Fire doors are one of the most important and yet most overlooked assets within your fire safety plan. When fitted correctly and properly maintained, fire doors stop fires spreading through your building – saving lives and your premises. There are legal obligations to be met and neglecting fire door regulations can have serious consequences.
Are your fire doors compliant?
You might think they are, but the rules have changed since The Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
The UK government has since introduced new, more stringent regulations* through the Building Safety Act, which was granted Royal Assent in April 2022. It applies to buildings 18 metres in height or 7 storeys or more that have at least two residential units.
Such buildings are deemed higher risk and will require Duty Holders and Accountable Persons to create and maintain a ‘Golden Thread’ – an unbroken chain of information on each fire door throughout its lifecycle.
This includes construction and installation certification through to three monthly checks and maintenance, all of which must be conducted by a qualified person.
The purpose of the ‘Golden Thread’ is to enhance accountability, responsibility, and information sharing, ensuring a ‘single source of truth’. And this information must be digital to meet ease of sharing information requirements.
Even if your building does not meet the above scope mandating the need for ‘golden thread’ of information, all internal fire doors require 3 monthly, documented checks by a qualified person.
Unfortunately, many businesses neglect these inspections, relying on unqualified maintenance personnel. This oversight often results in fire doors that fail to meet safety regulations. The complexity of the checks and evidencing related maintenance, means a digital recording platform is best practice for many reasons.
As a business owner, Responsible Person, Accountable Person, or Duty Holder, you have a legal obligation (in all business premises and domestic flats) to obtain, store and share information about your fire doors with relevant persons (including residents).
Why are fire doors important?
Fire doors play a critical role in fire safety. Their purpose and design are to impede the spread of fire and smoke to facilitate safe evacuation. However, their effectiveness relies on proper installation, maintenance, and inspection.
Unlike other passive fire safety assets, fire doors are frequently opened, closed, wedged open and subject to damage and daily wear and tear, necessitating the 3 monthly frequency of checks and maintenance by a qualified person, as mandated by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
What is a fire door inspection?
A fire door inspection is a comprehensive check of all doors in your building to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations. The inspection of each door involves an extensive list of checks including the door’s fire rating, gapping, door frame, handles, hinges, and signage, and more, all detailed across many regulatory documents. It this therefore imperative that fire door inspections (and maintenance) are carried out by competent/qualified persons, the qualifications of whom should be documented.
Of course, the need for fire safety asset checks, maintenance and golden thread (where applicable) does not just stop at fire doors – it is of course applicable to all fire safety assets alongside active fire risk assessments.
Why choose Benfield Fire Safety for your fire door inspections?
Benfield Fire Safety Ltd holds qualifications in FPA C-17, C-17c, C17d (specifically for fire doors) alongside many other accreditations and fire risk assessment qualifications.
Our fire door checks align with all the regulatory requirements and offers a professional, digital ‘live’ record.
Your inspection report will include a pinpoint of each door on plans view of your building, QR code door identifications, defect descriptions with photographs and recommendations actions. Your access to the live portal then provides facility for you to evidence any corrective actions, and upload supporting documents – all securely stored in one centralised place (meeting ‘golden thread’ requirements of for digital recording where required).
We do not carry out fire door maintenance, ensuring no have a conflict-of-interest regards finding faults with your doors – we will only highlight genuine, non-compliant faults with your doors.
You can trust Benfield Fire Safety to ensure your fire doors inspections meet the highest standards, helping you to safeguard your occupants and premises by assisting you with your legal compliance.
*
Building Safety Act: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-building-safety-act
Golden Thread Report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-regulations-advisory-committee-golden-thread-report
Building a Safer Future – Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5afc50c840f0b622e4844ab4/Building_a_Safer_Future_-_web.pdf
