The Fire Door Regulations For Commercial Offices

In 2006 the ‘Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 came into force. The order applies to virtually all commercial premises in England and Wales and all building operators have a legal duty to appoint a ‘responsible person’ which may be the operator themselves, the employer, the occupier, or the building owner. The responsible person must comply with the regulations which comprehensively cover a variety of fire precautions within the premises themselves including the use of internal fire doors to prevent the spread of fire.

Duty To Take General Fire Precautions

The responsible person has a duty to take general fire precautions to ensure the safety of people upon the premises, whether they are employees or visitors to the building. Of these general fire precaution measures, four relate specifically to the use of office fire doors.

Reduce The Risk Of Spread Of Fire On The Premises

Professionally manufactured, designed, and installed fire doors will reduce the risk of the spread of fire. Both the location of the door itself and the type of fire door need to be considered when ensuring that your commercial office space is meeting regulations. For example, glazed fire doors that are off a stairwell may be required to be of a different type than the internal fire doors between offices.

In Relation To The Means Of Escape From The Premises

Office fire doors must be suitable not only in the type of door but also in their function as a door. Doors that are fitted badly may be difficult to open in the event of a fire preventing a means of escape for people on site and would be a breach of the regulations.

Poorly fitted fire doors are not the only consideration when it comes to the means of escape. It is also important to make sure that your doors can be accessed easily and that they are never blocked if they are on an emergency exit route.

Mitigate The Effects Of The Fire

Well made, well fitted fire doors prevent the spread of a fire and can mitigate the effects in the event of a fire. The integrity (or fire resistance time) of a door is an important consideration when considering the fire doors within your commercial office space. As mentioned previously, doors in certain locations will be required to be of different specifications as they may require a different integrity.

If In Doubt Ask

Fire door regulations for commercial offices can be very complex but are very important so if you’re not sure about what doors you need and where they need to be within your offices it really is just best to ask a qualified expert for their professional advice.

Enfield Doors

Our team of experts is always on hand to guide you and give you sound and pragmatic advice based on years of experience and successful installations.

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