ANNUAL PREDICTIONS
Making Time for Essential Building Maintenance
Karen Trigg of Allegion UK provides insight on the safety standards that buildings must meet and why now seems an opportune time to carry out essential maintenance in a bid to help to achieve them .
» REGULAR BUILDING MAINTENANCE has and always will be a fundamental part of a facilities manager role . Work can sometimes feel continuous , ensuring everything from ventilation to water systems are in good working order and all while making sure health and safety standards are maintained along the way .
Each building has a set of unique needs that must be addressed , and , for that , maintenance is key . Yet , facility managers must also recognise the importance of ‘ essential maintenance .’ For example , both the Workplace ( Health , Safety and Welfare ) Regulations 1992 and the Fire Precautions ( Workplace ) Regulations 1997 cite door safety requirements and call for any fire safety system to be subject to routine maintenance .
And with several public buildings now either empty or operating with far fewer staff – it ’ s an opportune time for decision makers to schedule a comprehensive check on those ‘ essential maintenance ’ areas , starting with fire doors and their accompanying hardware .
Maintaining Safety
Despite the recognisable dangers , fire doors are often not operating as they should be and thus an industy report from the Fire Door Inspection Scheme ( FDIS ) has highlighted the issues of many building ’ s fire doors . This has subsequently led to government investigations and the launch of fire safety guidance on some of the more recurring issues , including fire doors with excessive gaps , poorly maintained door closers and problems with intumescent seals .
There ’ s no doubt that poorly fitted and maintained fire doors don ’ t save lives in the event of a fire . The safety and security of a building and its occupants rely on the effective operation of all fire doors – without them , safety is truly compromised . And regardless of a reduced footfall across 2020 , so many fire doors are still not meeting standards . With an eventual ‘ return to normal ’ expected , it has never been more important to turn attention towards essential maintenance checks . With that in mind , it ’ s not only fire doors that must be up to standard either . All hardware and furniture must meet the stringent EN classification codes and Health & Safety requirements . Additionally , exit devices must comply with the latest revisions of EN1125:2008 , which applies to panic applications that can be used by any member of the public , and EN 179:2008 , which refers to emergency applications used by trained personnel . So how can facility managers ensure they ’ re meeting these standards ?
Checks are key Essential maintenance is far more than checking the cosmetic condition of fire doors . When ensuring fire doors are functioning correctly , a stringent five-point check is necessary , inspecting certification , gaps , seals , hinges and closure . To meet all British and European legal requirements ,
Sources ; https :// fdis . co . uk / | https :// www . gov . uk / guidance / fire-door-investigation | https :// assets . publishing . service . gov . uk / government / uploads / system / uploads / attachment _ data / file / 859279 / Annex _ A _ - _ Assurance _ and _ Assessment _ of _ Fire _ Doors _ - _ January _ 2020 . pdf
28
JAN / FEB 2021
locksmithjournal . co . uk Issue Takeover
Magazine Sponsor