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Doing safe relocation of your security safe via the elevator can be extremely difficult. In this blog we give you a detailed guide based on our experience in the safe industry for over 35 years, to help you understand how to remove or relocate your safe in a building with limited floor loading.
Over the last 30 years, safe relocation has evolved significantly. Some of the methods that were accepted then might not be accepted in today’s situation, and every job requires a risk evaluation and a safe work method statement.
Some safe owners may contract a furniture mover instead of hiring a professional safe remover with experience and specialised equipment. They choose to do this to get a cheaper price on the job. However, in most cases, an unprofessional job ends with accidents, injuring both the people involved, and your property due to the heavy weight of many safes. On top of losing money directly from these accidents, there are also high legal fees involved following these incidents.
Elevators have always been difficult for safe relocation tasks. Often it is easier to go up with a load than to go down. To go up the elevator, the lift motor operates to pull the load up, whereas the brakes are used a lot more when the safe is going down the lift.
When you have decided to move your safe via the elevator, the best starting point is to determine the accurate overall weight of the safe. Then you need to know the lift capacity of your elevator. This is usually written on a plate inside the elevator. We like to operate with a 10-20% buffer, so if the lift capacity is 1000kg, we won’t load it up with more than 900kg. A lift Technician is often required to drive the lift from the lift motor room and to control the brakes.
It is worth mentioning that we never take a lift with the safe when it’s almost at its full lift capacity. Many lifts have a sensor installed to it that detects how much the floor flexes. Building Managers are showing an increasing interest with floor loading and its evaluation. From the evaluation they want to make sure that safe relocation via the elevator will not cause major damage to the building. They look at a few factors to determine the risk. It is always wise to discuss with the building manager before you schedule the relocation in or out of your building.
The pressure exerted on the floor by a safe can be calculated by a formula. While floor loading vary depending on the building, a common number used in the formula is 200-300kg per square metre. I would recommend calling a structural engineer who can provide you with professional opinion on this difficult situation.
Some customers are concerned their floor or concrete may be damaged or cracked by the heavy safe. This is not an issue if the safe is located on the ground floor. We frequently stack large and heavy safes side by side on concrete slabs and never had a problem. The weight of the safe is completely sustained by the concrete slab on the ground floor. However if the safe is located on an upper floor, the weight of the safe may affect the flooring. If you need reliable safe relocation service done by experienced professionals, contact your trusted local safe installer.
This blog post gives you a basic understanding on relocating your safe via the lift in your premises. It is important to note that every job is different hence it is best to evaluate each individual job based on their situation. If you have a question about your safe relocation, give us a call on 1300 764 971 to discuss with our friendly security specialist.
