Clearview National July 2015 - Issue 164 | Page 16

INDUSTRYNEWS

Companies should wake
up to potential danger
The warning about the state of existing and newly installed fire doors comes
on the third anniversary of the creation of the Fire Door Inspection Scheme
(FDIS), Europe’s first qualification and inspection scheme for fire door safety.
»»Enquiries to FDIS from
organisations looking for fire door inspectors
have doubled over the last 12 months.
FDIS has become the centre of excellence
for property owners and building managers
looking for competent, qualified people to
inspect their fire doors and help them meet
their legal obligations under the Regulatory
Reform (Fire Safety) Order.
Clive Reilly was the first person to qualify
as a fire door inspector after undergoing
an independent assessment by Exova
Warringtonfire in 2012.
He says: “There is no doubt that many
people are finally waking up to the need to
have their fire doors inspected. FDIS has
built a market for competent people like me
who have a detailed knowledge of fire door
requirements, and it has created a robust
and systematic inspection process that can
be repeated from door to door and where
necessary, from building to building. This
brings with it the consistency that is vital for
effective fire door management.
“But there is still so much more to be done.
I regularly come across organisations which
are either unaware of their obligations under
current fire legislation or who simply choose

16 » JUL 2015 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

to do nothing. Some do make an attempt to
inspect and maintain their fire doors, but often
use untrained, inexperienced staff who do not
have detailed inspection criteria to follow.
“While these organisations are to be
commended for making the effort, it is clear
that many of the defects that can be found
on fire doors may not be apparent to the
untrained eye. This can lead to a false sense of
security and a resultant failure to undertake
appropriate action.”
A review of fire door inspections undertaken
by FDIS certificated fire door inspectors earlier
this year revealed the extent of the problems
being found on site:
• Over 61% of fire doors inspected had
problems with fire or smoke seals
• More than a third had incorrect signage
• 230 fire doors inspected had gaps bigger
than 3mm between the door and its
frame (as specified in BS9999:2008 and
BS8214:2008)
• More than 20% had unsuitable hinges
• Almost 1 in 6 had damage to the door
leaf
Increasing evidence is also coming to light
of newly installed fire doors which are not
being fitted in accordance with manufacturers’

‘It is not uncommon to
find newly installed fire
doors with hardware
which has fixings missing
or with unsuitable frames’
instructions, relevant fire test evidence or even
in accordance with industry best practice.
Clive Reilly says: “It is not uncommon to
find newly installed fire doors with hardware
which has fixings missing or with unsuitable
frames. Usually the building manager will
think these doors have been installed correctly
and will perform as required in the event of
a fire. It is only when, or even if, the doors
are inspected by someone who knows what
to look for that these problems are found,
by which time they will have to pay for
remediation or replacement.”
fdis.co.uk/latest-news/third-year-report-onfire-door-safety-warns-of-sleepwalking-intodanger
Source: www.constructionenquirer.com