Fire Door Safety Help and Information Guide

In this help and information guide we will be looking to cover the main issues that surround fire door safety for those responsible with a duty of care for a premises.

When beginning to address fire door safety in the workplace, it is crucial that we closely follow the Fire Safety Order (The Regulatory Reform Order 2005).

The Fire Safety Order 2005 came into force in October 2006 and states the responsibility for a “responsible person” for the safety of occupants either working in or visiting a non-domestic/commercial business.

The responsible person is summarized in a noted publication by the HM Government: “the responsible person is defined by the Order as anyone who has control of the premises, or anyone who has a degree of control over certain areas or systems, for example:

• The employer for those parts of premises staff may go to;

• The managing agent or owner of let properties

• The occupier, e.g. self-employed tenants, if they have any control over the premises

• Any other person who has some control over a part of the premises

Fire safety responsibility can be shared by more than just one individual, this depends on the specific circumstances of the premises in question.

Whether it be one person or a number of people, the duty of care remains the same, and that is to ensure that a fire risk assessment is carried out for the premises in question.

Fire guidance issued by the government includes a checklist that lists the 5 main steps, the beginning step being to identify fire hazards and the people that are at risk. The next step in the process is the evaluation and action plan, this involves identifying viable exit and escape routes, as well as the valid fire safety equipment.

Fire doors are a vital aspect of this as they not only protect the exit and escape routes from fire in rooms opposite, helping compartmentalize areas and sections of escape routes.

ASDMA define a fire door as:

“A complete installed door assembly comprising doorframe, door leaves, other panels, hardware, seals and any glazing that, when closed, is intended to resist the passage of fire and smoke in accordance with specified performance criteria. A fire door a complete installed assembly."

This summary helps make it clear that there is far more to fire doors than one may think at first, it is not just a single entity, but rather an overall summation of parts, with one function, to protect and repel fire for as long as possible, allowing for all occupants to escape safely and swiftly.

For further information regarding fire door safety and our fire door maintenance service, please click here, or give us a call today - 01604 696113.