Putting tapes in a fire proof safe doesn't always protect your tapes either. Also, everyone should have policies and procedures in place to continue business manually when your data and system is unavailable. Perform backups at night when there isn't any or very little usage. Backups adversely will affect a server's performance and may not backup files that are opened. DO NOT leave a tape in the drive all day if backing up at night.
Tapes leave a residue on the tape drive head and any electrical spikes can damage the tape.
Put the tape in at the end of the day. Keep tapes in their plastic case to protect the tape from dust and other external contaminants. DO NOT jam tapes into the drive. The drive should gently grab and load the tape. DO NOT put tapes near any magnets, magnetic devices, tape erasers, hot sun or any extreme environmental conditions.