We get worried as to whether it is right to keep money or jewellery at home or what will happen to a business if fire engulfs the office. But safes have come into existence to take care of all our worries about safety and protection.

Safes only protected against robbery and theft at first – in 1835, Chubb Safes patented the burglar resisting safe – but from the 1940s they have also been designed using technology to effectively protect against fire.

Safes are generally classified into three main types for home or office use.

• Burglar safes – they are designed with heavy doors, which are resistant to cutting, drilling or prying attack and with solid metal walls. They are meant to protect against theft but offer less protection against fire. To slow down attempts to break safes, hardened resistant metals are used.

• Fire safes – they are made of double metal walls and are filled with fire resistant insulating material between them. They are specially designed to protect against fire. Paper documents are usually stored in fire safes.

• Fire/burglary Safes – these safes are multi-purpose. They provide good protection against fire as well as theft.