fire door inspections

MCJ1983 · Post by **MCJ1983** » Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:16 pm

Afternoon All

I was looking for some guidance, on average how long does it take to inspect a fire door?

i know there are variables and some may take longer than others but just looking for an average duration?

thanks

Post by **Alexis** » Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:06 pm

witsd · Post by **witsd** » Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:59 pm

Well, who's doing the inspection, at what degree of competence and for what purpose?

If we are talking about a member of staff checking a fire door as part of a daily walk around, I'd expect them to glance at the gaps to make sure the door hasn't shifted, open the door, glance at strips and seals to ensure they are still there, and then release the door to confirm it self-closes.

Total time 10-30 seconds.

If we are talking about a monthly check by the dutyholder / their representative, perhaps a full minute per door, checking for damage, confirming strips and seals are secure, along with any glazing etc.

If a fire risk assessor, again, probably around 90 seconds at minimum, possibly measuring gaps on all sides, checking for any labelling or plugs to confirm the door's status.

If a qualified fire door inspector, more.

If a qualified tester, well, it's a 30 minute burn test at minimum, right?

As far as I know, there's nothing written down anywhere to cover any of this (excepting the last scenario which is obviously not what you mean!), so it's just down to what is reasonable, given the size of the building, frequency of checks and depth of inspection required.

MCJ1983 · Post by **MCJ1983** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:07 pm

thanks for the information, yes it is a qualified fire door inspector doing inspections of fire doors in a new development, i was just checking because they said it would take 30-45 minutes per door (without the burn test

) which to me seemed a little excessive though I must admit that fire is not my specialist subject so thought it would be great to get the opinions of others.

witsd · Post by **witsd** » Wed Feb 10, 2021 9:55 am

Tag along with them and see what they actually do!

And then report back to us, because I'm curious as well.

I did attend an in-person seminar hosted by a fire door inspector in late 2019, and there were a number of aspects which I think included removing the door leaf, which would explain the time. Cannot remember why the door leaf removal was useful though!

Post by **bernicarey** » Wed Feb 10, 2021 3:15 pm

Well here's a Fire Door Inspection Company promo video, it's pretty thorough, but I still can't see it taking 30-45 minutes per door though....
https://youtu.be/15jXGt4Wij0