Correctly Fitted Fire Doors Save Lives
In the UK having the correct fire door in your building is very important as it can save lives and prevent the spread of fire. Fire doors are specifically designed to resist fire and smoke, and to contain them within a specific area of a building for a limited period of time. This can allow people to evacuate the building safely and can give firefighters more time to tackle the fire. Therefore it is important that you have Fire Door inspection completed on a regular basis
In the UK, fire doors are required by law in certain types of buildings such as residential flats, commercial buildings, and public buildings. Building owners and managers have a legal responsibility to ensure that their buildings have the correct fire doors installed and that they are properly maintained to ensure they function as intended in the event of a fire. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in serious consequences, including legal action, fines, and even imprisonment. Therefore, it is crucial to have the correct fire door installed in your building to comply with the law and to help keep occupants safe in the event of a fire.
New Fire Door Inspection Laws & Regulations
There are new laws and regulations affecting the fire door industry across the UK.
The government has issued new guidance for housing associations and passed the Fire Safety Act and the Building Safety Act into law.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, which implement the majority of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations, come into force on the 23 January 2023
In mid-rise residential buildings (over 11 metres), responsible persons will be required to undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common part.
In all multi-occupied residential buildings with 2 or more sets of domestic premises responsible persons are required to:
- Fire safety instructions: provide relevant fire safety instructions to their residents, which will include instructions on how to report a fire and any other instruction which sets out what a resident must do once a fire has occurred, based on the evacuation strategy for the building.
- Fire door information: provide residents with information relating to the importance of fire doors in fire safety.
Key Summary Information about the regulations
- The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 apply in England only.
- The regulations came into force on 23 January 2023
- These Regulations apply to all buildings in England that comprise two or more domestic premises (including the residential parts of mixed-use buildings) although there are more requirements depending on the height as explained in this guide. These buildings are, principally, blocks of flats (whether purpose-built or converted from another type of building, such as a house or office building), but also include blocks used for student accommodation.
- The Regulations apply regardless of whether the flats are subject to a long (e.g. 99 years) lease or are rented, and regardless of whether the flats are used to accommodate the general public or a particular group of people (as in the case of, for example, sheltered housing for older people).
- The responsible person is the person who is responsible for the safety of themselves and others who use a regulated premises. This is normally a building owner, or in residential properties, any other person in control of the premises. The responsible person is the person on whom most of the duties set out in the Fire Safety Order are imposed.
