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Fire Door Safety Regulations - NEW for 2023
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 will make it a legal requirement from 23 January 2023 for responsible persons for all multi-occupied residential buildings in England with storeys over 11 metres in height to:
undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors(including self-closing devices) in the common parts
undertake – on a best endeavour basis – annual checks of all flat entrance doors (including self-closing devices) that lead onto a building’s common parts.
The regulations will also require responsible persons to provide to residents of all multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises (that have common parts) information on the importance of fire doors to a building’s fire safety.
Why has this come about?
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry in the Phase 1 report noted that “Fire doors play an essential role in preventing or inhibiting the spread of smoke and toxic gases and in preserving the effective compartmentation of buildings.”
The Inquiry noted that the fire doors in Grenfell Tower did not, through damage and/or disrepair, act in the way that they should so that they prevent smoke and gases from spreading.
The Inquiry recommended (Recommendations 33.29 (a) and (b)) that the owner and manager of every residential building containing separate dwellings carry out an urgent inspection of all fire doors to ensure compliance with current legislative standards and that regular (no less than every three months) checks be carried out to ensure all fire doors are fitted with an effective self-closing device which is in working order.
The regulations will require responsible persons to undertake best endeavour annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of communal doors in multioccupied residential buildings above 11m.
Minimum requirements for inspections of fire doors
The minimum requirement is for the responsible person to undertake an inspection of the doors to identify any obvious damage or issues. It should not be necessary to engage a specialist for these checks as the responsible person should be able to carry out these checks themselves. There are several useful guides available online which can support a responsible person in undertaking checks.
A responsible person should consider:
if there has been any alterations or damage to a door’s glazing apertures or air transfer grille
if there are any gaps around the door frame and that seals and hinges are fitted correctly
that the door closer shuts the door
that the door closes correctly around the whole frame
that there is no visible damage (either deliberate or from wear and tear) to the door or door closer
If any issues are identified from these checks, it might be appropriate to undertake more detailed checks of doors (or the self-closing device) if any damage is identified from the initial inspection. This could include engaging a specialist.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Protest ES Ltd, for any of your Fire Door Maintenance requirements in the workplace, today – 01604 696113 | enquiries@protestesltd.co.uk.
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