Legal Requirements on Fire Doors

[Guest OliRP]

I've been going through the Fire Safety Survey taken out on our company premises last month and I was looking for some clarity on the legal requirements/regulations surrounding fire doors. 

Is it a legal requirement to install fire doors where a survey has requested? 

We are in quite an old building with a warehouse/depot downstairs and new offices upstairs (with around 25-30 employees upstairs) and they flagged one door into an archive room and then all the electrical cupboards downstairs. I understand the need for fire doors on electrical cupboards but the door into the archive room is not on an escape route so I don't know whether it is necessary?

If anyone in the know is able to give some information on the law and regulations of fire doors in the workplace that would be massively appreciated.

Thanks

[AnthonyB]

It's up to you as you (or your company) are the one who is prosecuted if the measures are inadequate. A risk assessment should take a holistic approach to an existing building to see whether existing original precautions are adequate or whether modernisation is really needed to ensure safety of relevant persons.

If it doesn't contain special fire risk (e.g. boilers, kitchens, electrical rooms, high risk processes)  and isn't opening onto a protected escape route then there is no apparent need for a fire door, although I'll caveat that I didn't do the FRA and haven't seen the building.

Do the people who did the FRA also provide and install fire doors?

[Guest OliRP]

Thanks for your reply Anthony.

The archive room doesn't contain any risks of ignition it just has a lot of combustible materials (paper, cardboard, wooden shelving). It is at the end of the corridor and is rarely used, and as its at the end it doesn't open directly onto the fire evacuation route. I've asked the assessor and he's said that all doors in a commercial building legally need to be fire doors? His reasoning for requesting fire doors on the archive room were because there is a door at the back of the room that opens out onto a flat roof which could be used as a place to wait for the emergency services, and the fact that there were combustible materials in there that may comprehend the compartmentation elsewhere around the corridor. 

Also, is there any acceptable alternative to installing fire doors on electrical cupboards? Such as automatic fire extinguishers or special cabinets? If not, is this a legal requirement?

The company who carried out the assessment do not install fire doors no. 

Thanks

 

 

[AnthonyB]

It's completely false that all doors in a commercial building need to be fire doors and it's absolutely not permitted to wait on a roof for rescue - this has never been legally acceptable, you must have sufficient means of escape that do not rely on fire service rescue. In fact nothing much said other than possibly the electrical cupboards is correct. What fire alarm & detection system do you have - that can help in some situations.

I suspect you may need a new FRA!

Where in the UK are you - if I could see the premises I'd have a better idea of what's needed.

[Guest OliRP]

Is that the reason you asked whether the company taking out the FRA installed fire doors?? Because they're pointing out areas that don't need fire doors??

At the moment we are using a howler alarm system but are installing a wired automatic system next month.

We are in Sussex.

 

[AnthonyB]

On 28/11/2024 at 06:41, Guest OliRP said:

Is that the reason you asked whether the company taking out the FRA installed fire doors?? Because they're pointing out areas that don't need fire doors??

At the moment we are using a howler alarm system but are installing a wired automatic system next month.

We are in Sussex.

 

Partly. Sadly I'm not often down that far in the country but with a new BS5839-1 fire detection and alarm system (don't put wired domestic smoke detectors in, you'll just need to replace them again) that has automatic detection as well as just manual call points then it's quite possible that, if in good order, existing older style fire doors to protect the stairway (i.e. open onto it unless a toilet) and to separate the warehouse from the office block may be tolerable.