FDIS research raises fire door concerns

Safety & Health Practitioner

Research carried out by the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) has identified issues around the effectiveness of UK fire doors in holding back smoke and flames in the event of a fire.

Inspectors visited 31 sites and looked at 677 doors in the FDIS analysis. The research uncovered 2,506 faults on the fire doors inspected, which raises concerns about the wider picture across UK buildings.

The research found that:

• over 61 per cent had problems with fire or smoke seals;
• more than a third had incorrect signage;
• 230 fire doors inspected had gaps bigger than 3mm between the door and its frame (as specified in BS9999: 2008 and BS8214: 2008);
• more than 20 per cent had unsuitable hinges; and
• almost one in six had damage to the door leaf.

Neil Ashdown, FDIS general manager, said: “These stats make interesting reading showing an average 3.7 faults per door inspected. Fire doors in the majority of UK building stock are not fit for purpose, these are facts. Compartmentation is the most effective means for providing fire safety and this survey shows how seriously safety is being compromised.”

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