The importance of dual certification when it comes to specifying fire doorsets

Dual certification offers safer, more secure housing

Hannah Mansell, Group Technical Director at Masonite UK and Door-Stop International, explains what the social housing sector needs to consider when specifying fire doorsets, and how Door-Stop’s latest product — the Fire and Security Dual-Certificated Doorset — can help those responsible for managing fire door safety.

When we launched the Fire and Security DualCertificated Doorset last year, we wanted to provide the social housing sector with a product that they could install into the homes of residents with confidence that it would perform as intended in the event of a fire.

We spent a significant amount of time undertaking research and development testing to create the robust primary test evidence base that is used in our certification. This helps us to understand not only what makes a door pass a furnace test, but also the contributory factors that make a product fail. It is essential that those working with fire doors in high-risk residential buildings also know what they should be looking for when choosing a new product. Fire doorsets are complete systems, so it’s important to understand the interplay and impact that every component — even something as tiny as a screw or fixing — has on the system as a whole. That’s why transparency, traceability and technical support are integral to our approach.

The four panel doorset in green with an arched glazed panel and TS 008 security and fire rated letter plate

The new Door-Stop Fire and Security Dual-Certificated Doorset in grey with a one square glazed panel

Confidence in the specification

When choosing a new fire doorset, consideration must be given to how the Responsible Person and the Principal

Roles and responsibilities

Responsible Person: The person who has legal responsibility for the fire safety in a building and is in charge of overseeing the safety of all building users under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Principal Accountable Person: The person with overall responsibility for meeting the statutory duties introduced through the Building Safety Bill for the whole building introduced in July 2021.

Accountable Persons and Responsible Persons are required to cooperate with one another when fulfilling their duties to deliver a holistic approach to the management of building and fire safety risks in their building.

Accountable Person are going to manage the product throughout its lifecycle.

Stakeholders need to have access to information to be able to make informed decisions every step of the way, from initial specification through to installation and on-going maintenance. Third party certification is central to this, enabling access and traceability to the full specification of the product. Certification is a complex process, but it allows stakeholders to get the product information they need and be assured the product achieves the stated performance (more on this on pages 32-33).

Essential information for postoccupancy management

Accurate record keeping of the product that has been installed and any future maintenance or refurbishment works is imperative to managing a fire safety product throughout its life.

To help stakeholders easily access information about fire doorsets, a tamperproof traceability label is applied to each Door-Stop doorset that allows stakeholders to trace the specific doorset, certificate and data sheet, and download it from a publicly available register.

This unique sequential traceability also allows Door-Stop to have permanent digital traceability of the raw materials, components and production processes for each doorset. This helps our stakeholders to confidently validate, now and in the future, that the doorset installed on site matches the certificated specification.

To help fire safety professionals within local authorities and housing associations keep on top of the latest best practice guidance, Door-Stop offer a ‘Behind Closed Doors: Managing Fire Door Safety in Purpose Built Flats’ webinar.

The presentation looks at the different types of fire doors in these buildings, the considerations when managing retrofit essential fire door safety works, and how stakeholders should interact with them during the specification, installation and maintenance. The webinar gives insight into testing, including primary test evidence and dual third-party certification and how to navigate the complex paperwork trail that often comes with fire doors. For a copy of the webinar, please contact ukmarketingteam@masonite.com.

The doorset in duck egg blue with TS 008 security and fire letter plate

Founded in 2008, all Door-Stop International products are manufactured in the UK with all operations taking place at the Door-Stop head office in Nottinghamshire. Door-Stop has been part of the Masonite group since 2014.

■ To find out more about the Fire and Security DualCertificated Doorset, visit masonite.co.uk/firedoorset or contact the sales team by calling 01623 446 336 or emailing sales@doorstop.co.uk