Fire Door Faults Not Reported – Lives At Risk

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Nearly 60 per cent of the UK public couldn’t spot a problem with a fire door, leading to a failure to report issues, alarming new research has revealed.

The survey of 2,000 UK adults found that while awareness over factors that might prevent a fire door performing properly in the event of a fire is high, the majority of people couldn’t identify a faulty fire door.

The theme for this year’s Fire Door Safety Week (25-29 September) has been ‘Recognise it, Report it’. It has aimed to help people spot problems with faulty doors so they can be reported, then repaired or replaced.

A lack of knowledge over what constitutes a faulty fire door leads to under-reporting, with 29% of respondents saying they wouldn’t report a faulty fire door for this reason – putting themselves and others at risk.

Nothing done

Worryingly, 21% said the reason they wouldn’t report in future is because they don’t think anything would get done. Almost half (49%) didn’t feel it’s their responsibility to report a faulty fire door.

Smoke kills

It wasn’t just issues with spotting and reporting problems that were prevalent, there was also a lack of understanding over the purpose of fire doors and how they function. More people believed that a fire door aids in stopping the spread of fire (46%) than the spread of smoke (32%). Only a fully functioning fire door will protect property and life from fire and smoke, with smoke inhalation being the main cause of fire-related deaths.

Spot the prop

Despite a lack of confidence in their ability to spot a problem with a fire door, there were some positive signs. 60% of individuals would report a faulty or propped open fire door because they would feel responsible if a fire occurred that they feel they could have prevented. Also, the majority (86%) said they would report a faulty or propped open fire door in the future.

Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British Woodworking Federation which organises and funds Fire Door Safety Week, said: “Fire doors perform an essential role in the event of a fire – they are the barrier preventing the spread of fire and smoke. They simply must be in working order. Keeping them so relies on everybody who encounters them to spot and report issues, so they can be immediately addressed.

“The fact that so many say they are unable or unwilling to do so is incredibly worrying and puts lives at risk. As part of this year’s campaign, which marks 10 years of Fire Door Safety Week, we’ve provided the tools to be able to recognise major fire door faults and to boost confidence over reporting them.”

Workplace awareness

The survey also highlighted that the level of guidance people receive over how to spot a faulty fire door is higher in their place of work than the buildings where they live. More than a third (38%) of respondents said their employer has explained to them how to spot a faulty fire door in the building, compared to 26% of respondents’ landlords who’ve communicated this.

Picture: A vast number people could not spot and thus report, a problem with a fire door.

www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
26th September 2023

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