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Why it is Vital to Ensure Fire Doors are Adequately and Legally Maintained

16/05/2016 Under the The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, fire doors in commercial premises and residential blocks must be regularly inspected to ensure they are in working order and ready to use when required. The testing of a fire door is as much a necessity as the testing of a fire or smoke alarm or a fire extinguisher.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 came into force in October 2006 with the goal of ensuring the safety of everyone who works in or visits commercial premises and common areas of residential blocks. A need to identify and maintain escape routes is a key part of the Order. Protecting such escape routes is vital, which is why properly constructed and maintained fire doors are a legal requirement.
 
Fire doors must be regularly inspected to ensure they are in working order and ready to use when required. The testing of a fire door is as much a necessity as the testing of a fire or smoke alarm or a fire extinguisher.

Why and When do Fire Doors Need to be Tested?

When in regular use, or as weather or ambient conditions change, any door will go through changes, which is why it is crucial to conduct periodic tests of fire resistant and fire escape doors to ensure they are performing adequately. It is recommended such tests are carried out a minimum of every 6 months for doors in heavy traffic areas, with other doors subject to survey and use. 

Failure to maintain fire doors correctly can lead to prosecution or even the closure of a building: it is an enforceable requirement under the Order and of course also acts to prevent potentially tragic consequences.
 
The Role of the Responsible Person

The Order applies to the vast majority of premises in England and Wales and states that it is a legal requirement for all building owners to appoint a Responsible Person. This person could be, for example, an apartment block owner, a business owner or a premises manager. They will have the responsibility of conducting and documenting a yearly fire risk assessment and arranging an appropriate maintenance regime to make sure all relevant equipment, including fire doors, is kept in an efficient working state. 

The Role of the Competent Person

Where sufficient specialist knowledge is lacking, the Responsible Person must appoint one or more ‘Competent Persons' to help conduct the required measures. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that the Competent Person must have ‘sufficient training and experience and knowledge and other qualities to enable him properly to assist'. 

This can often be something of a challenge to comply with, especially where specialist knowledge is required. For this reason, when it comes to the maintenance and inspection of fire doors, it is recommended that the responsibility is handed to a Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) qualified inspector.
 
Getting Help from the Fire Door Inspection Scheme

Through FDIS, you can either source a local third party certificated inspector, or invest in official accredited training (the FDIS Diploma in Fire Doors) for your own in-house Responsible Person in order to assist them in completing fire risk assessments.

If you prefer to bring in a third party FDIS inspector, which many building managers do, they will conduct a thorough inspection of all the fire doors on your premises. The findings will be documented and any necessary recommendations for action will be clearly set out. This will cover your legal responsibilities as the inspector will meet the Competent Person requirements set down by the HSE.

You can find your local FDIS inspector here.


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