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Mirrors for Security and Safety - Complete Guide

From the headlamps in our cars to the mirrors in our bathrooms we all rely on mirrors, in their various forms, every day. But shopping for safety or security mirrors to fulfil specific needs can be confusing. In this post we cover everything you need to know when seeking and selecting the best mirror or mirrors to meet your needs.

The History of Mirrors

The first mirrors ever used by humans were most likely to have been reflective pools or containers of water. The very first recorded manufacture of reflective, mirrored surfaces was carried out around 8,000 years ago in Anatolia, Turkey where polished obsidian, a form of glass derived from the eruption of volcanos, was used to create mirrored surfaces used for grooming and vanity. And illustrations on antique pottery dating back to the 5th century BCE show elegant ancient Greeks gazing into handheld mirrors.

Metal mirrors, forged from polished copper, were first used in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (encompassing modern day Iraq, Iran and Syria) around 3000 to 4000 years ago. These golden mirrors had a spiritual significance as they were considered to represent the sun god Ra. Thousands of years later in around 300AD, bronze mirrors, imported into Japan from China, were respected as highly spiritual items, associated with Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess.

Mirror manufacturing really took off in Britain thanks to the Romans and the style of mirrors changed enormously throughout the period from the Iron Age through the Middle Ages. It wasn’t until relatively recently in 1835 when the method of coating a pane of glass with a reflective metallic surface was developed by German scientist, Justus von Liebig.

How Modern Mirrors are Made

As noted, throughout history mirrors have been made from a variety of materials for a multitude of purposes.

Glass Mirrors

There can’t be many homes that don’t have at least one glass mirror, commonly used for over 200 years. The earliest glass mirrors, created in Venice, were made using mercury to provide the reflective surface. But it was German chemist Justus von Liebig, as noted, who developed the process to use silver instead of poisonous Mercury to create the required reflection. 

Glass is made from silica or quartz, melted at an extremely high temperature and then poured to form sheets. Silver is applied to the glass sheet in liquid form to create a thin, even coating. Mirrors would then be polished to remove waves in the glass surface which can cause distortion of reflected images.

Modern glass production has eliminated the inconsistencies of early glass manufacturing processes. These manufacturing improvements coupled with developments in the reflective coating, which is now aluminium, ensures crisp, clear and accurate images are reflected. Thanks to these modern mirror production methods glass mirrors are now relatively inexpensive.

The biggest problem associated with glass mirrors is their fragility. While glass is very hard and resistant to scratches it is brittle and can easily break into sharp, dangerous shards.

Plastic Mirrors

Plastics are now widely used to manufacture mirrors. Plastic mirrors can be broadly categorised as either breakable or unbreakable.

Breakable plastic mirrors include those manufactured from acrylic which can be shattered if subjected to an impact. Unbreakable plastic mirrors, such as those made from polycarbonate, will not shatter if impacted but can experience surface damage.

The primary drawback associated with plastic mirrors is the material is not has hard as glass and is therefore susceptible to scratching. This vulnerability can be minimised by the application of a hard, anti-scratch coating.

Modern plastic production techniques enable the manufacture of high quality plastic mirrors that present reflected images matching the quality of glass mirrors. And since plastic mirrors are so much lighter than their glass counterparts it`s an ideal material to use for large size mirrors. The thermal properties of plastic also make it an ideal choice for outdoor use where it`s far less susceptible to being obscured by frost or condensation than glass mirrors.

Stainless Steel Mirrors

Polished stainless steel mirrors are virtually indestructible, making them a wise long term investment. Although the polished metal mirror surface can potentially be damaged due to impact or scratches these accrued imperfections can be fixed quite easily.

Importantly, stainless steel mirrors will not shatter into dangerous, sharp shards if they experience a blow, unlike glass or acrylic. Polished stainless steel mirrors are ideal for use in harsh environments such as locations where high temperatures exist (e.g. steel foundries, industrial premises and food processing locations) or where very low temperatures might be encountered.

Mirror Types for Safety and Security

People often ask: how many types of mirror are there? While there are many different designs and mirror types there are in fact only three forms of reflective mirror surfaces: plane mirrors, convex mirrors and concave mirrors.

Plane mirrors are flat, providing an accurate reflection as the rays of light falling onto the mirrored surface are reflected back with no change. The apparent distance of reflected objects behind the mirror is the same as the actual distance in front of the mirror.

Convex and concave mirrors are collectively known as spherical mirrors as their reflective surfaces are effectively part of a sphere.

Concave mirrors are commonly found in flashlights, car headlights, search lights and shaving mirrors. The reflective, concave surface is curved inwards, like a bowl or satellite dish. By placing a light source (lightbulb) at the focal point of a concave mirror the reflected light rays emerge as a parallel beam, hence the use of this form of mirror in lighting applications. Up close, the images reflected from concave mirrors are enlarged which is why this form of mirror is used for shaving and makeup application.

Convex mirrors use a reflective surface that bulges outwards making reflected images look smaller and further away. Importantly, they provide a ‘wide angle’ reflected image enabling even a small convex mirror to reflect large areas. This is why this type of mirror is used in automobiles (rear view mirrors) and widely used for safety and security applications.

Traffic and Driveway Safety Mirrors

Traffic mirrors are convex road safety mirrors commonly seen alongside roads and junctions in areas where visibility is poor. Considerately located convex traffic safety mirrors overcome visibility blindspots by providing an expanded field of view. The more convex the reflective mirror surface the wider the field of vision, but it must be remembered that the image distortion makes it more difficult to judge the speed of approaching traffic which appears to be further away than it really is.

Convex traffic safety mirrors are generally manufactured from unbreakable plastic or stainless steel to minimise the risk of damage from impact or flying debris, such as stone chips. Safety mirrors of this type also tend to use bold, eye-catching mirror frames in bright colours such as yellow, red or striped yellow and black. Some designs incorporate reflective strips or even LED lights. And since these designs are intended for outdoor use all year round they might also incorporate anti frost or anti condensation protection.

Driveway mirrors fundamentally fulfil the same function as road safety mirrors - they help drivers avoid collisions. People who have tricky driveway entrances will often install convex driveway mirrors to improve their field of view. Considerately installed driveway safety mirrors overcome traffic visibility issues and significantly improve road safety.

Driveway safety mirrors vary enormously in terms of quality and price. Popular budget priced red framed models are available at low cost due to the mirror lens material being only around 1mm thick. More expensive designs generally feature higher quality mirror frames and more robust mirror lenses at around 3mm to 6mm in thickness.

The size (and shape) of convex traffic and driveway safety mirrors is an important factor that must be considered. Every mirror of this type has a defined maximum viewing distance which is the maximum distance from which the reflected image can be reliably viewed. The smaller the size of the convex mirror the shorter the maximum viewing distance. For example, a circular convex traffic mirror with a diameter of 300mm has a maximum viewing distance of 3m. Attempting to discern reflected images in a mirror of this size from a greater distance would not be reliable. A circular mirror with a diameter of 600mm offers a maximum viewing distance of 11m and an 800mm mirror can provide reliable images when viewed from up to 20m.

Shop Mirrors

Various forms of retail mirrors are commonly found in shops and retail premises. Plain, flat mirrors are widely provided to enable shoppers to select clothes, shoes, wigs, spectacles and much more. And convex retail security mirrors are often strategically located to provide shopworkers with an expansive field of view, helping to combat shoplifting.

Wide angle quarter dome retail security mirrors are often located in the ceiling corners of shop premises, providing visibility into blind spots. Half dome convex mirrors are often located in areas between walls and ceilings and full ceiling dome mirrors are generally located in more central ceiling locations to provide all round visibility. Dome mirrors are also sometimes mounted directly on walls to expand visibility.

Warehouse Mirrors

Warehouse mirrors are generally deployed to improve safety in risky warehouse environments. Much like traffic safety mirrors on our roads, warehouse safety mirrors significantly reduce the risk of collisions between forklift trucks or between vehicles and pedestrians. Typically manufactured from unbreakable plastic, wall and post mounted warehouse mirrors generally feature high visibility black and yellow frames. Convex ceiling dome mirrors are also commonly employed in these busy environments.

Industrial Mirrors

The term ‘industrial mirror’ is often used to refer to everything from traffic mirrors to warehouse mirrors. But industrial mirrors also include units specifically designed to improve safety in certain types of arduous industrial environments.

Furnaces and metal smelting plants, for example, require mirrors that can withstand high temperatures without the risk of damage or image distortion. And food preparation establishments must adhere to specific regulatory and hygiene requirements to comply with HACCP standards. For these reasons, high quality stainless steel industrial mirrors are generally selected for use in these situations.

Institutional Mirrors

Mirrors for use in institutions, hospitals and various public environments need to be capable of withstanding physical abuse without risk of causing harm or disintegrating into sharp pieces that could potentially be used as weapons.

Sometimes called anti-vandal mirrors, this form of safety and security mirror is general manufactured from stainless steel. They are commonly seen in many transport environments, such as the London Underground, and widely used by local authorities to improve visibility around subways and other vulnerable areas. Various convex, domed mirrors are typically used to improve visibility.

An important variant of the institutional mirror is the anti-ligature mirror. This form of mirror design eliminates all areas to which someone might attempt to hang themselves by attaching a ligature made from whatever might be available, such as shoe laces, electrical flex or something similar. These mirrors are most commonly employed in areas of confinement such as prisons, police cells and secure medical facilities. Unbreakable stainless steel mirrors are most commonly used but there are now some unbreakable plastic anti-ligature mirrors.

Search and Inspection Mirrors

Search and inspection mirrors take various forms, widely used for safety and security applications. A ‘mirror on a stick’ is commonly used to aid those involved in inspecting vehicles or looking under seats in a venue. Customs inspectors typically use telescopic inspection mirrors when conducting ‘rummage searches’ of vessels and vehicles to locate contraband or illegal goods.

 Under vehicle search mirrors are specifically designed to help those engaged in the inspection of vehicles. They are basically mirrors on wheels, sometimes in the form of a robust, low profile trolley that can be easily deployed to provide the operator with the required underside visibility, enabling them to quickly spot contraband or even explosives.

The best available under vehicle trolley type search mirror, such as our SM CV650, provides ultra-bright (650 lumens) LED illumination of the dark recesses underneath vehicles. The built-in LED lighting, powered by a long lasting low-weight battery, avoids the need for operators to use torches by illuminating specific areas under inspection. 

Over-vehicle search mirrors are designed to deal with the top side of high vehicles such as lorries, enabling operators to quickly confirm there are no stowaways or hidden contraband. This form of search and inspection mirror is another example of a mirror on a stick but in this case the mirror size needs to be large enough to provide viewable images from ground level while being light enough to be easily lifted above the height of lorry trailers.

How to Select the Right Safety and Security Mirror

Identifying and selecting the right safety and security mirror or mirrors for your needs is best achieved by answering a few basic questions.

• What do you need safety and security mirrors for?
• How will the safety and security mirrors be used?
• Where will the safety and security mirrors be installed?
• Are these mirrors for interior or outdoor use?
• How many safety and security mirrors are needed to provide the required coverage?
• When considering convex mirrors - from what distances will they be viewed?
• What size of mirrors do you need?
• Do you need wall mounted, ceiling mounted or corner mounted mirrors?
• What mirror material is most suitable for your application?
• Do the mirrors you need require frames?
• What specific features or capabilities must your safety or security mirrors provide?

It`s always worth remembering that we are only a phone call away - so why not give us a call to talk about your mirror requirements?

If you have any questions about security or safety mirrors or if you have any special requirements remember that we are here to help. Give us a call on 01273 475500 and we’ll provide free, expert advice.

This message was added on Thursday 30th June 2022