With building owners now having to take account of fire doors and doorsets in their fire risk assessments, there is a need for comprehensive guidance. Thankfully, there is a wealth of resources available, much of it produced by the industry.
Fire doors and shutters certificiation
The Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) has published a comprehensive guide to fire door and shutter certification for specifiers, designers and purchasers of fire resisting doorsets and shutters.
The publication (which is available on the DHF website www.dhfonline.org.uk) in the light of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, which came into force last October. This places a far greater responsibility for fire safety on the owners and occupiers of buildings.
The step-by-step guide helps users and specifiers to verify that a product is covered by third party product conformity certification, and whether it can be properly installed by a certificated installer. In addition, it can help ensure that the product will satisfy relevant standards and the requirements of the Building Regulations.
The DHF stresses that the presentation of a copy of a test report with a fire product – even when accompanied by a letter of assessment – is not product certification. Certification is a process involving independent third party testing, inspection and random auditing.
“This process is designed to ensure that the product complies with an agreed standard, said Tony Fitzpatrick, chairman of the DHF’s metal doorset forum and author of the guide. “Only products subjected to this process can be properly described as certified. Mere possession of a test report and an assessment is not sufficient.”
He added: “Building owners and occupiers, who now have far more responsibility for fire safety, should be aware that building control officers are looking very closely for correctly certified fire doors and shutters. They know that a traceable certification scheme label attached to a fire door is on
e sure way of verifying that a fire door installation satisfies the requirements of the Building Regulations.”
In addition, the guide says that fire doors should be subject to regular inspection and maintenance in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions by a certificated installer, to ensure that their original performance is not impaired during use.
A number of DHF member companies who are BS EN ISO 9001 approved, offer third party product and installation certification with their fire tested products. These are supported by certificates of approval and technical data sheets.
Impact of Approved Document B changes
The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers has published a summary of the changes to affect the sector following changes to Approved Document B coming into force on 6 April.
Door closers
The biggest change affecting door hardware are the new requirements for door closers in both dwellinghouses and flats.
– In dwellinghouses, internal fire doors will no longer need door closers except on doors connecting the house directly to a garage (attached or integral)
– In flats, internal fire doors will no longer need door closers but the entrance door must have one
– Rising butt hinges are no longer accepted as a door closing device except in cavity barriers (i.e. no longer acceptable on doors to rooms or in corridors)
– Self-closing devices are defined as “a device which is capable of closing the door from any angle and against any latch fitted to the door.” This implies a controlled door closing device of the type covered by BS EN 1154.
Implications
There is now a greater onus on occupants to keep internal fire doors closed. There will still be fire doors in houses and flats, and these doors will still need CE marked hinges, locks and latches, and fire tested door furniture. Supplying anything of a lesser standard for a fire door will render you liable to prosecution for putting an “unsafe product” on the market, says the GAI, so check your packaging and literature for claims of “suitable for fire doors” which are not backed up with valid certificates.
The change affects buildings where planning permission is applied for after 6 April. It will be interesting to see, says the GAI, if Building Control staff insist on maintaining the status quo until all affected buildings granted planning permission before 6 April are finished and handed over. Theoretically, this should take up to twelve months or more.
Appendix B: Fire doors – now draws attention to the fact that all components making up the fire doorset should have fire test evidence, which is applicable to the complete, installed assembly. “This will be welcomed by those whose efforts to offer the right products have been undermined by some suppliers and contractors with cavalier attitudes to fire testing of door hardware.” It advises suppliers to check the documentation of every item destined for a fire door before they place it on the market, and to keep evidence of fire testing or certification on file.
The importance of doorsets: compatibility between fire doors and hardware
A comprehensive training guide to fire doors and doorsets is available from the British Woodworking Federation (BWF). At the heart of the package is the Complete Guide to Fire Doors together with a DVD which the Federation believes will prove to be a powerful training tool . At the heart of the guidance is the BWF’s insistence of compatibility between a fire door and all its hardware and components, and that a fire door is tested as a complete assembly. And the easiest way of ensuring this, says the Federation, is to obtain complete doorsets from manufacturers, which also makes installation on site that much more straightforward.
The document covers all parts of the fire doorset jigsaw, and includes advice on:
– Cutting, glazing and framing
– Ironmongery
– Door frames and seals
– BWF Approved fire door centres
– The BWF Certifire fire door & doorset scheme
– Explaining the label
– Correct installation
– Maintenance
The guide, is presented in a binder and also contains a set of 10 Fact Cards, the newly released 2007 Scheme brochure, and the 2006/7 scheme directory, which lists all certificated members and other relevant along with other information about selecting fire doors and doorsets and about the BWF-Certifire scheme, is available at www.bwf.org.uk
Following the code
A Code of Practice covering hardware for fire and escape doors – produced by the Door and Hardware Federation and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers – is available online. Specifiers, building owners and all those responsible for fire safety in buildings can now use the interactive guide by visiting its own dedicated website: www.firecode.org.uk.
The Code aims to provide straightforward and jargon-free guidance on relevant products and standards for everyone concerned with fire safety in industrial and commercial buildings. The online version of the guide will be updated as new regulations come into play.
The Code has been designed to be as practical and user-friendly as possible using colour images and drawings, many of them showing approved hardware to help identification. It also identifies the main issues affecting products’ performance when fitted to doors, and the documentation required to show that the product is suitable for its application.
The Code’s maintenance section offers advice on ensuring continuous fire door and escape route safety in buildings, which the DHF believes will be especially useful to building owners as the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order starts to bite.
For more information visit www.dhfonline.org.uk .
