During the winter season, new issues arise in relation to the safety and security of buildings due to the cold temperatures and shorter daylight hours. Cold temperatures can cause wooden doors and fixtures to swell and expand, which can affect the efficiency of door hardware. Another thing to consider is that statistically, more burglaries take place over the winter months when commercial buildings tend to be vacated slightly earlier and longer nights attract more burglars out of the woodwork, due to the poor lighting conditions that make them less visible.
With all of this in mind, we have explored some tips that will help you to keep your commercial or residential property even more safe and secure this winter...
Is Your Building A Target For Opportunists?
Burglars are opportunists who target vulnerable buildings and know what they are looking for. Older properties frequently have door hardware that is less secure than the hardware that is found on newer buildings so this is one area to consider. If your locks and hardware are past their prime and well overdue an upgrade, this is an important area to address. Purchase quality components with a BSI kitemark and be sure to have them fitted professionally.
Lighting up the areas around your entrance points is also money well spent. Take care to ensure that there is nowhere to hide around your building – keep plants and shrubs pruned back around all windows and doors on the ground floor and install adequate lighting to highlight the external areas. This will act as an immediate, cost effective deterrent.
A visible alarm system and associated signage is of course another great deterrent and any viewing equipment ranging from an intercom with video function to something as basic as a spy hole will help occupants of any property to feel safer.
Expansion & Contraction
Over the summer months during dry, warm weather, wooden doors and frames tend to shrink and contract. Later in the year, once the wetter and colder weather arrives, the weather has the opposite effect, causing this natural material to swell and expand. As you might imagine, in some cases this variation in dimensions can cause problems with the operating components of the hardware on your doors, which could potentially have an impact on your security.
Locks in particular can be badly affected as swelling can lead to a misalignment of the locking components. Many other hardware items such as door closers and the seals around fire doors may not operate correctly at certain times of the year due to expansion and contraction caused by the weather conditions and humidity.
Periodic maintenance checks on your doors and windows are a crucial element of maintaining the security of your property.
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