Door Industry Journal - Winter 2018

“ “ 115 THE door industry journal winter 2018 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk Fire & Security as well as the installation of these doorsets. As well as this, Brian proposed mandatory regular inspection and maintenance of said fire doors. A culture change is required to support the delivery of buildings that are safe, both now and in the future. Ross Newman, Project Engineer at UL International, also reinforced Brian’s message of mandating third party certification for fire door manufacture, installation, maintenance and inspection. He then went on to cover the findings of the Grenfell investigations and the impact these have had on the composite door industry. Ross concluded by saying: “There is a need for further clarification on the requirements for testing fire doors in both opening directions, as well as a need for a full review and revision of Approved Document B - Appendix B - fire doors, which is expected to start shortly.” Michael Skelding, General Manager and Secretary of the Door & Hardware Federation ( dhf ) discussed a case study involving a local council and incorrect fire door installation, which cost the local authority millions to fix. He concluded with three key messages: “Our advice would be to always specify third-party certified doorsets, prepared in the factory; to take responsibility in helping review obsolete standards; and to review training and apprenticeship opportunities in order to lead to recognised qualifications.” Harish Garara, Installation Manager for ASSA ABLOY Security Doors brought to light a number of real-life education and commercial office case studies where installation issues affected the performance of fire doors in-situ. Harish drew on the lessons from these examples and outlined what could be done to avoid these common faults, with the main takeaways being to strictly adhere to specification, to always gain proof of certification for fire doors and to employ only certified installers. Nick Lacey, Fire Safety Inspecting Officer for West Midlands Fire Service went through a fire safety risk assessment overview. He covered The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and what it meant for building owners, facilities managers and persons responsible for fire door safety. The attendees of the event then had the opportunity to engage with Brian and Nick who joined Iain McIlwee, Chief Executive of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) and David Hindle, Head of Door Closer Sales for ASSA ABLOY UK to form a discussion panel, to share their expertise in fire door safety. Key topics discussed included compartmentation in buildings, the future of fire door safety, certification and standards. ASSA ABLOY UK draws on many years of experience within the fire door industry and wants to utilise this expertise to help guide persons responsible for fire safety through this time of uncertainty. That is why events such as this are vital to help raise awareness and facilitate a culture shift in all areas of the building industry and to help raise the bar on quality standards necessary for fire door safety. To download ASSA ABLOY’s whitepaper in response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, please visit www.assaabloy.co.uk/FDSW2018 .