FIRE SAFETY & SECURITY
Doors, Windows & Hardware:
Safe Specification
Graham Hulland, Product Marketing Manager at dormakaba, speaks
about the importance of correctly specifying door closers within social
housing properties, the factors that should always be considered
and the potential impact of changing an approved specification.
What are the key
legislative considerations
when looking to specify
closers for fire doors in
residential properties?
Initially, you need to make sure
that the specification is compliant
with both Building Regulations and
the 2010 Equality Act. Approved
Document B of the Building
Regulations requires certain fire
doors to be self closing — fire rated
flat entrance doors fall under this
category.
The main requirement of
the Equality Act is in relation
to the access into and through
buildings. Whilst that might sound
straightforward — it is important to
be aware that it is impossible for
a manufacturer to claim it has a
door ‘closer’ that is compliant with
the Equality Act. The Act does not
mention door hardware. However, if
the building regulations (Approved
Document M and BS8300) are met
then this will meet the Equality Act’s
requirements for ease of access.
Unless the door is Automated or
fitted with a Hold Open or Free
Swing door closer, then there is no
way of guaranteeing compliance.
Although this guidance is
provided, the legislation can still
be quite complex and there are
a number of other factors that
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specifiers must consider to ensure
a compliant system. For example,
whilst a CE mark does show that
a product has successfully been
tested to meet ‘safety in case of
fire’, this is not sufficient on its own
to ensure that a door closer is
suitable for an intended fire door.
The impartial approval from a
third-party certification scheme
makes sure that the door closer
can be used for specific fire door
applications. The Certifire scheme
is one that not only certifies that
the product meets its intended
fire performance, but also that it
meets its mechanical performance,
providing added peace of mind
for specifiers that the door closer
selected will work as required.
‘Every resident is
different, and the
majority of social
housing projects will
house both young
and old, with varying
levels of physical
capabilities, which is
why the chosen door
closer needs to be
carefully considered
How do specifiers make
sure that a door closer
not only satisfies UK
legislation but also works
for the residents who will
use it on a daily basis?
Every resident is different, and
the majority of social housing
projects will house both young and
old, with varying levels of physical
capabilities, which is why the
chosen door closer needs to be
carefully considered. By specifying
an adjustable powered closer, you
can adjust the closing force for
each door individually and keep
the force required to open it to a
minimum.
In some cases, if the force
exerted by a door closer is too
high, residents will find the doors
heavy and difficult to open which
increases the risk of fire doors
becoming ‘wedged’ and could
result in the door closer actually
being removed to ease usability. On
the other hand, if the closing force
is too low, the door may never fully
shut which could also compromise
resident safety.
It is also important to think about
aesthetics and whether or not the
chosen door closer will be suitable
for the space. In all cases, safety
should be paramount. To make sure
safety is maximised, you should
also look to specify adjustable
powered door closers or surface
units that include concealed fixings.
Concealed fixings eliminate the
ability to tamper with or remove
the door closer, should the
temptation arise, which could pose
considerable danger to residents if
a fire were to break out.
SEP/OCT 2019
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