VIEWPOINT
NAVIGATING THE PATH TO FIRE DOOR SAFETY
Iain Macmillan, Team Leader of Certification & Compliance at JELD-WEN, explains how merchants can be prepared to support their customers in achieving better fire door safety.
FIRE DOORS ARE a vital component of any fire safety strategy. When designed, tested, manufactured, installed and maintained correctly, they can help to save lives. As part of a much greater focus on fire safety when properties are built, maintained and upgraded, 2023 will see fire door safety brought into sharper focus, with the continued roll out of new regulations.
This began with the introduction of the Fire Safety Act 2021 in May 2022, which modified the previous Fire Safety Order (FSO) to clarify several points for those involved in assessing and insuring fire safety risks. Alongside this, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 will come into force on 23 January 2023, following recommendations to the Government in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. In certain cases, a building safety manager will also be required to oversee fire door specification, fitting and maintenance, whilst ensuring residents understand the importance of fire door safety. Whilst the requirement is for a ‘Responsible Person’ to undertake best endeavour annual checks of flat entrance doors, and quarterly checks of communal doors in multioccupancy residential buildings above 11m, merchants might find themselves being a source of information and advice for these individuals. By working closely with manufacturers, merchants should ensure they understand the impact of these regulations and, most importantly, which products, including hardware and doorsets, are best suited to different conditions and building requirements to provide maximum fire protection. Whether customers are carrying out a new installation or refit, it is crucial that the correct components are chosen for
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complete fire door assembly – particularly as the most common fire door failures include damaged seals, excessive gaps, and faulty, loose or unsuitable hinges. Everything from the door material to its size, weight and functional performance can make a difference to hardware requirements, but for many purchasers, the deciding factor can often come down to cost savings. However, the reality is that failing to buy compatible components can compromise risk by inhibiting the performance of a fire door.
Regulations
Although a Responsible Person should be capable of inspecting fire doors to identify any obvious issues, there is currently no stipulation under the regulations for formal training or qualifications when it comes to installation. Fire doors are a specialist item, designed to create a line of defence and compartmentalise a fire break out. Installing them is not only a critical safety task, but also a complex one, and a lack of competence or the smallest of errors during fitting can render the door not fit for purpose. To help with this, each fire door should come with its own manufacturer installation instructions and certification data sheet, which sets out the exacting requirements of every component needed to ensure compliance. Although addressing these detailed technical requirements may be a standard process for experienced fire door installers, the wide range of variables involved can pose a significant challenge for non-specialists.
To ensure customers have access to the most appropriate product, merchants should endeavour to stock all fire door assembly items from manufacturers that carry a
third party UKAS- approved certification, demonstrating that their products are compliant and fit for purpose. This involves the manufacturer committing to rigorous testing with considerable investment in time and money, and provides the end user with consistent and high-quality fire protection.
For example,
accreditation like the BWF-CERTIFIRE Fire Door and Doorset Scheme will subject manufacturers to UKAS-approved
testing to BS476 part 22 or EN 1634-1, every 5 years, or for every 250,000 doors produced; an annual third-party audit; regular training of the latest Building Regulations; and an assessment of the ISO 9001: 2008 quality management system.
Golden opportunity Following recommendations as part of the Grenfell Inquiry, the government continues to point towards a ‘golden thread’ as a tool that looks to improve safety management. Requiring a digital trail of the products and procedures contributing towards a building’s fire and structural safety, a golden thread applies throughout a property’s lifecycle – from design to occupation and ongoing management – and aims to provide readily-available information that keeps a building and its occupants safe. With fire doors, this should extend beyond the traceability afforded by certification processes, to include details
of specification, installation, management and maintenance. If it becomes standard practice, the golden thread approach may achieve greater transparency and accountability, enabling stakeholders to trace the origin of a problem more effectively and take corrective action quickly. Throughout the supply and distribution chain, each party has an important role to play in minimising risk. The expertise offered by merchants can be invaluable for contractors and building safety managers, who may have limited time and resources to understand the importance of what may be perceived as relatively minor purchase choices, and getting to grips with the evolving fire safety landscape.
By taking the time to review product specifications and keep up to date with best practices, merchants can have an important role to play in opening the door to a new era of fire safety for all. BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net December 2022
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