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Replace non-compliant fire doors, government says

Fire doors suspected of failing to meet the required safety standard should be replaced, the government has said.

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Picture: Getty
Picture: Getty
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Replace suspect fire doors, government says #ukhousing

An advice note sent out this week by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on behalf of its expert advisory panel on fire safety, said flat entrance front doors should be replaced if landlords or building owners “suspect they do not meet the fire or smoke resistance performance in the building regulations guidance”.

Fire risk assessments should be used “to determine how urgently such doors should be replaced”, the note added.

Housing secretary James Brokenshire did not specify that faulty doors should be replaced in a written statement issued last month.

Fire doors are required to meet a standard of 30 minutes’ fire resistance, which is tested by placing the door in a gas furnace for half an hour.


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Fire doors from five different suppliers have been identified as failing to meet safety standards since issues were uncovered with the doors in Grenfell Tower in March.

The note also said that third-party checks on fire doors “can provide landlords and building owners greater assurance on the performance of the doors”.

It added that “government is working with third-party certification bodies to agree minimum standards”.

However, the note also stated that the expert panel’s advice is that third-party certification “should not be solely relied upon” and said certification provided by the manufacturer “will provide additional assurance of performance”.

Industry bodies have repeatedly called on ministers to make third-party tests of fire door products compulsory.

The third-party scheme is currently voluntary, with nearly half the UK fire door market estimated as not subject to checks from external organisations.

At least one of the fire door products which have been identified as failing safety standards since Grenfell was not third-party accredited.

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