The laws for checking fire doors are changing. Are you ready?

The laws for checking fire doors are changing on 23 January 2023, making it a legal requirement for responsible persons to undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of communal doors in the UK. Are you ready?

A new legal requirement comes into force on 23 January 2023. Under regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, responsible persons for all multi-occupied residential buildings in England with storeys over 11 metres in height will be required to undertake:

• quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common parts, and

• annual checks of all flat entrance doors that lead onto a building’s common parts.

Why is the law changing?

This latest addition to the recent raft of building safety reforms comes in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and subsequent Inquiry.

As well as preventing the spread of fire, the Inquiry noted: “Fire doors play an essential role in preventing or inhibiting the spread of smoke and toxic gases and in preserving the effective compartmentation of buildings.” That’s what’s meant to happen…

In practice, the Inquiry found that the fire doors in Grenfell Tower didn’t – either through damage and/or disrepair – perform as intended. As a result, they didn’t prevent smoke and hot gases from spreading. A key contributor to one of the UK’s worst modern disasters.

Along with an urgent inspection of all fire doors, the Inquiry recommended that regular checks be carried out and it’s this that has led to the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and January’s new legal requirement.

With 208 fire-related fatalities in dwellings and a further 6,192 non-fatal fire-related casualties in England in the year to June 2022*, these new checks come on top of existing duties, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, requiring all building owners and occupiers to ensure buildings provide adequate means of escape and compartmentation in the event of fire. This includes making sure that all fire doors, including flat entrance doors, are capable of providing adequate protection.

Similarly, the penalties for non-compliance with the new regulations will be in addition to the hefty fines and custodial sentences already being meted out, with several well-known high street names and blue chips among those fined for fire safety breaches.

What you need to do and how Halspan can help

To recap, January’s new regulations will require responsible persons to undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of communal doors in multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres in height.

How will this work in practice and what are your options?

As a responsible person, you could carry out the checks yourself. But ask yourself this: do you have the necessary knowledge, skills, resources and systems to complete the checks, bearing in mind the potential risks, both to the building’s residents and yourself? So maybe don’t do it yourself, if you want a peaceful night’s sleep!

Maybe you could leave it to a Fire Risk Assessor as part of their overall Fire Risk Assessment of your building? It’s an option, but you should be aware that Fire Risk Assessors aren’t always fire door experts and, while they may comment on some clearly visible issues, they WON’T carry out an in-depth inspection of ALL your fire doors. Typically, a Fire Risk Assessor will advise you to have your doors inspected by a specialist – someone with the skills, knowledge and experience to provide a detailed analysis of each door’s condition. Which takes you back to square one!

There is another option which in Halspan’s opinion, based on more than 20 years’ market leadership in fire safety compliance, represents by far the best practice when carrying out crucial fire door checks.

“If you want to know for sure whether a fire door is fit for purpose, then a detailed inspection, by an expert, is the sensible option,” explains Simon Kelly, Halspan’s Operations Manager – Inspection Services. “And there’s no one better than Halspan® Inspection Services,” Simon continues.

“Our trained Inspectors will quickly and effectively identify which of your assets are compliant, which aren’t and what corrective action needs to be taken. For existing fire door systems, that might mean the difference between a compliant, notional fire door or a door that requires action or indeed replacement. Whatever the inspection’s outcome, you’ll know what to do next to maintain compliance and reduce risk.

“If any remedial work is required, we can work with you to select an appropriate specialist contractor.

“As well as identifying where corrective action is needed,” continues Simon, “Halspan® Inspection Services can also help you to prioritise what should be done first, making the job of managing crucial fire safety assets easier.”

How Halspan®Inspection Services works

Delivered by a nationwide network of Halspan accredited Inspectors – all trained by Halspan to its exacting standards – Halspan® Inspection Services combines market leadership in fire safety compliance with the purpose-designed Halspan® Tracker asset management system.

“At the heart of our Halspan® Tracker asset management system lies the Halspan® Smart Tag,” explains Simon. “This is an identification tag which can either be fitted to a door blank or core, for example, during fabrication or retrofitted to existing doorsets and door assemblies. Either way, the Halspan® Smart Tag stays with the asset throughout its service life.

“A record of each Smart Tag is created on the Halspan® Tracker online asset management system. This record is updated whenever the asset is inspected, or maintenance work is carried out. Over time, this builds up a complete picture of the asset’s quality assurance journey, from cradle to grave.”

“By scanning the Smart Tag using the Halspan® Tracker app on their smart devices, our Inspectors identify the asset and open up its quality assurance record, before completing a comprehensive step-by-step inspection or maintenance checklist and delivering their assessment.

“Complementing Halspan® Tracker’s unrivalled functionality, all our Inspectors perform in accordance with the Halspan Inspector Charter and every door inspection is carried out in accordance with Halspan Inspection Protocols, ensuring consistent, technically accurate results every time,” says Simon.

More reasons to choose Halspan

Developed in response to building safety reforms and designed to save lives and safeguard property, Halspan® Inspection Services offers a host of other benefits too.

“An integral part of the Halspan® Verified quality assurance scheme, Halspan® Inspection Services fully satisfies the requirements of the so-called ‘Golden Thread’ of information,” explains Simon.

“By providing a complete digital record of inspection and maintenance and storing all the quality assurance information collected securely in the cloud, Halspan® Inspection Services complies with both the new code of practice for digital management of fire safety information (BS 8644-1) and Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) recommendations,” continues Simon.

“Building fire safety compliance is time critical, of course, so Halspan® Inspection Services provides a fast, responsive service in line with our Halspan Customer Charter.

“Last but certainly not least, Halspan is a name you can trust. An assurance of quality and integrity for over 20 years, no one knows more about fire safety in buildings,” says Simon.

Commenting on the service, John Martin, Halspan’s Founder & Chairman adds: “For those charged with carrying out the new fire door checks, whether that’s the responsible person, facilities manager or building owner, Halspan® Inspection Services will help them to meet their legal obligations, while providing all-round peace of mind.”

“Delivered by experts, Halspan® Inspection Services plays a key role in ensuring fire doors – and other vital fire safety assets – are installed and maintained correctly, complying with ever more stringent building safety regulations. When people’s lives are at stake, you need to trust the experts,” John concludes.

To discuss your inspection requirements in advance of January’s legislation, call +44 (0)3300 563836, email info@halspan.com or visit www.halspan.com and discover what else Halspan is doing to improve fire safety in buildings.