How to Survey a Fire Door
Posted on 5th August 2024
In order to survey a fire door correctly and effectively, you will need to find a contracted surveyor, such as GRJ. We will then thoroughly evaluate your fire doors by visual assessment, functionality assessment and its compliance in accordance with the latest regulations. There are no shortcuts when it comes to fire door surveying, so choose someone you can trust, choose GRJ Surveying.
What Is a Fire Door Survey?
To understand how to survey a fire door, you must first understand what you are surveying and why it is needed.
A fire door survey is a comprehensive inspection, assessment and evaluation of all the fire doors within a building. All of these doors are subject to specific building codes, regulations and requirements to ensure they are secure and safe in case of fire.
Due to the potential risks associated with fire doors, these surveys should always be conducted by qualified surveyors. Here at GRJ Surveying we provide comprehensive fire door surveys under the BM Trada Q-Mark maintenance scheme, ensuring that all of your fire doors meet industry standards.
Why Is a Fire Door Survey Important?
To put it plainly, fire door surveys can be the difference between life and death. If these surveys are not taken seriously or are undertaken to poor standards, it could be detrimental to you and your building.
Fire doors act as a barrier against potential breaches in safety and security and, when surveyed appropriately, they proactively tackle risks associated with fire. However, fire door surveys are not only important for safety reasons, they can have financial implications as well.
An annual fire door survey ensures legal compliance, which if not adhered to, can lead to fines and penalties for the property owner. Furthermore, if a fire does occur, insurance claims may be denied if the fire door survey is not up-to-date and correctly assessed.
How to Survey a Fire Door:
After you have found your qualified surveyor, like GRJ Surveying, we will begin to survey your fire door to check that it adheres to health and safety regulations.
Risk Assessment
Prior to conducting the fire door survey, our surveyor will perform a risk assessment. This involves reviewing the building plans to identify any areas of fire risk. This is to ensure the surveyor knows about the building, its history and any high-risk points before beginning the survey.
Visual Assessment
The survey will begin with a visual inspection of the fire door and its frame. This will involve the surveyor looking at aspects of the door such as the labelling, hinges, framing, fire stopping and condition. They will look for any areas of damage or wear-and-tear that needs to be addressed and fixed.
Compliance Evaluation
The UK government has stringent regulations for fire doors that must be followed. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, BS 9999 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are all in place to ensure fire doors adhere to fire and building safety.
The surveyor will examine the fire doors and check they are compliant with all the regulations set out by the government. These regulations are in place to provide maximum effectiveness, meaning there is no shortcut. Our surveyors make sure that your fire doors adhere to all regulations, providing you with safety and peace-of-mind.
Identification of Issues
The final part of the survey is the identification of any issues and how to rectify them. When undertaking the survey, our qualified surveyor will be taking notes of any current, potential or future issues.
For issues that need immediate attention, our surveyors will inform the property owner, advise them how to fix the issue and provide a time frame in which this must be resolved. If these are not resolved in time, this can lead to fines, closure or legal issues for the property owner.
Common Issues with Fire Doors:
When fire doors fail their survey it can be for many different reasons, however it tends to be the same few issues that are much more common than others.
Damaged Seals
The primary function of a fire door is to resist the spread of fire throughout the building and a main part of maintaining this function is the seals. These seals expand as they increase in temperature, sealing the gaps in the door frame. However, if the seals are damaged and unable to expand and close gaps, the fire door’s function is compromised making it easier for the fire to spread.
Misaligned Door Frame
If the door frame is not aligned and installed correctly, the effectiveness of the fire door reduces. Gaps can become present or the door may not be able to close properly, leading to easy movement for smoke and fire.
Faulty Stoppers and Hinges
A fire door is designed to self-close after opening to stop fire spreading. If these stoppers are damaged or the hinges are worn, the closing speed of the door may change, thus preventing the door from closing and latching securely.
How GRJ Surveying Can Help
Here at GRJ Surveying we have a team of professional, qualified and accredited surveyors that have years of experience with fire door surveys. Our comprehensive fire door surveys are under the BM Trada Q-Mark maintenance scheme to ensure that your fire doors meet the necessary regulations and requirements.
From schools to offices to multiple occupancy residential buildings GRJ has you covered for fire door surveying in commercial and residential properties. Our fire door surveyors are third party accredited with BM Trada, ASFP, Constructionline Gold and CHAS.
So if you are in need of a fire door surveyor you can rely on, get in touch with our team today.
Tagged as: fire door survey, how to survey a fire door
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