Regulations | Doorspec

Every building owner, with the exception of domestic housing, is required by law to undertake an annual fire risk assessment. The assessment should identify fire safety management processes, fire hazards, people at risk, mitigation measures and what action is to be taken in the event of fire.

Fire Door Assessment

Fire doors are an essential part of a building’s passive fire protection, ensuring that the building is compartmentalised, helping to prevent the spread of fire whilst allowing occupants time to escape. It is therefore imperative that the condition of the fire doors is included as part of the fire risk assessment.

However, a fire door is not just the door leaf. It is a complete assembly of the door, frame, glazing, intumescent, smoke seals and ironmongery. How well all elements work in conjunction together will determine the effectiveness of the door in the event of fire. This can make the process of inspecting a fire door assembly complex and requires a proficient understanding of the relevant building regulations, British Standards and European Standards.

Are Your Fire Doors Safe?

In a recent survey by the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS), 61% of doors inspected had intumescent or smoke seals either missing or faulty, whilst 34% had excessive gaps between the door and the frame. Both faults could prove fatal in the event of fire.

Building owners that fail to comply with the regulations can be prosecuted and fined or even serve a prison sentence. Recent prosecutions have been severe, even for seemingly trivial issues such as failing to fit fire seals and door closers or leaving fire doors wedged open.

To ensure peace of mind that your fire doors have been assessed competently, it is advisable to seek the advice of a qualified professional.

Regulatory Reform Order

Commonly referred to as the RRO, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order came into force in England & Wales on 1st October 2006. It applies to virtually all premises (other than people’s private homes) and covers every type of building, structure and open space. Compliance with the RRO is mandatory.

In the past, fire certificates were issued for buildings by the local fire brigade. These have no legal status anymore and the fire service is no longer involved in checking the fire safety of buildings.

A key change under the RRO is the fact that building owners, landlords, head teachers, estates managers and many other people now shoulder the legal responsibility for fire safety. They have to appoint a ‘Responsible Person’ who must ensure that an annual fire risk assessment is undertaken

The Responsible Person

The designated ‘Responsible Person’ must make sure that the fire risk assessment is carried out annually to be legally compliant with the RRO.

This assessment has to demonstrate that adequate attention has been paid to all aspects of fire safety management; including active and passive fire measures; signage; means of escape and evacuation procedures. If the building owner/landlord has five or more employees or tenants, the fire risk assessment must be recorded in writing.

In a very large number of cases, this can mean that individuals relatively untrained in fire safety management are being expected to become experts very quickly in order to fulfil their responsibilities.
Where in-depth knowledge is lacking, the ‘Responsible Person’ has a duty to engage a ‘Competent Person’ with the relevant expertise to be able to implement or advise on key areas.