A fire door held open with a wedge, fitted with an unsuitable closer or damaged around its edges may look like a minor maintenance issue. During a fire, it can allow smoke and flames to spread into corridors, stairwells and neighbouring areas far sooner than intended. Fire doors are therefore a working part of your building’s fire safety strategy, not simply another item on a maintenance schedule.
For employers, landlords, facilities teams and other duty holders, the priority is clear: make sure each relevant door is suitable, closes properly, is inspected at sensible intervals and is repaired by competent people when faults are found.
Why fire doors matter in commercial premises
A correctly specified fire door is designed to resist the passage of fire and smoke for a stated period, commonly 30 or 60 minutes. It helps contain a fire within the room or compartment where it starts, protecting escape routes and giving occupants more time to leave safely. It can also help firefighters reach the affected area with less risk.
This performance does not come from the door leaf alone. The frame, seals, hinges, closer, glazing, ironmongery and the gap around the door all form part of the tested or assessed door set. Changing one component without considering the rest can compromise the door’s performance.
That is why a solid-looking door is not automatically a compliant fire door. A door may have certification markings but still fail in practice if it is warped, has excessive gaps, does not latch or has been altered for cabling, ventilation or access control.
Fire doors and the duty holder’s responsibilities
In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to take general fire precautions so far as reasonably practicable. The fire risk assessment should identify the measures needed to protect people, including fire-resisting doors where they form part of the premises’ fire precautions.
The requirement is not simply to install a fire door and leave it in place. Duty holders must ensure fire safety measures are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. Records, particularly for larger or more complex sites, provide useful evidence that checks have been planned, completed and followed up.
Requirements and guidance can differ in Scotland and other parts of the UK, while higher-risk residential buildings may have additional obligations. The appropriate approach depends on the premises, its occupants, the building layout and the findings of the fire risk assessment. A school, care setting, healthcare site, warehouse and multi-let office building will not necessarily need the same inspection regime.
What a professional fire door inspection should assess
A competent inspection considers whether the door set will perform as intended, rather than focusing on appearance alone. The assessor should identify the door’s location and purpose, check available labels or plugs, and examine the components that affect fire and smoke resistance.
Key checks usually include:
- The condition of the door leaf and frame, including damage, warping, holes, unsuitable cut-outs and unapproved alterations.
- The size and consistency of gaps around the door, particularly at the top and sides, and whether the threshold arrangement is appropriate.
- Intumescent and smoke seals, ensuring they are present where required, secure, undamaged and free from paint or obstruction.
- Hinges, closers, latches and other ironmongery, confirming the door closes fully into the frame and latches without being forced.
- Glazing, vision panels, signage and any hold-open device, checking that these are suitable and do not compromise the door set.
A close test is one of the most practical checks. From an open position, the door should close fully against the stops and engage the latch. A door that drifts open, sticks on flooring, rebounds from the frame or needs a push to latch should not be dismissed as a minor annoyance. It may fail to protect a route when people need it most.
Common faults that need prompt attention
Many fire door defects arise through everyday use rather than deliberate neglect. Repeated impact from trolleys, doorstops, deliveries and high footfall can damage leaves and frames. Refurbishment work may lead to painted-over seals, replacement hinges of an unknown specification or holes left after old security equipment has been removed.
The most common issue remains doors being wedged open. This is often a response to heat, noise, access needs or busy movement between rooms. However, a wedged door cannot contain fire or smoke. If a door needs to remain open during normal operations, a suitable automatic hold-open system linked to the fire alarm may be appropriate. Whether this is viable depends on the door, alarm system and risk assessment.
Other faults that should be dealt with promptly include missing or damaged intumescent seals, loose hinges, non-functioning closers, excessive gaps and doors that cannot fully close because of carpet, flooring changes or furniture. Temporary fixes can create bigger problems. For example, trimming a door leaf to clear a new floor covering may create an unacceptable gap at the bottom.
How often should fire doors be checked?
There is no single inspection interval that suits every commercial building. The frequency should be proportionate to risk and set out through the fire risk assessment and maintenance arrangements. Doors in high-use routes, stairwells, plant rooms, kitchens, schools, care environments or areas exposed to damage may need more frequent attention than a rarely used internal door.
Routine visual checks by site staff are valuable because they spot obvious defects between formal inspections. These may be daily, weekly or monthly depending on the premises. More detailed periodic inspections should be carried out by a competent person who can recognise faults, assess their significance and recommend suitable remedial work.
A sensible programme also responds to change. Arrange checks after refurbishment, changes to access control, new flooring, a fire incident, impact damage or alterations to compartment walls. These are all points at which a previously satisfactory door set can be compromised.
Recording inspections and managing repairs
An inspection report should do more than state that doors have been checked. It should identify each door or location, record the defects found, explain the recommended action and help the responsible person prioritise repairs. Clear records support maintenance planning and demonstrate that issues have not been ignored.
Not every fault requires replacement. A suitable repair may be possible where the door set remains fundamentally sound and compatible components can be fitted correctly. In other cases, particularly where there is severe damage, unknown construction, extensive alteration or an unsuitable frame, replacement may be the safer and more cost-effective option.
Repairs should not be handed to a general contractor without confirming competence and the specification of replacement parts. Fire doors are not interchangeable assemblies. The right seals, hinges, closer and glazing system must suit the door’s intended rating and construction.
Keeping compliance practical across your site
The best fire door arrangements are easy for staff to follow. Label doors clearly, brief employees not to wedge them open, give cleaners and maintenance teams a simple route for reporting damage, and keep inspection records in one accessible place. Facilities managers should also ensure that contractors understand they must not drill, cut or alter fire doors without approval.
Planning inspections around your operating hours reduces disruption while keeping safety work moving. For sites with multiple compliance responsibilities, coordinating fire door checks with fire extinguisher servicing, fire risk assessment actions and other planned visits can make records easier to manage.
Janus Safety Solutions provides practical fire door inspection support for organisations that need clear findings, reliable site attendance and a compliance-focused approach. Addressing defects early is usually simpler than managing a failure after an audit, incident or enforcement visit.
A fire door only protects people when it is able to close, seal and resist fire as intended. Treat each defect as a chance to strengthen the safety of the building before it becomes an emergency.