Locked Out of the Office After Hours

Why after-hours office lockouts are different

A house lockout has one obvious decision-maker: the person standing outside their own front door. An office has several. The building owner, the landlord's managing agent, the business renting the space, the office manager and the security company may all have a say, and at 21:00 on a Sunday most of them aren't answering their phones.

That matters because we ask for proof of authority before opening any door. For an office, that means showing you're entitled to be inside that particular space, not just that you work for the company. The more of this you sort out before the technician arrives, the shorter and cheaper the visit.

A quick triage before you phone a locksmith

1. Is it locked, or just not responding? A card reader with no lights, a keypad that's dark, or a door that won't release after a power cut points to power or the access-control system, not a mechanical lock.
2. Is there another way in that you're allowed to use? A back door, a staff entrance or a colleague with keys who lives nearby costs nothing.
3. Does anyone hold a spare? Building management, the landlord's agent, a director, the cleaning contractor or the security company often do.
4. Is the alarm armed? If so, the alarm company needs to know before anyone touches a door.
5. Is it urgent tonight? A lockout that stops you closing up the till or locking away stock is urgent. Fetching a laptop charger might not be.

Who can authorise us to open the door

Before opening an office, shop or practice, the technician needs to be satisfied that the person asking is entitled to access. Useful things to have:

A quick phone call between the technician and the owner often settles it on the spot. If nobody with authority can be reached, the technician may decline to open the door, and that protects your business as much as anyone's.

Alarms, armed response and building security

Many offices are monitored, and plenty of office parks and buildings have their own guards. Before the technician arrives:

• Phone your alarm or armed-response company and tell them someone will be working on the door. Ask whether they need a password or a name.
• Tell the building or park security that a locksmith is expected, with the business name, and ask which gate or entrance to use after hours.
• Check where the technician can park close to the door. Basements often lock at night.
• If the building has its own after-hours access rules, such as signing in or being escorted, let us know.

Once you're inside, disarm the alarm and check the premises before the technician leaves, in case the lockout wasn't the only thing that happened.

Electric locks, access control and power cuts

Many offices use magnetic locks, electric strikes or electric mortice locks controlled by a card reader, keypad or intercom. These are designed to do something specific when power is lost. ASSA ABLOY's guidance on electronically controlled locks uses two terms:

• Fail safe (also called fail open or power to lock): the lock releases when power is cut, by a mains failure, a fire or the management system, so people can get out. Magnetic locks work this way, unless a battery backup keeps them powered.
• Fail secure (also called fail locked or power to open): the lock stays locked when power is lost, and needs power to open.

So in a power cut, a fail-safe door may be unexpectedly open, while a fail-secure door stays shut until power returns or it's opened mechanically. Many electric locks also have a mechanical key override, but not all do.

If the problem is the access-control system (cards not reading, a controller that's down, codes not accepted), the installer who maintains it is usually the right first call. A locksmith can deal with the mechanical side: the lock body, the cylinder, a key override and the door. Tell us upfront if there's electronics on the door, so we know what to expect.

Escape doors: never solve one problem by creating another

It's tempting, after a stressful lockout, to wedge a door open, chain it or add a padlock "for now". On a door that forms part of an escape route, that can trap people in a fire. Fire-protection rules in the National Building Regulations (SANS 10400-T) deal with escape routes and exit doors, and obstructing an escape route in a building can be an offence.

If a lock on an exit door is faulty, have it repaired or replaced with the right kind of hardware rather than improvising. Our commercial locksmith service covers office and shop locks, and our guide to doors that won't latch explains a common reason offices end up propping doors.

Lost office keys and master key systems

If the lockout happened because keys were lost, not just left at home, think about what those keys open. Many offices use a master key system, where each person's key opens only their doors but a master key opens a group of locks, and in bigger systems a grand master key sits above several master keys.

• A lost individual key usually means one lock or cylinder needs attention.
• A lost master or grand master key potentially exposes every door it opens. That's a bigger decision, and it's worth involving whoever designed or supplies the system.
• Restricted or registered key systems often control who may order more keys, for example through a registration card or authorised signatories. ABLOY describes several levels of this kind of key control. Find out what applies to your system before changing anything, because a mismatched replacement can break the system.

We don't cut or copy keys. Where a lock or cylinder needs replacing, the replacement comes with its own keys from the manufacturer.

A short after-hours plan for your business

The best time to plan for an after-hours lockout is during office hours. Ten minutes now avoids an expensive, frustrating night later.

• Write down who may authorise emergency entry, with phone numbers, and share it with managers.
• Keep a spare set of keys somewhere secure off-site, with someone named as responsible for it.
• Keep a note of your alarm company's number and the password for authorised staff.
• Record the access-control installer's after-hours contact details, if you have electric locks.
• Know which doors are escape routes, and never lock them in a way that stops people getting out.
• Save our number for when a locksmith is needed: R250 call-out, quote on site, 24/7.

For what the visit costs in more detail, see what a mobile locksmith costs in Johannesburg.

Need a locksmith to look at it?

If this hasn't solved the problem, our commercial locksmith service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Johannesburg, so we come to your door. Areas where this comes up often include Rosebank, Parktown, Melrose, Bedfordview.

Sources and further reading

• ASSA ABLOY UK: Electronically controlled locks, the key facts — Definitions of fail safe (power to lock) and fail secure (power to open); fail-safe locks release on mains failure, fire or management system; magnetic locks fail safe; battery backup.
• ABLOY UK: Master key systems — How master and grand master keys work, and levels of key control using registration cards and authorised signatories.
• SANS 10400: Fire protection (Part T) — Part T covers escape routes and exit doors; obstructing escape routes in buildings is an offence.