Improving safety and compliance across the industry - Fire Door Maintenance

Improving safety and compliance across the industry

12 April 2024 FDM Comments Off

Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

Enforced in January 2023, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 regulations set new legal duties for those who own or manage multi-occupied residential buildings over 11m high. These include new procedures for checking fire doors to make sure they are still suitable after their original fire risk assessment.

The person legally responsible for a building’s fire safety, known as the ‘responsible person’ must carry out annual inspections on all flat entrance doors, and quarterly checks on fire doors within communal areas and which cross corridors. A responsible person is usually the building’s landlord or manager.

The overall aim is to ensure fire doors are in good working order, including checking for any defects which could undermine their ability to prevent fire and smoke from spreading.

Section 156 of the Building Safety Act

Comes into effect 1st October 2023

  • The fire risk assessment must be a written document
  • Policies and procedures must also be a written documents
  • Residents must have access to relevant fire safety information
  • The name and UK address for the responsible and accountable people
  • The identity of any person making assessments on behalf of the responsible person e.g. who has carried out the Fire Risk Assessment, Fire Extinguisher checks, Fire Alarm checks, Sprinkler checks etc.
  • Outgoing/Incoming responsible people must pass all relevant fire safety information (written records)
  • Must be adequate cooperation between responsible people (communal areas)

For higher risk buildings (over 18M) the term “Risk Based” has been removed and “Proof” is now required

  • This applies to all types of buildings (not just residential!)
  • The Fire authorities will be responsible for building inspections.
  • The Fire authorities are allowed to request all the above written documentation in advance of any building inspection.
  • Failure to supply the written documentation will be a breach of the rules.
  • A breach will most likely result in a prosecution and fines.