Fire Door Safety Checks

Reading time: 4 minutes

Why are fire doors essential?

Never underestimate the importance of fire safety. For anyone managing residential and commercial properties, ensuring that fire regulations are met is extremely important for protecting the lives and wellbeing of anyone in the building.

Secondly, fires can of course cause serious property damage. It’s not always possible to completely avoid fire risks, but installing safety measures limit the dangers they bring. One of the key ways of effectively reducing fire risk is the installation of fire doors.

Which buildings need fire doors?

Properties that need fire doors can be broken down into three types:

• Residential buildings more than two storeys high – aside from toilets and bathrooms, fire doors must separate stairwells and habitable rooms on every level. If you have a loft conversion, or an integral garage, fire doors should also be installed.

• Commercial properties – the fire regulations for commercial properties can be more complicated, as there are many different types of buildings that are included as ‘commercial’ or ‘non-domestic’. These regulations cover areas such as signage and more specific requirements for fire doors.

• Mixed-use buildings – for buildings that contain both residential and commercial areas, such as flats above shops, fire doors should separate these premises.

How do you check a fire door?

There are many different parts of a fire door requiring safety checks. Whether you’re performing fire door checks as a landlord or a Health & Safety Officer, there are specific things to look for. We’re going to cover the five main areas to ensure the fire door is performing to a high standard.

If you’ve found this article useful for managing the fire doors in your building, you’ll find more helpful fire safety advice here at Trade Corner.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this page is intended as an overall introduction and is not intended as specific advice from a qualified professional. Travis Perkins aims to avoid, but accepts no liability, in the case that any information stated is out of date.