SAFETY, SECURITY & FIRE PROTECTION
door safety and compliance
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John O’Sullivan MBE, consultancy at Bureau Veritas, discusses the important role of Responsible Persons Building Managers and Service Engineers and their responsibility for outlines the intricate ensuring compliance is maintained throughout the door itself
ire safety has always been a pivotal and integral part aspect of building services, and latest trends emphasise the growing importance of maintaining high life safety and property
standards. Especially with the findings outlined in the recently published Grenfell Phase 2 report of the public enquiry. With continuous updates to fire safety regulations building service engineers face increasing pressure to ensure that fire doors are not only installed correctly are also maintained and certified for compliance. Research conducted in 2023 by the British
Woodworking Federation as part of their Fire Door Safety Week campaign ‘Recognise it, report it’, found that over half (57%) of the UK public could not spot a problem with a fire door, leading to a failure to report issues. The issues around fire door safety do not just exist in high-rise, high-risk buildings. They are prevalent in pretty any sector and building type that you think of, from care homes and hospitals to schools and specialist housing.
Attention to detail can make all the difference, so, as responsible persons, building managers and competent service engineers responsible for building safety, it is crucial to stay updated with evolving standards to ensure that fire doors meet these stringent serviceability requirements.
Understanding the details
One of the most fundamental responsibilities of competent building service engineers is to understand the difference between a fire door and a standard door. Whilst some of the elements are the same between the two, fire doors have specific features that must meet the requirements to qualify as such with five key features to be observed, certification, apertures, gaps/seals, closers, and operation. The installation and maintenance plans must follow these guidelines, and only with the proper certification and maintenance records can these doors meet building regulation requirements.
Responsible persons must ensure that fire doors comply with BS 476 Part 22 which runs concurrently BS EN 1634-1, which mandates fire resistance tests. Modifying or installing fire doors without this certification would lead to non- compliance, and in the event of an emergency, the absence of certification could lead to legal consequences. Fire Risk Assessments, unlike general building regulations, in a court of law, making them the most critical safety document for life safety. This demonstrates the importance of competent responsible persons’ roles in
ensuring these doors meet both safety and legal requirements. Even the slightest modification may cause the fire door to become non- compliant, this makes certification is important.
The importance of regular
The biggest concern for fire safety today is the lack of fire door maintenance and not enough competent engineers to carry out this task. While installing certified fire doors is essential, it is equally important to maintain them regularly. For residential buildings, fire doors need to be inspected every three months, while in non- residential buildings, they should be checked every six months. These checks should not be based on assumptions and conducted diligently, ensuring that each component is functioning as intended.
Responsible Persons, Project Managers and Building Service Engineers play a pivotal role in ensuring that these checks are not neglected. A simple checklist provides a fantastic way of ensuring compliance, because it can address potential issues before they escalate. In addition to the 5 Step Door Check it is also essential to look at other key factors.
A proper maintenance schedule should include checks for key elements in relation to interfaces so that they fail safe in the event of an emergency such as:
• Interfaces with fire alarm systems • Interfaces with automatic fire detection systems
• Interfaces with fire suppression systems • Fail Safe of Magnetic locks • Interfaces to security systems.
Fire doors should always close automatically, any defects/interference with automatic fire detection must be rectified. Fire doors connected to security systems require coordination with both fire safety and security teams to ensure the doors function as intended in case of a fire. It is the responsibility of responsible persons to advocate for fire doors to be primarily linked to fire detection systems.
Fire doors are an essential part of compartmentation, which is designed to limit the spread of fire throughout a building. Compartmentation divides buildings into sections, allowing fire to be contained and providing occupants with time to evacuate safely. Fire doors, cavity barriers, and service risers all playing a role in creating these fire- resistant compartments. To ensure the integrity of compartmentation systems, more intrusive inspections are often necessary to examine
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whether the barriers within service risers are intact and compliant.
In cases where modifications are made to the structure, competent engineers must ensure that fire doors and compartmentation systems are not compromised, as even small modifications can introduce weaknesses.
service engineers
With the increasing complexity of fire safety regulations, building service engineers need to employ strategies that make compliance more manageable. Here are five tips that can ease the burden of ensuring fire door safety and make their jobs easier.
1. Ensure Fire Door Certification. From installation to maintenance, fire doors must come with the proper certification and meet compliance with standards such as BS476 Part 22 or BS EN 1634- 1. Even minor modifications must be carried out by a competent person to maintain compliance.
2. Maintain detailed checklists. A comprehensive checklist for inspecting fire doors will help to streamline maintenance. This should cover elements like door seals, self-closers, and how the fire door interacts with fire detection and security systems.
3. Prioritise fire detection over security systems. Where necessary, ensure that fire doors are interfaced/linked to fire alarm systems rather than security systems. This makes responsibilities clearer and ensures that fire doors function correctly during emergencies.
4. Understand compartmentation. Building service engineers should assess other fire barriers, such as cavity barriers and service risers, to ensure the complete system works together efficiently.
5. Stay up to date on regulations. Fire safety regulations change frequently. Responsible Persons should stay informed and update to the UK Fire Safety and Building Regulations as each country continues to make changes to its legislative standards and requirements to mitigate fire risk to life safety. Also keep up to date with relevant British Standards such as BS5839 to ensure compliance and avoid legal issues.
Getting it right is important. With a robust checklist in place that examines every aspect of fire door installation and modification, responsible competent persons can feel certain that their job is done properly, and responsibility is taken seriously.
BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER OCTOBER 2024 35
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