Fire Door Safety Week 2022: Why are fire doors so important for businesses?

All businesses in the UK must think about fire safety and how having different measures installed will work to protect your premises, staff, customers and inventory. Although you may be looking for ways to save money in this current climate, fire safety is not an area to cut corners on. If you do have a fire on your premises, it has the potential to completely halt your business’s operations and cost far more than preventative measures would have.

But how important are fire doors to businesses? Please read on to find out all the important information you need regarding all things fire doors.

What Is Fire Door Safety Week?

Fire Door Safety Week 2022 is taking place between 31st October and 4th November 2022. It is a awareness campaign to help people and businesses to understand why fire doors are so important. There are plenty of videos and helpful advice that you can make use of on their website.

Not only that, but The Fire Door Safety Week Toolkit is also available for you to browse and get to grips with in order to learn more. The main idea is to spread awareness and allow more people and businesses to help check for faulty doors and poor installation. Doing so helps to prevent the spread of fires and could potentially save lives.

Why should businesses have fire doors installed?

The Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry noted that: “Fire doors play an essential role in preventing or inhibiting the spread of smoke and toxic gases and in preserving the effective compartmentation of buildings.” As a result of Grenfell Tower not having its fire doors properly fitted, as well as other contributing factors, 72 people sadly passed away.

In order to keep the occupants of your building safe during a fire, fire doors are an essential component that needs to be correctly installed. This Fire Door Safety Week Video shows you exactly how vital good specification and installation are when it comes to fitting a Fire Door. This really can be the crucial difference between life and death.

Do you know about the five-step fire door check?

Business owners and compliance managers can follow an easy five-step door check to initially assess the quality and compliance of their fire doors:

Labels – look for labels and markings to show the door is third party certified and can be traced to the manufacturer;
Signage – check that your fire doors have the appropriate safety signs in place to advise people it is a fire door and needs to remain shut;
Frame – Check that the door closes tightly against the frame, that appropriate fire and smoke seals are in place and it closes correctly with an even gap all around of no more than 3mm;
Hinges – Check the fire-rated hinges are fitted firmly in the door and that there are no missing screws;
 Damage – Make sure the door is not damaged in any way and not ever wedged or propped open.

The simple steps above can give you more of an understanding and awareness behind the compliance of fire doors. We would always recommend upon completing your visual checks that you have a more thorough inspection done by a qualified organisation. The above visual check can be completed by a member of your team on a monthly basis to ensure fire doors are constantly front of mind. It is advised that a fire door inspection is carried out by a qualified and competent organisation every 6 months.

What other fire safety precautions can help?

On top of fire doors, your business should update your fire risk assessment regularly. This is to ensure that your building fire safety plan is kept up to date and any recommended actions are taken. Your fire risk assessment will also advise the best use of fire doors in your premises.

Emergency lighting, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and fire alarm monitoring are all incredibly important to improving fire safety precautions as well. The more you have in place, the safer you will be overall. Jackson Fire & Security can provide a complete fire safety solution to ensure your premises is fully protected and compliant.

Why consider other fire safety precautions?

Fire doors are integral to boosting your safety and protecting your business. But by having multiple fire safety precautions in place, you can increase your chances of survival and better protect your premises. It’s important to remember that you are responsible for the fire safety of your business, and you must be confident that you have done everything you can to keep everyone safe. As an employer, you must carry out fire safety checks and make sure that the building is protected.

By doing all of this, you are actively safeguarding your employees and potential customers. As well as checking to see if you need fire doors or other fire safety precautions, fire risk assessments will also identify potential ignition sources and weak spots for fire to take hold in your building. These can be heaters, lighting, naked flames, electrical equipment, cigarettes etc. By having this assessment done and keeping it up to date, you are able to follow up on the actions recommended and mitigate the risks of a fire in your building.

How can you stop fires in the workplace?

At Jackson Fire & Security, we have everything your business needs to keep it safe from potential fires and limit the damage if one does occur. Whether it be fire doors, emergency lighting, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, fire risk assessments, or fire alarm monitoring, we are confident that we can help. Get in touch to find out more about our range of fire safety services!