ANNUAL PREDICTIONS
fire doors must have all the necessary components and they must work as designed , because even the smallest of changes can reduce effectiveness .
Take a door ’ s intumescent seal , for example . Fire doors have a number of ratings , ranging from FD20 to FD120 which show they will provide protection against fire from 20 minutes and then up to 120 minutes . The intumescent seals expand in a fire , sealing the gap between door and frame when temperatures reach 200 ° C , so it ’ s essential they remain intact , undamaged and in good condition . Failing to keep them in top condition means smoke can leak out with ease and create a potentially dangerous situation in the event of a fire .
When it comes to door furniture , it ’ s important to consider the main elements of the door such as the handle . The door handle , itself , must be fitted correctly – not loose , or even worse , missing . Screws too must be checked over to ensure none are missing and that each one is tight and secure .
Hinges – of which there should be a minimum of three – should be marked with a CE stamp or BS EN 1935 to meet the necessary safety standards . Furthermore , they should be free of any metal fragments and signs of oil leakage as these could be signs of wear and tear . Finally , check the locks and latches as these should also be fixed securely , leaving no room for movement when the latch secures firmly into place .
Outside of functional checks , it ’ s also key to consider the visual elements such as certification labels and ‘ Fire Door , Keep Shut ’ signage , amongst others . These signs and labels provide essential information to both building occupants in the event of a fire and installers who can use certification labels when looking for manufacturers and tracability .
Vital timing
Outside of healthcare , these times present building managers with a rare opportunity . With so many buildings experiencing reduced footfall , perhaps it ’ s the perfect time to carry out essential maintenance and build towards a safer tomorrow .
After all , maintenance – whether regular or more essential – should never be neglected , and those fire safety and health standard requirements should always be met and are arguably even more important in today ’ s climate .
Resources
Allegion UK has a wealth of resources to help facilities managers undertake their maintenance checks on fire doors and hardware . This simple toolkit provides information and tips on how to guarantee the safety of the doors , a guide to the EN classification system and a safety checklist . There ’ s also an option to order a free door gap tester . Or , download Allegion ’ s general guide to service and maintenance for free .
www . allegion . com
https :// www . allegion . co . uk / content / dam / allegionuk / Downloads / EN _ Classification _ 16 . pdf | http :// firecode . org . uk / Code _ of _ Practice _ hardware _ for _ fire _ and _ escape _ doors . pdf | https :// www . allegion . co . uk / en / promo / fdsw2018 . html | https :// www . allegion . co . uk / content / dam / allegionuk / Downloads / ServiceMaint _ LR . pdf
JAN / FEB 2021
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