Security Seals – The Right Choice
by Donald Miller

Security seals are vital pieces of equipment and yet can often be overshadowed by the more glamorous digital and electronic security devices on the market. Some purchasers view the cost of the seal as the paramount factor in their decision making, rather than considering the cost savings brought about by loss prevention.

Why use a seal?

Put simply, a security seal shows whether a locking device has been opened, indicating unauthorised access to restricted areas, containers including bags, boxes, cases, cabinets or specialist equipment (such as fire extinguishers). Security seals protect from theft, misuse, third party contamination, and the stowage of illegal goods or indeed people, as immigration control becomes a major issue.

A consignment of goods or set of documents is invariably handled by many people before reaching its final destination.  To save the time and cost of many detailed security checks, the seal serves as one of just two indicators of the integrity of the contents - the other being, is the container itself intact?  The seal cannot prevent access but acts as an immediate alert if any tampering has occurred, enabling the eventual identification of the responsible party.

Crime today is evolving fast and it is advisable to update security measures regularly.  The cost of prevention is far less than the potential losses and time incurred as a result of theft or other criminal activity.

How to choose a seal

Firstly, clearly defined security procedures should be put in place.  All personnel must be well instructed in these procedures and follow them without exception.  A well-designed programme starts with your internal organisation and inventory control, with the careful recording and checking of seal serial numbers on containers of goods both into and out of your premises.

When choosing a seal the following factors should be considered:

• The type of unit that needs to be sealed

There are many types of seal on the market to suit every application imaginable.  It is important to select a seal that is suitable for the container to be secured.

• Uniqueness

First and most important a security seal should be unique with a logo and consecutive numbering, perhaps also using an alpha numeric and colour coding.  Wherever there are two identical seals there is the danger of substitution.

• Seal Integrity

The other danger is from substitution of component parts.  A seal made up of several components should protect itself from the possibility of having parts from a used ('dead') seal removed and used to tamper a 'live' one.  These safeguards should be built in to any quality security seal.  You can also protect against this by ensuring that even used 'dead' seals are controlled and disposed of securely.

• What type of seal do you need?

There are two distinct types of seal on the market - indicative and barrier type seals.

Indicative seals are best used within an already secured system, where access to the container is limited and controlled, for example within a warehouse or vehicle.  The number of personnel having the opportunity to tamper with the seal is limited and known to the Organisation.

Barrier seals on the other hand are used where the container may be left for a length of time unattended outside a controlled area.  Barrier seals prevent opportunistic access, normally requiring some form of tool such as bolt cutters for removal. The best barrier seals on the market also contain some tamper evident features since strength alone is not enough.

• What is your application?

The other consideration is the application - whether it requires a fixed length or variable length seal.  This is normally determined by the container to be sealed.  Does it have a fixed locking mechanism where the length of the seal required is predetermined?  This would lend itself to a fixed length seal.  If the locking mechanism or container is subject to variation or requires a degree of flexibility (an example of this would be a bag or a roll cage) a variable length seal could be more suitable.  The variable length seal would also be suitable as a general-purpose seal where the versatility to cover a number of applications is required.

• Exposure to external conditions

Other factors that will affect your choice of seals are the climatic conditions under which the seal will be used.  Materials perform differently in hot or cold environments and advice should be sought if extremes of temperature are likely to be encountered.  UV light and exposure to seawater or pollutants can affect the performance of a security seal and should be considered.

• What is the Value of the Contents?

The value of the contents of a container is also an important factor.  High value goods will require a higher specification seal perhaps with additional indicative or protective safeguards.

• Numbering System

The control of the numbering system needs to be thought about.  Do you want the seals to be used sequentially or randomly?  Both systems have their positive and negative side and will depend upon how your security system is supervised.

• Recording date & logistics

Many large organisations now use electronic systems for data capture, the most popular is bar coding and radio frequency tagging is developing fast.  You may also want a variety of colours to help organise your logistical system.

Conclusion

Security seals are key to protecting your goods in transit and can also provide valuable additional benefits of providing logistical control.  Crime is ever present; whether theft, wilful contamination, drug smuggling or illegal immigration it costs industry millions of pounds a year.  High quality security seals protect more than just your goods; they also serve to protect the integrity of your workforce.