Fire Door Installations South West Are You At Risk

ARE YOU AT RISK?

We recommend you see the effects of badly installed and badly fire-stopped installations. Please watch this short video by the British Woodworking Federation.

Your potential risks:

- The door frame may not have been appropriately fire stopped. Intumescent sealants and packers may not have been installed at all or where required.

- Ironmongery fitted to the door may not have been tested with the specific door that has been installed.

- Gaps between doors and frames may exceed the necessary gap required for the seals to work effectively, intumescent seals to the door or frame may be missing or damaged preventing a full seal to be formed around the door in the event of a fire.

DESIGNERS/INSTALLERS/BUILDERS

DESIGNERS

Construction (Design and Management)

Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015)

The revised CDM 2015 identified responsibilities of designers and suppliers in regard to the safety of the construction products that are supplied and installed. Construction companies will need to provide information, instruction, training and supervision with workers having their training needs assessed against the needs of the job, and employers to meet the gap in skills knowledge in appropriate training.

If you supply fire door assemblies or door sets it is your responsibility to provide safety information regarding the use of a product throughout its installation and service life. This would include installing a product correctly and providing installation and maintenance instructions to the building manager or customer in order for them to be able to inspect and maintain the fire door product correctly and safely.

The designers role when preparing or modifying designs is to eliminate, reduce or control foreseeable risks that may happen during construction or maintenance and use of a building after it has been built. The designer also provides information to other members of the production team to help them fulfil their duties.

Source: Industry Guidance for Designers on CDM: CITB

Note: major insurance companies typically insist on the use of third party accredited passive and active fire protection products.

If you are responsible for writing tender documents for the procurement of fire doors, please note:

- All doors, frames and associated ironmongery must be CE marked and tested (and passed the fire test) for fire performance where applicable.

- All doors and frames and associated ironmongery and components must be compatible (all ironmongery and seals and glazing where required, must have been tested with the door leaf and frame and have passed the fire test. This information will be detailed on the door certificate) and detailed on the fire certificate.

- All products must be installed by a compitent installer in accordance with the installation instructions (and where not available to BS8214:2016).

Installation of the fire door is as life-critical as the product specification itself and should only be carried out by someone who is competent, has been specifically trained to install fire doors, and understands their responsibilities in getting it right.

BUILDERS/CONTRACTORS

Builders/contractors are under constant pressure to be on time and budget. Cheaper, untested products may save money in the short term, but if a fire breaks out it will cost far more in lives and property, and potentially mean spending a long-term in prison.

Stick to the specification, stay safe and save lives.

By compromising the original specification, a fire door installation risks catastrophic failure in the event of a fire. There are four major areas where builders/contractors and their clients are at risk:

- Non-compliance with building regulations

- Non-compliance with the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (RRFSO)

- Lack of adequate insurance protection

- Insufficient protection for life and/or property

Note: major insurance companies typically insist on the use of third party accredited passive and active fire protection products.