The modern locker dates back to 1786 in South Carolina, identified as stacked cupboards with padlocks. Storage lockers were used on the British Warship HMS Terror which sank in 1848. So lockers have been in use for quite some time!
Today when we think of lockers, we tend to visualise clothes lockers as those used in schools, swimming pools, cloakrooms and changing rooms up and down the country. These basic types are usually low-cost mild steel construction with a choice of individual compartments, either single, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 doors fitted. They are normally about 1830mm high with some size options of 300 x 300mm, 300 x 450mm or 450 x 450mm for base dimensions. There is usually a choice of colours in epoxy powder coated finishing like: grey, red, blue, yellow, white, green, silver or combination colours. We don't knock these types of lockers, they perform an important role in basic clothes storage settings, and they can easily be combined with benches, shoe racks, heater elements or joined together in more cost effective 'runs of locker' that can be designed to fit out a changing room or designated storage area. They can be fitted with flat or sloping tops, the latter of which is more suited to managing cleanliness in terms of dust control. They can also be mounted on raised stands to allow underside storage or again a better form of cleaning management. There are different types of locking mechanisms available with cam lock or hasp and staple for padlock fitting, this being probably the most popular. Increasingly we are seeing other more modern locking systems introduced like combination locks, digital locks, coin or token locks and even electronic lock systems.
More and more we are seeing lockers being produced and used for specific storage requirements. Clothes lockers have evolved to have designs that are suited for PPE storage, workwear storage, two person clothes storage, wet and dry clothes combined lockers, laundry lockers and wet area lockers. These are all narrowing a choice down to specific design input that will allow the user to buy a locker best suited for their exact purpose.
We can also look away from the traditional basic mild steel construction that has been used for many years and explore different materials like stainless steel that is better suited to be used in wet corrosive areas or food cleanliness rooms. Timber lockers offer a more aesthetic look for use in offices, boardrooms or even golf club locker rooms. Then of course there are plastic lockers which offer good impact resistance to minor damage and some protection against the elements. Finally, we have mesh sided lockers and vision open lockers that both offer the ability for employers to visibly check the contents of lockers for security reasons without any need to open the doors.
Customers are finding that their staff or visitors often require some electrical charging facilities on site, so there are now a great range of charging lockers that are suited to charging up laptops, mobile phones and even builders power tools. Also, the need for greater security has placed emphasis on more sturdy locker construction which can afford a higher level of protection against theft.