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Removing a 2 tonne safe from the 7th floor of a building

Posted: Thursday, 5 December 2013 @ 14:04
BDB Lock and Safe are specialist safe removal experts. We relocate safes and vaults regardless of their type, size, weight or location. We’re often called in for a safe relocation on behalf of large companies who simply don’t have our expertise or experience.

A recent example of this was the removal an SMP Safe weighing in at a rather impressive, but not unusual, 2000 KG. The safe was removed from the 7th floor via the window of our customer’s city centre building – no mean feat!


We weren’t the first company to be involved with this job, many before us had tried and failed to remove the safe


The first attempt was by a company who tried to remove the safe via the lift. The lift had a 1000 KG weight limit and you don’t need a calculator to work out why that failed. Achieving nothing but creative expensive lift repairs, they left the job… and the safe!

The second attempt was by a company who tried to take the safe down the stairs (from the 7th floor). This is not an impossible task, and we have removed many safes via the stairways, but this was a fire escape and needed to be kept clear during the working hours. This meant that the job would have taken a good safe remover four to five days to complete, as it would have involved after hours work, which is also very expensive.
The only option left was a crane lift through the 7th floor window, but after moving the safe to the window the second company decided the job was not for them, and the safe was left by the window where it sat waiting for the next company to try and move it.

So, next it was our turn. And you could argue it was third time lucky for our customer as they found the answer to their problem – BDB Lock and Safe!


This complex safe removal involved chains, pulleys, winches, slings, and a 40 tonne crane. After completing the risk assessment, method statements and lift plan we set to work relieving our customer of his two tonne problem.

Our team removed sections of the window and the safe was positioned into place, in front of the window. We made a base for the safe to rest on to allow it to be at window height and on its back. We achieved this with jacks, boards and specially designed boxes, which we made in-house in the BDB workshop to the exact specifications.

Once the huge safe was in place, the 40 tonne crane lifted the mighty lump into position. We attached the crane’s hook to straps which were secured to a winch. This restricted its movement and prevented any swinging and ensured it was controlled through every movement. The crane pulled the safe out of the window while the winch controlled the safe so that no swinging took place.

Then whole operation took just 6 hours and we had a very relieved and satisfied customer.

In all industries there are companies who offer products and services that they simply can’t deliver… we’re not one of them. If you need an expert team of experienced safe removers then save yourself the heartache and costly bills.



Call us today for a no-obligation quote or survey. 024 7664 4560