Safe" considerations: burglary- and fire-resistant devices for the pharmacy.

Every night, the pharmacist confidently puts her cash and charge receipts, as well as her computer backup tapes, into the safe before setting the alarm and going home. The safe had been purchased second-hand several years ago. It was big, heavy, and obviously very old. The casters beneath it would scarcely turn any more, and the name of the bank in which it had once stood could still be read above the huge door. If a bank used it, the pharmacist reasoned, it has to be a good safe One night, burglars broke into the pharmacy, cracked the safe, and emptied it before police could respond to the alarm call— which was less than 3 minutes after entry was first detected by the security system. What happened? The pharmacist was relying on a safe that was simply no longer adequate for the job. As a result, the pharmacist experienced a roller coaster ride of emotions as she dealt with insurance company representatives, local police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. And more was lost than costly pharmacy items and several irreplaceable personal items: The pharmacist’s sense of security in her workplace was also sorely compromised.