Fire Door Safety: the Building Safety Act 2022 Makes Proactive Inspections Non-Negotiable
- Jan 25
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 13
Fire safety has always been a legal and moral responsibility for those managing buildings but more recent legislation arguably raised the bar. Under the Building Safety Act 2022, accountability, competence and proactive-risk management are now firmly in the spotlight in relation to fire doors including flat-entrance doors leading on to communal areas.
For property managers, managing agents, freeholders, RMCs, RTMs and other landlords, understanding how fire doors perform and how they should be maintained is essential to protecting residents, assets and reputations.
Why Fire Doors Matter
Buildings are compartmentalized to delay the spread of fire and smoke from one area to another. Fire doors are a critical part of this strategy.
Fire doors serve two vital purposes:
When closed, they act as a barrier to fire and smoke
When open, they provide a safe means of escape
A well-designed and properly maintained timber-fire door can delay the spread of fire for 30, 60 minutes or more, buying valuable time.
Understanding Fire Door Ratings
The main categories of fire doors are FD30 and FD60 fire doors offering 30- and 60-minutes fire protection.
To determine the FD rating, manufacturers have their fire doors assessed and tested as specified in BS 476-22:1987 or BS EN 1634-1:2014 where complete fire door sets (door leaf, frame, hinges, locks and seals) are exposed to realistic fire conditions.
Testing helps to ensure doors perform as intended but only if they are correctly installed, maintained and inspected over time.
Identifying Certified Fire Doors
Certified fire doors are typically identifiable by a label or a colour-coded plug inserted into the door instead of or in addition to the label.
The label will provide details of the manufacturer, date of manufacture and the designated fire rating of the door type.
Unfortunately, labels are sometimes painted over or removed during alterations of a fire door set. This can be avoided if work was professionally carried out under BWEF/FIRAS Accredited Fire Door Installers Scheme.
Issues with labels will be picked up by regular visual-fire door inspections such as those conducted by Squeak Relief.
What Should Be Checked?
A professional fire door inspection should assess:
Fire door
Door closes fully and latches correctly
Smoke and intumescent seals present and undamaged
No holes, cracks or dents in the door
Hinges secure and compliant
Gaps correct
Correct fire door signage displayed
No obstructions
Small defects can seriously compromise performance which is why routine-visual inspections such as those offered by Squeak Relief support property managers, managing agents, RMCs, RTMs, other freeholders and landlords meet their obligations to keep the buildings they manage compliant.
A Proactive Approach to Fire-Door Safety
By identifying and reporting back on issues early Squeak Relief’s services help reduce risk, control costs and provide documentation pinpointing defects and/or compliance issues requiring attention.
Proactive maintenance and visual inspections reduce breakdowns and call-outs; provide evidence of compliance for resident directors protecting their own homes as well as the building; and help to protect freeholders’ investments and meet their legal responsibilities as freeholders.
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This article is for general information only and should not be taken as legal or professional advice. Always seek advice from a qualified fire-safety professional.