Security seals, the first line of defence against unauthorised access

from Utility August 2021 Digital Edition

Finding treasure in trash: the $7.8 billion opportunity in Australia’s recycling and resource recovery sector

Security seals, the first line of defence

AGAINST UNAUTHORISED ACCESS

Without applying a security seal to bags, doors, cabinets, packaging, meters, drums, fire extinguishers, containers and more, they can simply be opened and closed without leaving a trace. Concerned that your contents have been accessed? This is where security seals come into play.

Security seals are a key deterrent to preventing unauthorised access due to being highly visible and quick to expose tampering. The sooner you are aware of unauthorised access, the sooner the incident can be examined. Security seals can prevent unauthorised access being discovered too far down the supply chain, or too late to effectively investigate.

Some security seals offer a physical access barrier requiring a cutting tool for removal. Others, such as the security seals used for fire extinguishers, have a low breaking strain so that the fire extinguishers can be accessed rapidly.

The emergency services industry, among many others, also uses security seals to speed up inventory auditing. Fire extinguishers or medical cabinets that are no longer security sealed can be easily identified and inspected for restocking or servicing requirements.

This article’s image shows three examples of exposed tampering: the security label reveals a void/open text message while being partially removed from a surface, a cable seal’s wire unravels when cut to prevent reattachment and a security seal’s material discolours instantly when an attempt is made to reattach two parts of the tail via a heating method.

In addition to the physical properties of a security seal, numbering is also a critical component of the seal’s security integrity. Harcor developed Exact & Track technology that manages millions of security seal serial numbers every year. The benefits include secure serial number data storage, protection against serial number duplication and faster serial number tracking. Go to harcor.com.au/blogs/news/securityseal-numbering to find out more about Exact & Track.

Harcor offers a wide range of high security seals to suit almost all sealing applications. Visit harcor.com.au/collections/security-seals to see the full range of security seals.