There are many problems you can face when disposing of or relocating your old safe. Safes are usually extremely heavy, and can damage furnishings such as stairways and walls if they are not removed properly with specialist equipment such as stair climbers, cranes and trolleys.
Read on to find out more about how to overcome the problems that can be faced when removing your old safe, along with the alternatives to safe disposal.
Potential Risks When Disposing or Relocating A Safe
As with any heavy object, there is always the risk of injury when trying to move a safe without specialist help – in fact, manual handling (moving or supporting a load) made up more than a third of all work-related injuries in 2016. In addition to injury, there are a number of other risks that can arise when attempting to dispose of a safe:
- Damage to furnishings such as stairways and walls when moving the safe.
- Some older safes are insulated with asbestos, this is extremely dangerous when released and will need to be disposed of at a licensed The removal of a safe with asbestos will need to be carried out by someone with the relevant training and protective equipment.
- Some larger safes may exceed the weight limit for lifts/elevators in apartments, hotels and office buildings etc – meaning specialist lifting equipment may be required.
Things To Consider When Disposing or Relocating Your Safe
When having your safe removed / replaced; here are just a few things that we take into account before we begin our work:
- Location of the safe – where it is situated in the building (ground floor, top floor etc).
- The dimensions of the safe and manufacturer
- Any doorways or hallways that must be negotiated through to remove the safe.
- How close a vehicle can be parked to the building.
- Wether the safe can be opened or not.
- Whether there are any steps outside the building.
Can I Sell My Old Safe To A Scrapyard?
Whilst it is possible to sell your old safe to a scrapyard, many scrapyards are hesitant to accept safes, this is because safes are often constructed with a layer of concrete (or asbestos in some fire safes) meaning the metal content is lower and also harder to extract, making them almost worthless to scrapyards.
In addition to this, scrapyards won’t often offer a removal service for items such as safes, meaning you would still have to figure out a way to get safe to the scrapyard – for this reason, we always recommend using a UK eurosafe member that provides safe removal as a specialist service.
If you really are set on selling your old safe, online marketplaces such as eBay and Craigslist are a good place to start, we would recommend selling with the condition that the buyer pays for the removal of the safe.
Upgrading Your Old Safe
Another reason safe users decide to remove their safe is to replace it with a newer, more secure unit. However, repairing your old safe can be a more cost effective route to go down. In addition to this, some older safes can be upgraded to combination locking or electronic locking.
Talk To The Experts
If you have a safe you need safely moving or securely disposed of, we can help. With proper training, knowledge, and suitable equipment we can relocate or remove your safe easily and without causing harm.
If you are moving home, offices, or are in need of moving or upgrading your existing safe, then give one of our expert team a call on 0117 967 4994 for more help and information.
