Fire Door Safety Week 2024: Protect your people and premises

Fire doors are one of the most critical elements of your fire safety strategy, yet they are often overlooked or poorly maintained. Fire Door Safety Week 2024 (23-27 September) is a great opportunity to review and upgrade your fire door provision.

Why fire doors matter

Fire doors serve two key functions: they act as a barrier to contain fire and smoke, protecting escape routes and giving people more time to evacuate safely. They also protect structural elements of a building and help to prevent fire from spreading.

Crucially, a fire door only works if it is correctly installed, maintained, and not propped open. A fire door that has been wedged open, is damaged, or has poorly fitting seals can provide no protection at all.

Common fire door failures

The most common fire door issues identified during inspections are:

• Doors propped or wedged open
• Missing or damaged intumescent strips and smoke seals
• Damaged or poorly fitting door frames
• Self-closing mechanisms that don't work correctly
• Glazing panels that are not fire-rated
• Doors that don't close and latch properly

Your fire door responsibilities

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person in a workplace is required to:

• Ensure all fire doors are suitable for their purpose and correctly installed
• Carry out regular checks of all fire doors
• Ensure fire doors are not held open by unauthorised means
• Make sure any issues identified are promptly repaired

Fire door checks should be carried out at regular intervals (at least every six months), and a formal annual inspection should be undertaken by a competent person.

What to check

During your fire door checks, you should inspect:

• The door leaf: check for damage, warping, and that the door fits correctly in the frame
• The frame: check for gaps or damage that could compromise the door's performance
• Intumescent strips and smoke seals: check they are undamaged and properly fitted
• Hinges: check they are secure and not damaged
• Self-closing device: check it works effectively and closes the door fully
• Signage: check that all fire door signage is in place and clearly visible

If you need support reviewing your fire door provision or carrying out a fire risk assessment, our team of fire safety specialists can help. Contact us today to find out more.