For commercial office spaces, fire safety is not only a legal obligation but a safeguard for people’s lives and the property itself. Fire doors play a crucial role in ensuring shared areas are protected. However, it is one of the areas often overlooked for the more obvious protection measures, such as fire alarms.

Whether it’s a stairwell exit or a cupboard tucked into a corridor, every fire door matters.

Are your office fire doors truly compliant? Understanding your responsibilities, recognising common faults, and establishing regular inspection routines are key to ensuring they perform their vital function when it matters most.

Here’s everything you need to know about fire doors as the responsible person in your office space.

Why are fire doors so important?

Fire doors are designed to resist fire and smoke, buying precious minutes for safe evacuation. Outside of standard fire doors on fire escape routes and entranceways, this also includes:

• Riser cupboards with cabling and ductwork
• Service rooms housing electrics
• Store cupboards with combustible materials

If these open onto escape routes and their fire doors fail, the corridor becomes a hazard, making it harder for people to escape safely.

Who is responsible for office fire safety?

In the UK, fire safety responsibility in commercial premises primarily falls to the ‘Responsible Person’. This individual or company is typically:

• The employer: If the premises are an independently owned workplace.
• The owner or landlord: Especially for common areas in multi-occupied buildings.
• An occupier: If they have control over the premises.
• Anyone else with control of the premises, such as a facilities manager, building manager, or managing agent.

If there’s more than one ‘Responsible Person’, for example, a landlord and multiple tenants, they must work together to coordinate fire safety plans and meet their obligations.

The core duties of the ‘Responsible Person’, as outlined in The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO), include:

• Carrying out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and reviewing it regularly.
• Identifying fire risks and informing staff about them.
• Implementing and maintaining appropriate fire safety measures.
• Planning for emergencies and providing staff with information, instruction, and training.
• Ensuring fire safety equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order, and in good repair. This specifically includes fire doors.

Failure to comply with these regulations can lead to significant fines and even imprisonment

Common Issues For Fire Doors:

Fire doors are not just any doors; they are engineered systems designed to resist fire and smoke for a specified period, typically 30 or 60 minutes (FD30 or FD60). However, effectiveness is severely compromised if they are not correctly installed or maintained. 

Here are some of the most common fire door faults our Assess team experiences on a day-to-day basis:

Incorrect Gaps: The recommended gap between the door and the frame should be between 2mm and 4mm. Larger gaps mean smoke and flames will bypass the door’s protection, meaning shared areas are compromised quickly.

Missing or Damaged Intumescent Seals: These critical seals, located around the edges of the door, expand when exposed to heat, sealing the above gaps and preventing smoke and fire from spreading quickly. If they are missing, painted over, or incorrectly fitted, the door will fail to protect the building and those in the shared areas.

Incorrect Hinges: Fire doors are heavier than standard doors and require at least three fire-rated hinges certified to support their weight and withstand the high temperatures that fires generate. Non-fire-rated hinges will fail, causing the door to warp or detach from the frame, leaving less time for those in the building to escape unharmed.

Faulty or Missing Door Closers: A fire door must automatically close and latch firmly into its frame from any open position. If the closer does not do this, the door may remain open or ajar, rendering it useless if the worst does occur.

Also, many doors fail if they are propped open on purpose, which is a very common fail, so clear and effective signage is key here.

Damaged Door or Frame: Cracks, holes, or warping in the door itself or the frame can compromise its integrity, and like many on this list, render it unsafe in a fire.

Any alterations, such as drilling new locks, without the correct fire-stopping measures, will reduce fire resistance.

How often should you undergo an inspection?

Regular inspections are paramount to ensuring fire doors remain fit for purpose. While the FSO mandates that fire doors are “subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair,” specific frequencies vary based on building type, usage, and risk assessment.

General recommendations and legal requirements in the UK include:

Frequent Visual Checks (Weekly/Monthly): 

The ‘Responsible Person’ or a designated competent individual, such as a fire marshal or facilities manager, should conduct regular visual checks. This involves looking for obvious damage, ensuring doors are not wedged open, and that self-closing devices are working. 

The frequency may depend on the building’s fire risk assessment and the door’s usage, for example, high-traffic doors may need more regular checks

Formal Inspections by a Competent Person (At least every six months): 

For most commercial and workplace settings, it is widely recommended that fire doors undergo a formal inspection by a qualified fire safety consultant or specialist at least every six months.

Specific Regulations for High-Rise Residential Buildings (over 11 metres): 

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 mandate more frequent inspections for these buildings:

Communal fire doors – At least every three months.

Flat entrance doors – At least annually.

These checks must specifically include ensuring that self-closing devices are working.

Thorough documentation of all inspections and any remedial actions taken is crucial for demonstrating compliance during audits or potential legal investigations . Regular checks aren’t just best practice, they’re part of your legal responsibility as the Responsible Person, under the Fire Safety Order and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.