3 Tips For Handling DEA-Approved Safes
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has strict guidelines on storing controlled substances. The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) specifies five categories based on the medicinal use and harm potential Therefore, you can't just use any safe to store these controlled substances; it must be a DEA-compliant safe.
Discover three tips for handling DEA-compliant safes below.
1. Know the Substance You Are Handling
All five categories of the DEA controlled substances have a high potential for abuse and associated risks. Thus, the categories have different requirements on how they will be stored. First, you must know the materials you can safely work with and the quantities you can safely handle.
Schedule 1 and 2 narcotics must be stored in a class V storage safe. The specifications for this safe are that you should fasten it to a wall or floor, and it should weigh less than 750 lbs if it is not bolted to the ground. In addition, you should link the DEA-approved safe to an alarm system that can alert the police in case of emergencies. Also, you should use reinforced material to reduce access by brute force using mechanical and electrical exploits.
On the other hand. you should lock schedule 3, 4, and 5 substances in a secluded store or equivalent to the stipulated class IV containers guidelines. Additional options for you include refrigeration options. All these measures minimize the instances of theft from internal or external parties.
2. Limit Access to Controlled Substances
Your employees should have restricted access to controlled substances. For example, your safe should be in a protected room away from normal operations. You should have security measures such as:
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Unique access entry
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Surveillance monitoring
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Procedural access
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Access logging
These measures keep unwanted people away.
Locations like pharmacies should contract with trustworthy security companies that can work with controlled substances. The DEA must approve the individuals you employ at your organization to comply with the postulated rules. Also, You should notify the DEA in case of loss or theft of products under your care and change lock combinations and keys if an employee gets replaced.
3. Work With DEA-Approved Safe Suppliers
Instead of requesting the DEA to approve your safe for local housing of controlled substances, you can purchase a safe from a DEA-compliant safe builder. The advantage is that you don't get to worry about failing to meet the CSA requirements and the materials used.
However, you don't get to customize the safe based on your store location, structure, and organization. Therefore, you might incur additional expenses to have your safe installed.
Conclusion
The federal regulations require that all institutions handling narcotic substances adhere to the DEA controlled substance security manual. If you have questions about storing these substances or purchasing a DEA-approved safe, you can always contact an approved DEA-compliant safe company to meet your needs.
