Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 104 THE door industry journal spring 2025 Doorsets, Fire Doors, Safety & Security Preparing for the Transition to the European Standard Testing of Fire Doors The Government recently announced that EN 13501 European classification standards for fire testing will replace the National classification (British Standards) in Approved Document B from 2029. The has raised concerns amongst those responsible for specifying and maintaining fire doors as to whether products tested under British Standards currently meet industry requirements. While this transition has raised questions, it’s crucial to emphasise that British Standard-tested fire doors remain fit for purpose. So, how can we as an industry reassure and support our fire door customers ahead of the upcoming changes? What prompted the transition? The UK Government’s ambition to establish a single classification system aligns with recommendations from the Hackitt Report, which called for greater clarity and transparency in building safety. The withdrawal of BS 476 aligns with this, addressing areas for improvement highlighted by the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The Grenfell Inquiry exposed weaknesses in the testing and classification systems for reaction to fire, particularly concerning exterior insulation and cladding. However, no similar issues were identified with the fire resistance testing of flat entrance doors. Fire doors tested to the British Standard under BS 476-22 were found to meet the required standards and no concerns were raised about their performance. There was, however, a concern raised that while composite fire doors claimed this level of performance, it was later found they could not provide more than 20 minutes fire resistance. This in turn triggered MHCLG’s investigation into the reliability of fire doors. We believe confusion has stemmed from conflating the broader issues around fire resistance with the reliability of timber fire doors tested under British Standards. It’s crucial to separate these concerns and reassure customers about the dependability of British Standard tested fire doors. Providing reassurance to fire door customers British Standards remain effective and valid for testing fire doors, until the implementation of the European classification system in four years. For this reason, it’s important to reassure fire door specifiers as well as those responsible for maintaining fire doors that the British Standard for testing fire doors continues to meet the necessary safety and performance requirements. To do this we can share key information about the performance of timber fire doors. For example, during an MHCLG investigation following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the reliability of timber fire doors was evaluated. All the timber fire doors tested passed the 30-minute standard in both directions. This led to the investigation concluding timber fire doors perform consistently when tested for fire resistance and pass the 30-minute required standard when manufactured to specification. Helen Hewitt, Chief Executive Officer at the British Woodworking Federation (BWF)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzg2Nzk=