What is a bank vault?
A bank vault is a safe place inside a bank. It is where the bank keeps things that are worth a lot of money. These things are called securities. Securities can be paper money, coins, gold, silver, bonds, or other valuable items.
The vault keeps the securities from being stolen or damaged. Bank vaults are very strong. They have thick walls made of steel and concrete. The door is also very heavy and hard to open.
Why do banks use vaults?
Banks use vaults to protect their customers’ valuables. People trust banks to keep their money and important things safe. If a bank did not have a strong vault, thieves might break in and steal the valuables.
Having a secure vault also helps banks follow laws and rules. The government makes banks keep a certain amount of money on hand at all times. This money has to be kept somewhere very safe, like in a vault.
What does a bank vault look like?
From the outside, you cannot see much of a bank vault. The vault is hidden behind walls deep inside the bank building. There is a big heavy door with a special lock. Sometimes the lock has a timer so it can only open at certain times of day.
Inside the vault, there are shelves and drawers to organize all the securities and valuables. Sometimes there are smaller boxes or lockers inside for customers to rent. These are called safe deposit boxes.
The inside of the vault is very plain. The walls and shelves are grey metal. There are bright lights so the bank workers can see what they are doing. It feels very cold because of the thick walls and metal.
The vault door
The door is the most important part of a bank vault. It has to be strong enough to stop burglars from breaking in. Most vault doors are made from several layers of hard steel.
A vault door can weigh many tons. It is too heavy for a person to push open. Instead, the door swings open on big metal hinges when it is unlocked.
The locks on a vault door are not like regular door locks. They are much more complicated. Most use a combination of keys and numbered dials. Some new vaults use computers to control the locks.
Vault security
Bank vaults have many layers of security to keep them safe. The door lock is just one layer. There are also alarms that go off if someone tries to break in.
The vault may have security cameras inside and outside. These let the bank security officers watch what happens around the vault all the time.
Some vaults also have special devices to prevent lock picking. If someone uses the wrong key or combination too many times, the lock shuts down and cannot be opened.
When are bank vaults used?
Any time the bank is closed, the cash and valuables go in the vault. This includes every night and on weekends and holidays.
During the day, bank workers go in and out of the vault many times. They may need to get cash for the tellers or put away new deposits. All of this activity is carefully tracked and recorded.
Customers do not go into the main vault. If they want to access a safe deposit box, a bank employee brings the box out to a secure room for the customer to use in private.
Opening and closing the vault
There is a special process for opening and closing a bank vault. It is designed to keep the vault as secure as possible.
To open the vault, you need more than one person. This is called dual control. With dual control, no single person can open the vault alone. One person might have a key to one lock, and another person has the combination to a second lock.
When the vault is opened, the workers carefully count all the cash and valuables inside. They check the totals against the bank’s records. This is to make sure nothing went missing overnight.
At the end of the day, the process happens again in reverse. The workers put everything back in the vault. They lock all the locks and set the timer if the vault has one. Then the alarms are turned on for the night.
How are bank vaults built?
Building a bank vault is a complex job. It requires special skills and materials. The walls and door have to be able to withstand drills, saws, torches, and even explosives.
The first step is to pour a thick concrete floor, walls and ceiling. This creates a solid box or room. Inside that, workers build the metal partitions for shelves, drawers and deposit boxes.
The vault door is custom made at a special factory. It is delivered to the bank and installed by experts. The door must fit perfectly so there are no cracks or weak spots.
Installing the locks is a very careful process. The combination has to be set and tested many times. Only trusted bank officers are allowed to know the combination.
After the vault is built, it is inspected and tested. Security experts try to break in using different tools and methods. If they find any weaknesses, the vault is reinforced. The vault has to pass many tough tests before the bank can use it.
