Choosing the right doors is a pivotal part of fire safety, especially if you are managing a business or industrial premises.
These doors can prove critical in the event of a fire – buying extra time for the evacuation of anyone on the premises, and minimising the spread of the fire, before the emergency services can arrive.
When you choose fire rated doors, you can be sure that the door both meets the UK fire safety regulations, and is suitably equipped to protect your staff and your premises.
In this guide, we’ll explain whether or not this fire rating classification applies to external steel doors, and outline the key differences between fire rated and standard steel doors.
What are the UK fire safety requirements for a fire rated door?
In order to classify as ‘fire rated’, steel fire doors need to adhere to UK Fire Safety regulations BS 476-22:1987 or BS EN 1634-1:2014.
According to the bsi website, BS 476-22 is designed to help safety managers ‘determine the fire resistance of fully insulated door sets, shutter assemblies, lift landing doors, and other essentially vertical separating elements design.’
To meet these standards, fire rated doors need to be tested by an independent third party. The required test procedures are also specified in BS 476-22:1987.
Then, the door will be given an FD code. This code is designed to clearly show how long a door can withstand for.
For example, a door that has been given the code of FD30 is able to withstand a fire for 30 minutes under testing. The four most common FD door codes are FD30, FD60, FD90 and FD120.
What are the key UK fire safety requirements for fire doors?
- The Fire Safety Act 2021 specifies that fire doors should be included in fire risk assessments
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) specifies that landlords are responsible for keeping their properties and tenants safe. As part of this responsibility, they are required to complete a fire risk assessment (for both the domestic buildings, and all non-domestic buildings associated with the property, such as common areas)
- The Home (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 states that landlords must keep their properties “free from hazards”. This includes exposure to uncontrolled fire or smoke
- The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 gives employers responsibility for workplace safety
- Qualified fire risk assessors will need to inspect and maintain the premises, on an ongoing basis
- Fire doors must be fitted by a qualified installer. Then, the original specifications covering the fire door’s use and installation must be adhered to
- Fire doors must be inspected routinely, by qualified fire door inspectors
What is the difference between a normal steel door and a fire rated door?
Many steel doors are fire resistant. But, that does not mean that they are fire rated.
A fire resistant door is a door that has been made from fire resistant materials, such as steel. This means that a very high temperature is required to melt the door. So, on a visual level, it will take a considerable amount of time before a steel door is affected by fire.
However, fire rated doors differ in that they are certified to withstand fire, for a given time period. Not only does this mean that they will not catch fire in that time, but they will also prevent fire or smoke from passing through it, within that time frame. As such, they are critical to ensuring fire safety within a building.
Fire rated doors come with that specific degree of fire safety guarantee, which can be illustrated on the doors themselves, to support your risk assessment and give people on the premises peace of mind.
Can an external steel door be fire rated?
Yes, you can get external steel doors that are fire rated.
In order to meet the requirements of fire rated standards, you will need to provide a certificated door that is heavier than a normal steel door. The external door will also need to feature an overhead hydraulic closer on the inside.
If it possesses these features, and is certified by either the door supplier or an external fire safety regulator, then an external steel door can be fire rated.
If you have any further questions about fire doors, or if you would like to purchase external fire doors to keep your premises safe, the Safe & Secure Shutters team is on hand to help.