Fire Door Regulation 10

The responsible person must:

• Ensure safety, it is essential to perform regular checks of all fire doors in the common areas every three months. This includes making sure that self-closing devices are functioning correctly.

• On an annual basis, make a concerted effort to thoroughly inspect all flat entrance doors (including self-closing mechanisms) that lead onto the building’s common areas.

To ensure the safety of all individuals living in multi-occupied buildings, those responsible are now asked to provide information on the significance of fire doors with two or more sets of residential premises that have common areas. This will help emphasise their importance to a building’s overall fire safety system.

What is the Reason for this?

According to the Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, fire doors serve a pivotal role in reducing or restricting toxic gas and smoke proliferation as well as sustaining efficient compartmentation inside buildings.

According to the Inquiry, the fire doors in Grenfell Tower were not functioning properly due to damage or disrepair and thus failed to act as a barrier against smoke and gases.

To ensure that residential buildings are up to date with current legislative standards and fire safety requirements, the Inquiry recommends (Recommendations 33.29 (a) and (b)) that owners and managers conduct an immediate review of all fire doors present in the building. Furthermore, for optimal security measures it is necessary to inspect such doors no less than every three months – ensuring they are fitted with a self-closing device which effectively functions as intended.

The Inquiry concluded (Recommendation 33.30) that all those responsible for the condition of entrance doors to flats in high-rise residential buildings with hazardous cladding must be legally bound to comply with current standards by law.

Before the Fire Safety Act 2021, flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings were often overlooked when conducting fire risk assessments. However, this law has cleared up any confusion and clarified that these doors must now be included as part of the Fire Safety Order.

The regulations mandate that responsible parties should make every effort to conduct yearly inspections of individual entrance doors and quarterly assessments of shared entrances in multi-occupied dwellings taller than 11m.

By educating residents on the importance of fire doors for maintaining a building’s safety, we can ignite an understanding within them that allows approved personnel to check their flat entrance doors. This will foster a sense of responsibility and promote diligent security practices among all occupants.

Requirements for Fire Door Inspections

To keep everyone safe, it’s essential that the responsible person inspects all doors for potential damage or problems. This inspection doesn’t require an expert – anyone can do these checks with a few helpful online guides to aid them. With this knowledge in hand, you’ll be able to ensure your building remains secure.

The responsible person should be considering:

• If a door’s glazing opening or air transfer grille has been altered or damaged in any way
• That all gaps around the door frame are filled and that seals and hinges are properly secured for a safe closure.
• That the door closer effectively shuts the door
• That the door closes properly around the whole door frame
• There is no discernible wear and tear, either intentional or due to natural usage, done to the door or its closer.

If any issues arise from the preliminary inspection, then it is recommended to further investigate doors (or self-closing devices) for potential damage. Hiring an expert specialising in this field might be necessary.

For further information on Fire Door Regulation 10, you can visit the Government guidelines here.