Fire door failures

Fire door failures

Just three of 12 fire doors tested by the government in the UK were able to resist flames and smoke for the 30 minutes required by building regulations for flat front doors.

Two of the doors tested, all of which were glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) composite fire doors widely used in blocks of flats, offered protection for less than 10 minutes.

And separate tests on Manse Masterdor products – the manufacturer whose doors were used at London’s Grenfell Tower – returned passes for just four doors out of 20.

The government’s expert panel on fire safety said there was “a performance issue with GRP composite 30 minute fire doors across the market”, according to a document released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) today.

The tests for which results have been published today were carried out between February and August 2018.

The government said the data has been released “to inform building owners risk assessments and plans for fitting and repair or replacement of fire doors”, but does not make any recommendations.