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A safe is only as good as the level of protection it offers. The level to which a safe has been tested is the best indicator as to its quality. We have pulled together some testing information taken from various manufacturers. The information below should be read as a guide and to ensure that we don’t pass on any “trade secrets” we have removed the manufacturer’s names where appropriate.
Details of Measured through tests carried out by independent testing authorities for manufacturer xxx can be found below.
“The longer the period in minutes, the greater the fire resistance offered. The critical temperature before paper or record char or combust is 177°c. Whereas, datamedia is damaged at temperatures over 52°c or humidity of over 85%”.
Tests should be taken to ensure that the test certificate held by the equipment is applicable to modern media i.e. a DIS label.
Testing:
To provide the appropriate level of protection for our products, we ensure that they are tested against the latest industry standards. These standards vary according to whether you want to protect datamedia or documents. This is because the temperature at which datamedia (e.g. 52°c) and documents (e.g. 177°c) deteriorate differs according to the item protected. In order to fully protect datamedia, industry standards indicate that products should carry the ECB-S EN 1047-1 certificate as a minimum.
The ECB-s test monitors the actual temperature of the data cabinet until it has cooled completely during the “soak out” period. Assessing products during this time is essential since internal temperatures can peak up to 6-8 hours after a fire has been extinguished. Such a test ensures that all products are comprehensively tested and upon passing, will fully protect your datamedia for the 60 to 1209 minutes stated.
For document protection all products must have an appropriate industry standard 60 minute paper certificate as a minimum. UL72-class 350, ECB-s EN 1047-1 or NT-Fire 017 are acceptable standards for paper document protection.