Facilities managers are being urged to undertake fire safety checks during Fire Door Safety Week, which runs until September 21.
There are three million fire doors installed annually in the UK and those with the relevant responsibility are being urged to check any door with a fire door sign on it – then report any which appear to be damaged, are being propped open or are failing to close as intended.
The initiative is the brainchild of BWF Certfire, the British Woodworking Federation scheme for fire door manufacturers and suppliers.
It is intended to raise awareness of fire safety in every apartment block, hotel, office, restaurant, bar and other commercial and public building.
The law says we must be protected by suitable fire doors in almost all the buildings we use every day, said BWF Certfire spokesman John Fletcher.
This includes offices, factories, schools, shops, restaurants and hotels – plus flats and other homes with rooms in the roof or integral garages.
A fire door is an engineered safety device and can save lives and property if made, fitted and maintained properly, he added.
Copyright Press Association 2013