rather than 30. This can create situations where nonfire-door hardware has been fitted to a fire door, which should never happen. The hardware used on a fire door must always be fire-rated and suitable. Hinges, latches, and closers must all meet current fire-rating standards.
Of course, compliance failures aren’ t new, but for a fire door installed after October 2023, these failings can no longer be chalked up to oversights. Under the BSA, an ineffective fire door can now be used as evidence of incompetence, leading to prosecution. Building owners should also be aware that insurance companies are increasingly paying attention to fire door compliance, with non-compliance potentially invalidating property insurance.
As the BSA works to tackle this dangerous illusion of compliance, where documentation may be in place but the safety outcomes aren’ t, partial compliance becomes no longer defensible.
EVERYONE HAS A PART TO PLAY
From architects and procurement teams to suppliers and contractors, everyone in the fire door chain should be competent, and the BSA makes everyone involved accountable. The revised BS 8214:2026, published in March this year, places the responsibility for compliance on all professionals involved, asking practitioners to demonstrate understanding and justification for what they’ re doing, rather than simply following procedure. The new standard emphasises evidence-based documentation and, as such, is closely tied to the golden thread.
A GOLDEN BUT CURRENTLY FRAIL THREAD
As revealed in Barbara Lane’ s supplemental report on the Grenfell disaster, of the 106 fire doors replaced in the building in 2011, none complied with Building Regulations. The smoke seals were found to be inconsistent, and door closers had been removed from the doors, which would have allowed smoke and fire to spread much faster. In this situation, had the golden thread of information been available, these issues are likely to have been flagged and fixed. The purpose of the golden thread regulation is to make chains of failures like this evident before they become catastrophic. different systems, the golden thread becomes frail.
The construction of a strong and effective golden thread is a challenge, and this thread isn’ t yet fully functional. Without a unified hub, the thread will remain problematic, and competence must be proven. An effective golden thread demands digital evidence at every stage and should be continuously updated to ensure no gaps in data. To improve fire safety standards, the industry must remain focused on achieving standardised, accessible data to weave a strong, effective golden thread.
DRIVING SYSTEMIC CHANGE
As Dame Judith Hackitt rightly stated about the oil and gas industry,‘ They sorted themselves out and then went back to government. That’ s how systemic change happens’. Both the Grenfell and the Piper Alpha tragedy exposed systemic failures and the question in both incidents was whether the industry would take ownership of the changes needed to tackle these failures.
A profound cultural shift followed the Piper Alpha Cullen report disaster inquiry, embedded in shared leadership and practical training that created a culture of accountability for offshore safety. As is needed in the fire door sector, this cultural shift and raising of standards resulted from hands-on, practical training delivered by experienced specialist leaders.
Similar to the Cullen Report, the BSA is a goal-setting framework, but currently, this lack of detailed stepby-step instruction is causing confusion.
SHAPING A SAFER SECTOR TOGETHER
The implementation of the BSA is an industry-wide commitment. We all have a part to play in raising fire door safety standards and improving competency. Building managers, accountable persons, and responsible persons should maintain an auditable digital trail and consult the Building Safety Alliance’ s Golden Thread Toolkit for guidance. And for fire door hardware suppliers, the upcoming BS 8670-2 will provide the competency framework needed to promote product governance and knowledge, reduce ambiguity and support a more transparent supply chain.
DOORS, WINDOWS & FITTINGS
This is why the BSA demands that the golden thread must be accurate, kept up to date and capture all a building’ s data. This continuous, digital record of safety applies to every fire doorset, which should have a documented lifecycle from initial specification and manufacture to installation, inspection and modification.
Unfortunately, often held together with a patchwork of data silos and different people storing records on
Every day, on every job, every person involved in the lifecycle of a fire door has a choice: to support the infrastructure for an improved, safer fire door industry or not. The frameworks are forming, the standards have been revised, and the regulator is going to court. The BSA is everyone’ s responsibility, and those who act now will help to shape a more competent and safer sector for generations to come.
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