Lock Security for Offices in a Business Park

Who is responsible for what

Centurion's business parks, such as Highveld Techno Park, Route 21 Business Park and Samrand Business Park, are workplaces rather than homes: the 2011 census counted very few residents in any of them.

Where a park has its own perimeter and a controlled entrance, that arrangement covers the park, not your premises. Inside the boom, the locks on your entrance doors, the roller shutter at the loading bay, the server room, the store, the cash office and the safe are yours to manage. It's worth knowing exactly where the park's responsibility ends, and which keys the park's management or security company holds for your unit, if any.

Start with a key register

Most office key problems come down to one question nobody can answer: who has a key to this? A register answers it.

• Stamp or tag keys with a code, never the room name.
• Keep spare and unissued keys in a locked key cabinet, with its own key held by one or two people.
• Have staff sign for keys when issued and returned.
• Check the register against the keys actually held, at least once a year.

How master-key hierarchies work

A master-key system arranges locks and keys in levels so each person gets the access their role needs. ASSA ABLOY describes the usual tiers as individual keys for a single door, department keys for an area, master keys across several zones, and a grand master key for the whole site.

Things worth knowing before you go down this road:

• Plan around zones and roles. ASSA ABLOY's guidance starts with the building layout: which areas are shared, which are restricted, and who needs what.
• Fewer levels, fewer top keys. One key maker's catalogue notes that higher levels are less secure and doesn't recommend more than four. A lost grand master affects every lock beneath it.
• Records are part of the system. Accurate lock charts and controlled copies are what keep it working. Systems with patent-protected keys restrict who can make copies, and replacement cylinders have to match the system.

What we provide is lock repair and replacement: fitting new locks and cylinders, and replacing those that a lost key fits. We don't cut or copy keys, so keys for a restricted system come through that system's supplier. If you're weighing up a master-key layout, raise it when we quote on site and we'll talk through what fits your doors.

Staff turnover: what to do when someone leaves

For safes, the master code holder is responsible for user codes. Our guide to changing a safe combination or code covers doing that without locking yourself out.

After-hours access and lock-up

Cleaners, IT contractors and security patrols often need access outside office hours. Give them the narrowest access that works: a key to one door rather than a master, or a personal keypad code with a time limit where the lock supports it. Keep the park's gatehouse informed about who is expected after hours.

A short lock-up routine for whoever closes:

• Outside doors locked, not just latched; deadbolts fully thrown.
• Roller shutters fully down and locked, with padlocks closed through the hasps.
• Server room, store and cash office locked.
• Safe closed, locked, and the dial or keypad cleared.
• Windows and sliding doors latched.
• Keys back in the key cabinet, not in a desk drawer.

Roller shutters and office safes

Roller shutters on loading bays, store fronts and workshop units get heavy daily use. We work on roller shutter doors, including their locks, mechanisms, springs and motors. Don't adjust spring tension in-house: shutter and roller door springs store a great deal of energy, and makers warn that untrained adjustment can cause serious injury. A shutter that's heavy to lift, drops on its own, or has slats out of the guides needs a technician. Padlocks on shutters should be rated for outdoor use, with a hasp to match.

Office safes hold cash, cheque books, server backups and sometimes firearms. Codes should change whenever someone with access leaves. If a safe won't accept a new code or won't open, our safe repairs service can help.

When to call us, and what helps

We're a mobile locksmith in Centurion, available 24/7, and our commercial locksmith service covers office and business park premises: lockouts, lock repairs and replacements, break-in repairs, roller shutters, gate motors and safes. For a planned changeover after staff turnover, lock replacement is the usual route.

The call-out fee is R250, the technician quotes on site before any work starts, and you can pay by EFT, cash or card. Before opening a locked office or safe, we ask for proof that you're entitled to access it, such as a company document or a letter from the business, and we try non-destructive entry first. Let the park's gatehouse know a locksmith is coming.

• The park and unit number, and the entrance to use.
• The number of doors, shutters and safes involved.
• Photos of the cylinders or lock faces, and of any shutter lock or padlock.
• Your key register, or a rough list of who held which keys.
• Whether it's urgent (a lock that won't secure tonight) or planned.

If your premises have a motorised gate, see our guide to gate motor and gate lock faults.

Need a locksmith to look at it?

If this hasn't solved the problem, our commercial locksmith service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Centurion, so we come to your door. Areas where this comes up often include Highveld Techno Park, Route 21 Business Park, Samrand Business Park.

Sources and further reading

• Census 2011: Highveld Techno Park — business sub-place with 88 residents in 2011
• Census 2011: Route 21 Business Park — business sub-place with no residents in 2011
• Census 2011: Samrand Business Park — business sub-place with 6 residents in 2011
• ASSA ABLOY: Master key systems, a practical guide — individual, department, master and grand master levels; plan by zones and roles; restrict copying; keep records; matching replacement cylinders
• Corbin Russwin: Key systems catalog (PDF) — the higher the level, the less secure; more than four levels not recommended
• Sargent & Greenleaf: Model 6120 electronic lock operating instructions (PDF) — master code holder is responsible for the active user codes
• B&D: Rollmasta roller garage door manual operation — springs store enough energy to cause severe injury; signs a door needs professional service