Fire Safety & Security
Approaching fire door safety in healthcare settings
Karen Trigg of Allegion UK , provides comment on the key considerations for Fire Doors and Doorsets in healthcare facilities , exploring the prominent issues and challenges facing fire safety within healthcare .
Under the Regulatory Reform ( Fire Safety ) Order 2005 , healthcare and hospital facilities have a direct responsibility to ensure employees and patients are safe within their premises . Fire safety falls under this remit , and so healthcare facilities are required to designate a ‘ responsible person ’, who has a legal responsibility to demonstrate effective fire safety procedures , undertake risk assessments and meet fire safety compliance .
Healthcare facilities pose incredibly complex safety challenges and fire doors can become subject to unforgiving environments ( with high footfall and fast flowing foot traffic ), and so regular door inspections are critical . Yet , a survey conducted by the Fire Door Inspection Scheme ( FDIS ) found that 75 % of the total fire doors inspected in 2021 did not meet the required standard – of which healthcare and hospitals were of the top three sectors identified with plethora of fire door issues .
A key concern currently facing healthcare facilities is a lack of education and understanding towards the importance of fire doors and what they do . Fire doors are installed to protect lives and property by compartmentalising fire and smoke for a
period of time , but can only do so effectively if they are working correctly . Too often , fire doors and their ironmongery are damaged - or in some cases doors are propped open - leaving closers disengaged and rendering the doorset useless in the event of a fire .
A ‘ responsible person ’ must also possess a firm understanding on fire door maintenance . All fire doors are rigorously constructed and tested to British Standards BS 476 : Part 22 or BS EN 1634-1 , ensuring they withstand fire and smoke for a minimum of 30 minutes ( FD30 ) or 60 minutes ( FD60 ). However ,
any break in their integrity could cause the door to fail . Because of this , it ’ s imperative that healthcare facilities inherit a regular maintenance plan for their fire doors and exits . Doing so will highlight any early signs that a door is not performing as required , preventing irreparable damage to the door and its accompanying hardware , and saving the need for replacements later down the line .
To further ensure maximum safety and compliance , decision makers must also seek out high quality , third-party certified fire door components . Considering their application , quality is critical for fire doors and their hardware , and so ‘ responsible persons ’ are encouraged to use reputable suppliers and can request documentation ( in the form of certificates or labels ) to further verify their classifications . Finally , it ’ s important to remember that all working elements of a fire door , including its frame and ironmongery are vital to its operation . Only when all components are compatible and operational can a fire door execute its job successfully , and so much like a fire door itself , when it comes to fire safety in healthcare , adopting a holistic approach is central to success .
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CLEARVIEW-UK . COM SEPTEMBER 2022
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