What is Regulation 10 (Fire Safety) and how does it effect you? Regulation 10 fire doors -

Regulation 10 of The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

These regulations came into force on 23 January 2023, and they extend the duties

imposed on responsible persons by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (Fire

Safety Order), implementing many of the recommendations made to government in the

Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry in the Phase 1 report noted that “Fire doors play an

essential role in preventing or inhibiting the spread of smoke and toxic gases and in

preserving the effective compartmentation of buildings.”

The Inquiry noted that the fire doors in Grenfell Tower did not, through damage

and/or disrepair, act in the way that they should so that they prevent smoke and

gases from spreading.

What is Regulation 10?

Regulation 10 of The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 refers to Fire Doors

and sets out the required duties to be carried out by the responsible person.

Regulation 10 states the following:

(1) The responsible person, in relation to a building which contains two or more

sets of domestic premises and which contains common parts through which

residents would need to evacuate in the case of an emergency, must provide

the required information about fire doors to the residents of the building.

(2) The required information referred to in paragraph (1) is information to the

effect that

(a) fire doors should be kept shut when not in use;

(b) residents or their guests should not tamper with the self-closing devices; and

(c) residents should report any faults or damages with doors immediately to the

responsible person;

(3) The required information must be provided by the responsible person—

(a) to a new resident of domestic premises in the building, as soon as reasonably

practicable after that resident moves into the premises; and

(b) to all residents of domestic premises within the building, within each period of

12 months beginning with the date these Regulations come into force.

(4) The responsible person, in relation to a building which contains two or more

sets of domestic premises and which is above 11 metres in height, must use best

endeavours to undertake checks of fire doors at the entrances of individual

domestic premises in the building at least every 12 months.

(5) The responsible person must keep a record of the steps taken to comply with

the obligation in paragraph (4) including in any case where access to the

domestic premises was not granted during any 12-month period, the steps taken

by the responsible person to try and gain access.

(6) The responsible person in relation to a building which contains two or more

sets of domestic premises and which is above 11 metres in height, must

undertake checks of any fire doors in communal areas of the building at least

every 3 months.

(7) The checks required by paragraphs (4) and (6) must include ensuring that the

self-closing devices for the doors are working.

(8) For the purposes of this regulation, height measurement of a building is to be

calculated to the height to the top storey in accordance with regulation 3(2)(a).

Key Points:

 Fire doors are crucial in preventing the spread of fire and smoke in buildings.

 Undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors (including self-closing devices) in the

common parts

 Undertake annual checks of all flat entrance doors (including self-closing devices)

that lead onto a building’s common parts

Fire door inspections should check:

 if there has been any alterations or damage to a door’s glazing apertures or air

transfer grille

 if there are any gaps around the door frame and that seals and hinges are fitted

correctly

 that the door closer shuts the door

 that the door closes correctly around the whole frame

 that there is no visible damage (either deliberate or from wear and tear) to the

door or door closer

Conclusion:

Regular fire door inspections are crucial. They are mandatory in order to comply with

Fire Safety legislation and to ensure they will perform their required function.

By investing in an expert fire door inspection service, you can be confident the fire

doors within your building are compliant, protecting occupants and the building in the

unfortunate event of a fire.

What Gold Fire can do to help you meet Reg 10 requirements:

To help you meet the requirements of Regulation 10, Gold Fire Services can provide

a professional and efficient fire door inspection service, with a full digital report

containing photographic evidence and tagging of each door. This allows the

responsible person to keep an organised record of the regular inspections carried

out on the fire doors in their building.