ASSA ABLOY Door Group recommends fire door inspections ahead of the Building Safety Bill

ASSA ABLOY Door Group, a unit of ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland, is encouraging landlords and building managers to take a more proactive role towards fire door inspections, in support of the draft Building Safety Bill.

Following on from the recommendations of Dame Judith Hackitt in her 2018 Independent Review of Building Regulations & Fire Safety, the draft Building Safety Bill was published for pre-legislative review earlier this year. The Dame, who is chairing the industry safety steering group, has now revealed that the UK government is working on changes to the draft Bill before it’s brought before parliament early next year.

The new Bill will introduce the concept of an “Accountable Person” and a Building Safety Manager (BSM) for each residential building, with the intention of eradicating any confusion when it comes to responsibility, and ensuring direct liability for a building and its assets.

One of the largest roles of the BSM and “Accountable Person” will be to ensure maintenance and repairs are always up to date and up to standard.

Fire doors are one of the most important safety features in a building, and regular inspections are essential to fully ensure health and safety measures are met in both residential and commercial properties.

As part of its commitment to fire door safety, Door Group provide a fully comprehensive inspection which can be carried out every three, four, six or 12 months to suit specific requirements.

Brian Sofley, Managing Director for Door Group, explains: “Here at Door Group, we can offer detailed reports following our inspections, containing advice and recommendations on necessary improvements. Identifying and acting on potential issues that could impact safety and product performance can be lifesaving.

“If any issues do occur, a tailored repair proposal is issued to include anything from replacement doors to a regular maintenance program. Door Group inspectors are BRE-certified and ensure that all fire doors inspected meet all necessary standards and regulations.”

In response to the ongoing challenges and needs in the industry, ASSA ABLOY has also continued with substantial testing and standardising of its door closers.

As a result, its door closers have demonstrated that use on metal fire doors is not restricted by the side of the door to which it is required to be installed and remains fully compliant with EN1634 on any uninsulated metal fire door. With no caveats attached to the series, this takes away a huge risk of error in the design, manufacture and installation process. Furthermore, stringent testing has proved the EN1634 range dependable for up to 240 minutes of integrity.

For more information visit www.assaabloyopeningsolutions.co.uk or email AASDsales@assaabloy.com

-ends-