When To Upgrade To Fire Resistant Doors
Business owners have a legal obligation to ensure that their premises, and the people that use those premises, are adequately protected against fire. From appropriate risk assessments to regular maintenance, from fire door installation to fire alarm systems, fire safety measures must be taken seriously if you are the designated responsible person in your business.
Even if you are up to date on all your fire safety regulations and have put into place appropriate measures, there may be times when you have to consider replacing or upgrading your fire resistant doors.
Your existing doors may not be fit for purpose
It may be that your existing fire resistant doors, have become damaged or are just not fit for purpose due to their age. When you are checking your fire doors as part of a review of measures, as part of a new risk assessment procedure, or just because you have noticed wear and tear, there are some things that you must ensure that your door has to meet regulations:
• There must be Intumescent strips in the frame or the door.
• The door must be the right regulation for its location and must meet building regulations.
• The door must fit properly in its frame.
• The door must have been installed by a competent person
• The manufacturers fire door should have been tested to meet the standards BS 476-22:1987 or BS EN 1634-1:2014
• The door should be fit for purpose and not damaged.
You may have recently moved to a new premises
If you have moved to a new property or are renovating an older property it’s important to check that any existing fire resistant doors meet current building regulations and fire safety standards. If a door has been in place for some time it may be that it met previous building regulations but has not been replaced in line with current regulations. In this situation it is worth contacting a professional to ask for their advice on fire door installation and the location of fire doors within your premises.
You may be extending your premises
If you have built an extension to an existing building this may well change the overall layout requiring additional fire resistant doors to be added to prevent the spread of any breakout of fire. A qualified expert will be able to advise you on fire door installation ensuring that you meet building regulations whilst protecting premises and people.
Your building may be changing use
You may be looking to change the use of a building which will require additional fire safety measures to be put into place. For example, if you have bought a large building that was previously a residential home and you are wishing to convert the building into apartments the change in use of the building would require additional safety measures to be taken to protect all its future residents.
