and door of the safe combined with locking and
Vault, safes, and alarm protection are not the only aspects in
the overall evaluation of the risk. Evaluation should include
such considerations as guard service, type of operation,
working hours, commodity demand, physical protection,
additional alarm systems, and administrative controls
on inventory and personnel, each a component of an
enterprise-wide evaluation.
Resources
ANSI / UL and ULC Standard 608
Standard for Burglar-Resistant Vault Doors
and Modular Panels
Central Station Alarm Association
A Practical Guide to Central Station Burglar Alarm Systems
NFPA 70 National Electric Code
NFPA 730 Guide for Premises Security
UL 687 Standard for Burglary-Resistant Safes
Chubb Group of Insurance Companies | www.chubb.com
This document is advisory in nature. It is offered as a resource to be used together with your professional insurance advisors in maintaining a loss
prevention program. Our evaluations, reports, and recommendations are made solely to assist the insurer in underwriting and loss control. Evaluation for
any hazard or condition does not imply that it is covered under any policy. No liability is assumed by the information contained in this document. Chubb
refers to the insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies.
Form 09-10-0530 (Rev. 1/13)