Worrying statistics
Research conducted by IronmongeryDirect, found that of the 500 plus respondees more than nine in every ten individuals (92%) wouldn’t know if a building or workplace complied with current fire safety-related regulations.
These statistics are worrying and could put lives at risk. To avoid these negative consequences, companies must prioritise compliance with health and safety guidelines. This includes investing in training and development programs that ensure employees are aware of the potential risks associated with their work and how to mitigate those risks. It also means conducting regular risk assessments and keeping accurate records of these assessments.
Therefore ensuring everyone is aware of their duties and responsibilities and also if their workplace is compliant when it comes to health and safety.
Fire doors
The research conducted by IronmongeryDirect also found a worryingly high number of more than one in eight (13%) tradespeople, have admitted to propping open fire doors while working, this dangerous practice has to stop.
So what’s the deal with fire doors?
Fire doors have an FD rating, which means how long they can withstand fire. For example, an FD60 door will offer protection from fire for 60 mins. The use of fire door sets is for a 3-fold purpose:
- To maintain the integrity of means of escape in the event of a fire - By stopping smoke and toxic gases from entering stairways, corridors, etc
- To isolate areas within a building that represent a significant fire risk - By stopping heat and flame from entering or leaving them
- To provide access through compartment walls - Whilst still maintaining compartmentation to limit the spread and effect of fire in a building Correctly sited (via a Fire Risk Assessment ideally via third-party accredited specialists) and maintained (ideally via third-party accredited contractors) fire door sets are a major part of the preservation of life and property in a premise.
So propping open the doors means no matter the rating, will offer no protection in the event of a fire. But it’s not just propping open the doors that need consideration, it’s also ensuring the doors are fit for purpose and are regularly inspected.
To understand the anatomy of a fire door Ligtas has produced a handy explanation which can be viewed here.
Did you know that according to the Fire Protection Association (FPA), 76% of fire doors failed inspections in 2019?
The history of fire doors
The first modern fire-rated door was steel, patented in 1903 by Charles Dahlstrom. Fire doors and shutters were common in the industry and tall buildings to prevent the spread of fire and loss of property by, along with suitable construction, separating a building into fire compartments to limit the spread of fire.
In 1951 the first British Standard for wooden fire doors was published, and by this time, the use of suitable structures and doors to protect escape routes for the safety of occupiers had been established.
Older fire doors using 25mm stop proved to be adequate at restricting heat and flame, but less so hot gases, smoke, and toxic fumes, and the introduction of intumescent strips (which swell when heated to fill the gaps around the door) and smoke seals (to stop the flow of both cold and hot smoke, gas and fumes) in the latter part of the 20th century vastly enhanced their effectiveness.
It’s now common to refer to a fire door set rather than a fire door as not only the door leaf or leaves but also the door frame, essential hardware, edge seals and glazing, and any integral side panels or fanlight panels in an associated door screen, must be of the right materials, installed correctly and compatible with each other in order for the door to perform correctly.
That’s the history lesson over with, now let’s look at some more recent statistics:
- 57% of installed fire doors inspected needed small-scale maintenance
- 24% that were third-party certificated were correctly installed and maintained
- 40% of these were condemned due to poor maintenance
- 36% of third-party certificated fire doors were condemned due to both poor installation and poor maintenance
- 6% of the doors inspected were not fire doors at all
Source: 76% of fire doors failed inspections in 2019 | Fire Protection Association
Fire safety inspections
That’s why all businesses should have regular fire door safety inspections. This is because, this gives building managers, owners, and tenants, peace of mind that the fire doors within their properties have been checked by a competent person and that any remedial actions needed to meet the requirements of BS476 have been highlighted.
For more information, you can either contact our team of trusted experts at 02922 800 000 or at enaquiries@ligtas.co.uk
Checks
Current risk assessment guidance recommends that fire doors and components should be checked periodically. The Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) suggests that inspections should be carried out every 6 months. What is important here is that this is not a nice to or a box-ticking exercise. The statistics already show a large number of failures.
Webinar
Our recent free webinar on Webinar: Control Of Contractors For FM Companies, saw Tony Bruce, Head of Health & Safety Services discuss the following key points:
- Selection (3rd party accreditations etc.)
- HSWA Section 3 Duty of care
- The Octel case and the implications of the judgement made by the House of Lords
- Examples of enforcement
- Risk assessments and method statements RAMS
- Assessment requirements
- Client duties under CDM
- Application
- Multiple contractors
- Impact of using subcontractors
- Reviewing performance
If you would like to watch the replay or sign up for future webinars or the Ligtas newsletter, so you never miss the latest health and safety information you can sign up here.
Or for more information on fire safety why not watch the replay of, The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 webinar? Within the webinar, our expert Tom Stallard- Head of Fire Services covered these four key points.
- Understanding the regulations
- What information to gather and why
- The importance of reviewing existing fire risk assessments
- Why you need to review your fire safety management system and what kind of changes you may need to apply
You can watch the replay here.
For anyone reading this, if you see a fire door bolted, chained, blocked, broken, or open, report it. Remember health and safety are everyone’s business
Fire safety training
If you would like to know more about the importance of fire safety and being prepared then why not sign up for our Ligtas-certified fire safety awareness course?
Course Overview:
The Fire Safety Awareness course will cover fire hazards, prevention, and precautions. Introducing the fire triangle participants will learn about the importance of managing fire risks.
Or for more in-depth training why not consider a NEBOSH certificate in fire safety course?
Course Overview
The NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety is a globally relevant fire safety qualification that you can complete in just one week. This qualification can help you protect people, property, and ultimately your business from the harm a fire can cause. The NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety is ideal for:
- Those responsible for fire safety in low to medium-risk workplaces
- Health and Safety managers
- Facilities Managers
- Health and safety representatives within businesses
For information on any of these courses please do not hesitate to contact us at 02922 800 000 or enquiries@ligtas.co.uk where our expert team will be happy to provide you with all the information.
Don’t let your business or yourself become a statistic, health, and safety are more than just ticking boxes
The takeaway here is Fire doors save lives, they form a vital part of a building’s passive fire protection and are designed to stop the spread of fire and smoke for a specified amount of time, in order to:
- Protect escape routes, to enable safe evacuation of the building
- Protect the building and its contents, limiting costs and disruption after a fire
- Allow firefighters to extinguish the fire as safely as possible
