One of the tasks associated with the effort to update your fire protection strategies involves replacing old cabinets with new ones. Ideally, you want to make selections that will provide excellent protection for a long time. As you look at each flammable storage cabinet at Herbert Williams and decide what you need, keep these four tips in mind. Doing so will ensure that you end up with a fireproof cabinet or even several cabinets that are perfect for your site.
Consider What Will Be Stored in the Cabinetry
One of the first points to ponder is what you plan on keeping in the cabinetry. Your goal is to select cabinets that can help reduce the risk of damage in the event a fire should happen. That means looking closely at two important ratings.
Check the UL rating to see how well the cabinet will protect paper items like documents. You also want to check the ETL rating if the plan is to store electronic media in the cabinet. A professional can evaluate what you plan to do with the cabinetry and provide some guidelines for evaluating the rates associated with any cabinet you’re considering.
Think About the Total Capacity You Need
The amount of storage space needed will influence the size of the cabinet or cabinets you buy. Think about how much needs to be stored in different areas of the operation. You also want to think about cabinet placement and how much space you can use and still ensure the cabinets don’t interfere with the flow of traffic through the facility.
The good news is that fireproof cabinetry comes in a variety of sizes. That makes it easy to find one that you can tuck into a relatively small space or invest in larger ones that will run the expanse of an entire wall. This is another area where a professional can help you by measuring the space, considering what you need to store, and then making recommendations.
Choose the Locks Carefully
Security is another issue that you want to consider when selecting new fireproof cabinets. You’ll find there are cabinets that come with combination locks, key locks, and even programmable electronic locks. It’s up to you to decide which solution works best in your setting.
Do think about who will have the ability to open those locks and how this can be done by authorized personnel when and if the need arises. Doing so will make it all the easier to add more to the cabinets or to find what’s needed without any waste of time or effort.
The Cabinet’s Price
As with any type of business expenditure, the price of a fireproof cabinet will eventually be addressed. While ensuring that the cabinet provides all of the functions and features that you need, check around and see if you can find something that’s the most cost effective. Your goal is to maintain the desired quality level while paying the lowest price possible.
Remember that the right fireproof cabinetry will hold up well for a number of years. Evaluate your needs carefully and make sure the cabinets will fit into the space that you have set aside. Once they’re in place, make sure you inventory the contents regularly so there is no question about what’s stored in which fire cabinet. In the event of a fire, knowing that the contents are safe and sound will be one less reason to worry.