Security seals are used to ensure the process of delivering, warehousing or moving of high value or private and confidential items remains secure and un-tampered with. You might need to send liquid cash or documents via a delivery, freight or courier company and want to ensure that they are not compromised en route. Specific ‘evident tamper’ seal technology will firstly deter anyone from taking a sneaky peek or worse and secondly, if they did, the seal would show signs of compromise.
There are three particular security seal classifications, Indicative, Security and High Security and all conform to security seal definitions. So how do they work?
Indicative Seals
These are light duty seals and can be removed or opened with everyday items from around the house such as scissors, an envelope opener or shears. They can be found on a range of everyday items such as delivery boxes and sealed bags or envelopes. A good example being pin numbers and wage slips which are designed in such a way that tampering should be easily visible.
Security Seals
These sit between the more commonplace seals and the heavy duty ones. Acme Seals provide security seals, so have a look at some of the examples of light, medium and high security packages for more information. The medium strength seals are purposefully designed to be more difficult to open and so may need a specialist tool. They are specifically designed to avoid accidental breakage or quick access and need to be purposefully opened.
High Security Seals
High security or barrier seals are the most difficult to access. They often require heavy duty tools, not necessarily items you would have lying around the house, bolt cutters being a good example. They are often also designed so that they take quite a bit of force to open.
All seals should conform to specific ISO 17712 standards and will be stamped with the letter H, and the name of the manufacturer. A good example being the Acme bolt seal, a heavy duty seal able to withstand a force of up to 1000 kg. The government recommends these heavy duty seals amongst others on their website.
It is essential therefore, that prior to purchasing a security tamper evident seal that you use a reputable and well known manufacturer to be sure of its authenticity and strength.
