When To Get A Handle On Your Fire Doors
| The 19th to 25th September 2022 is Fire Door Safety Week – a fire door is an engineered safety device, they are critical to a building’s fire safety and the preservation of life. This week we ask business to check that their fire doors are in good working order.
In our time as an insurance broker of 20 years, we have seen many a business or commercial property with multiple fire safety doors. Commercial, sports and leisure premises, retail and SMEs, all require a Health and Safety audit. During Fire Risk Assessments, there have been many examples of defective, outdated fire safety doors. Fire is one of the main critical risks facing businesses, measures defending against it need to be constantly maintained and addressed. Using the services of a broker is the best way to keep your business safe and financially secure. |
Fire Door Safety Data
The Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) has warned of a “tragedy waiting to happen” after publishing data based on over 100,000 inspections that showed a staggering 75% of fire doors fail to meet safety standards.
Data also disturbingly revealed that 31% of failures were due to improper installation, meaning the doors were never fit for purpose.
The most common reasons for fire door inspection failures are:
- Excessive gaps between the door and the frame – 77%;
- Care and maintenance issues – 54%;
- Issues over smoke sealing – 37%;
The data also showed inspectors’ top three fire safety concerns are:
- A lack of fire door maintenance
- A poor knowledge of fire safety responsibilities
- A limited understanding by those responsible for building fire safety of the role fire doors play in keeping people safe
What are the Legal Requirements concerning Fire Safety Doors?
Under the Regulatory Reform Order 2005, it states:
“Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons the Responsible Person must ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided in respect of the premises …. are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order, and in good repair.”
Fire doors only have one opportunity to do their job and they must work first time, look after them so they can protect the lives of all your employees and those on your premises.
Fire doors that are not “fit for purpose” is a tragedy simply waiting to happen, especially so in buildings that are home to vulnerable residents. The situation is entirely preventable if immediate action is taken.
All persons responsible for fire safety at clubs should urgently have the fire doors in their building inspected by a competent inspector. Only trained and accredited fire door installers, so work is completed to the correct standards.
We ask all clients use this week, Fire Safety Door Week, to address fire safety concerns, and contact Romero Insurance Brokers for a fire safety review at your premises.
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