Fire Door Surveys: What to expect
It’s a fact that fire door surveys save lives. But what exactly are they for? How do they work? And what can you expect from a fire door survey at your premises? Let’s explore…
June 5, 2024
Fire door surveys are essential for maintaining the safety and compliance of buildings. Whether you manage a commercial property, residential complex, or any public building, understanding and implementing fire door surveys is crucial.
However, we understand that as a business owner, fire door surveys might not always be your top priority. You might be tempted to view them as just another box-ticking exercise. After all, you’ve done your part by installing the doors in the first place, right? Wrong.
This month at pm Connections, we’re covering everything you need to know about fire door surveys, including what the legal requirements are, what’s involved in an inspection, qualifications, and more…
Is a fire door survey a legal requirement?
Yes, fire door inspections are a legal requirement. Fire door surveys are mandated by several regulations, most notably Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
This legislation specifies that all businesses must ensure their fire-resistant doors are fitted correctly and adequately maintained at all times. It stipulates that responsible persons must ensure that fire doors are maintained in good working order.
The best way to do this is to have regular fire door inspections by qualified individuals. These inspections help identify potential safety hazards and compliance issues, preventing fire and smoke from spreading during an emergency.
The law applies to fire doors in commercial buildings, multi-occupied residential buildings (blocks of flats, HMOs etc.) and other relevant properties. Regular inspections are essential to maintaining compliance and ensuring the safety of all building occupants.
Why is it important to conduct a fire door survey?
If you are a business owner or a manager of a commercial building, there are severe consequences for not conducting regular fire door surveys. Not only does it mean you’re not compliant with Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 – but it puts you at risk of substantial fines, prosecution and potentially even imprisonment.
Likewise, your business could face closure for non-compliance, leading to significant financial losses and operational disruption. Additionally, you also risk higher insurance premiums, reputational damage and civil liability in the event of a fire.
What’s included in a fire door survey?
Fire-resistant doors often sustain damage from misuse and general wear and tear. Therefore, a fire door inspection should be conducted by a trained professional and should include the following:
Fire door survey checklist:
- Assessing the fire-resistant properties of door hinges and hardware
- Evaluating the condition, fitting and functionality of the door
- Checking the fire door signage for compliance
- Inspecting the condition of any hold-open devices
- Verifying relevant markings to determine the fire rating of the door set
- Inspecting the locks and latches
- Conducting a visual inspection of the fire door frame
- Reviewing the gap between the door leaf and frame
- Developing a clear action plan that outlines the locations of defects, including photographic evidence, and remedial actions.
While this may seem extensive, this comprehensive approach is required to ensure that every component of the fire door is in good working order.
Fire Door Requirements & Regulations
In England, some of the fire door regulations are as follows:
Existing buildings
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to all properties except inside people’s private homes. You are obliged to follow it if you are a responsible person for any public building, place of employment, or entertainment and leisure facility.
Check if the Fire Safety Order (2005) applies to your building:
The legislation applies to all:
- Business premises (even if it is part of a domestic property)
- Buildings used for charity work or voluntary work
- Public buildings (schools, hospitals, leisure centres, transport stations, venues)
- Accommodation for paying guests (hotels, campsites, self-catering accommodation)
- Communal areas of HMOs, blocks of flats and maisonettes
As mentioned previously, all of the above buildings are required to make sure that fire doors are fitted correctly and adequately maintained at all times. Fire door surveys are therefore the best way to do this.
Residential buildings
Multi-occupied buildings and HMOs
For multi-occupied residential buildings above 11m in height, such as blocks of flats and HMOs) there are other specific fire door responsibilities that came into place in January 2023 via The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. These stipulate that:
- Responsible Persons must check all communal area fire doors every 3 months
- Responsible Persons must check each flat entrance door annually.
Despite this, it’s important to remember that the checks above do not replace the responsible person’s existing duty under the Fire Safety Order to implement general fire precautions regardless of the building’s height.
Meanwhile, responsible persons for buildings below 11m in height also still have duties under Article 17 of The Fire Safety Order to implement general fire precautions, which involves checking that all fire doors can provide adequate protection.
Finally, in any residential building with more than two separate living units or dwellings, the Responsible Person is required to inform all residents of the importance of fire doors.
Homes and houses
For regular residential dwellings, fire doors aren’t usually a legal requirement. However, there are some exceptions. These include:
- Any new build or home renovation with 3+ floors must have fire doors for every room leading from a stairwell. This includes loft conversions adding a third floor to a two-storey home.
- Any door leading from your home into an integral garage must be a fire door.
Qualifications for fire door surveys
In the event of a fire, it’s crucial to know that your fire doors are working properly. So, when you’re selecting a surveyor for fire door inspections, it is essential to ensure they have the proper qualifications and certifications.
Not sure where to begin? We advise looking for professionals who have completed specific training related to fire door safety and inspection. Certifications from recognised bodies such as the following indicate that the surveyor has the required competencies to carry out your fire door survey.
- The Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS)
- The British Woodworking Federation (BWF)
However, in addition to surveyor qualifications, fire doors themselves should be certified to demonstrate their safety. Certifications such as those from the British Standards Institution (BSI) or the CE/UKCA mark ensure that the doors meet the necessary fire resistance and safety standards.
Fire door survey companies UK
So there we have it! If you’re looking for reliable and professional fire door survey services across the North West and Cheshire, we offer comprehensive inspections to ensure your fire doors meet all safety standards. Our team of qualified experts are trained to identify potential issues and provide actionable recommendations to keep your building safe and compliant.
For more information or to schedule a survey, contact pm Connections today on 01925 649 818.
- Looking to gain qualifications in fire safety? At pm Connections, we offer various fire safety training courses, including Fire Marshall Training and Fire Safety in the Workplace.
