Fire Doors and Finger Safety: Can Finger Guards Be Installed Without Compromising Regulations?

10 Dec Fire Doors and Finger Safety: Can Finger Guards Be Installed Without Compromising Regulations?

The importance of fire safety should never be taken for granted. Whether at home or in the workplace, a solid fire safety plan is the key to protecting people and property, as well as remaining fully compliant with the latest health and safety legislation.

In commercial environments, there are several fire safety requirements to fulfil. By law, every business must carry out a fire risk assessment. They must also have equipment, systems and procedures in place to detect, extinguish and escape the identified fire risks. The installation of fire doors is a vital part of the puzzle, but can the safety of this essential be bolstered even more with finger guards?

Why are fire doors so important?

One of the main reasons why fire doors are such a crucial aspect of any commercial, industrial or public setting is the life-saving protection they provide. Fire doors are specifically designed to withstand fire and smoke for a certain period.

In the event of a fire, your fire doors will contain flames and smoke to give the people within more time to get to safety. Strategically placed fire doors also give you the chance to compartmentalise the emergency, with each area able to be sealed off, slowing the spread of fire and minimising damage dramatically.

Without properly fitted and maintained fire doors, fire and smoke can spread in a matter of seconds, turning safe escape routes into deadly traps.

Are fire doors required by law?

The use of fire doors in UK buildings is a critical part of fire safety design. As a result, it’s a legal requirement under several regulations. We’ll let Urmson Fire Specialists explain more about your legal obligations in this area:

“The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) is the cornerstone of UK fire safety law, placing legal responsibility on the Responsible Person (typically the building owner, employer, or managing agent) to ensure that fire safety measures — including fire doors — are properly installed and maintained.”

By law, all fire doors should also meet specific testing standards. These mainly revolve around the level of fire resistance they offer and for what period of time. This is typically between 30 minutes (FD30) and 60 minutes (FD60).

What are the trapping risks associated with this door type?

While designed, developed, tested and installed to make your building safer during an emergency, fire doors can present hazards in other scenarios.

Due to the fire resistance they make possible, this door type is very heavy. It’s also considerably thicker than a standard door. The added heaviness and thickness, plus their accompanying self-closing mechanisms, can mean devastating results in the event of finger entrapment.

Can finger guards be fitted on fire doors?

Yes! In fact, it’s recommended that you have finger guards fitted on both sides to keep your fire doors as safe as possible, and wandering hands and fingers out of harm’s way. With the use of fire door finger guards, you can put safety first from every angle, preventing trapping accidents in a simple and cost effective manner.

The use of finger guards on fire doors and emergency exits does not compromise their safety, or minimise compliance with associated fire safety regulations. Our products even boast a four-hour fire rating as confirmed by Underwriters Laboratories (UK) Ltd, which means they also act as highly efficient draft excluders and smoke inhibitors.

Enhance your building’s safety features by exploring our fire door finger guards today.