Product Security Helps Foodservice Businesses Handle Cost Control

Posted in Green Posted in Recommended Reading by mmathews on 06/16 at 09:18 PM

Cost control is an essential part of the foodservice business and refrigerated or frozen product is a high-cost area for loss. A door carelessly opened or left unlocked in an area away from employee scrutiny can leak profits.

Lock hasps are a simple method for securing walk-in cooler and freezer contents. While the main advantage is avoiding product loss, the secondary advantage of access control ensures that product is not exposed to undue harm from exposure to heat or other damaging conditions by unauthorized entrances.

Using a cylinder lock in the latch is a substitute for using a hasp. Cylinder locks require more care with key security because the lock cannot be changed immediately. Lost or misplaced keys can require expensive replacement of the cylinder on an irregular basis.

Physical Mounting
Hasps are secured to the door frame using tamper-proof fasteners and are thermally separated from the inside temperature. The staples are mounted on the door using a through-bolt inside release. This configuration placing a staple on the door and the hasp on the frame is the most secure against forced entry because it places the most force against the heavier built frame instead of the lighter door panel.

Hasps can be defeated, even with tamper proof bolts; a locking bar is an even more secure method for protecting product in walk-in coolers and freezers.

The locking bar uses two staples, one mounted on either side of the door through the frame. The staples are mounted to the door frame using a threaded rod and a twist-off inside release on the interior. Once the bar is in place, there is no access to the mounting hardware because the hardware is covered by the bar. The main drawback to a locking bar is that two locks are required, one for each side of the door, both locks must be removed to open the door. Using two locks adds some minor complexity to maintaining keys for the locks, but locks can be quickly replaced and keys can be synched.

Keys Versus Combinations
Keyed locks are preferred because keys control access physically, a person must have a key in order to access the secure area. Combination locks are not recommended because control of the secure factor, the combination, is easily passed along from one person to the next and replicated each time it is passed along; controlling physical keys is much more secure.

More About Tamperproof Fasteners
Tamperproof fasteners provide an extra level of security by making it very difficult for unauthorized persons to remove hinges and latches. Without the proper tools and access, tamperproof fasteners are extremely difficult to remove, foiling quick attempts to pilfer product by removing hardware. Many styles and designs of tamperproof fasteners are available to handle specific situations, matching various security requirements and tool designs.

For more information on securing walk-in coolers and freezers, call or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (1-800-238-4093).

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