Enhancing Workplace Fire Safety With Doors

Workplace fire safety goes well beyond a luxury, being an essential facet of keeping your staff protected and operating within legislation. Safe, efficient passage through a building is one of the most important elements of fire safety in the workplace. Similarly, you need the right level of fire protection to help guard rooms and staff from fires and stem the spread of a blaze. 

Finding the right fire shutters and high-speed doors is a great way for business owners and operators to enhance fire safety within the context of internal movement and entryways. This blog will provide some actionable advice on how the right doors will benefit your workplace, along with the features you should look for when seeking out an installation. 

Who is responsible for fire safety in the workplace?

The people who need to maintain fire safety include: 

• Employers
• Property owners
• Landlords
• Occupiers
• Any managers or facilities leaders

This leaves the burden of installing industrial fire and safety equipment, alerting employees/guests of any identified risks, planning any emergency procedures and regularly taking fire risk assessments of the area.

Why install fire shutter doors

Fire-resistant shutter doors are metal roller doors designed for high-pressure workplaces in which additional fire protection is a necessity. They work by supplying exceptional radiant heat fortification, making them less likely to burn down and helping to seal fires in places. They also operate through control panels with various activation methods, ensuring staff can work them efficiently in any situation. 

They’re ideal for workplaces such as: 

• Chemical plants that handle flammable chemicals that can set alight or explode
• Petroleum and gas storage facilities
• Manufacturing plants that use solvents and flammable cleaning products
• Food processing sites where flour and sugar dusts can easily explode
• Textile mills with cotton, wool, potential dust and oil contamination
• Mining and aggregate sites that might generate sparks and heat  
• Warehouses that store and distribute flammable goods, chemicals or packages
• Printing facilities with masses of paper and flammable chemicals
• Woodworking sites with wood dust and shavings abound
• Hospitals and healthcare facilities with masses of flammable supplies

The right doors will allow for combustible materials to be stored as close as half a metre away from a blazing inferno, increasing functional floor space and helping to compartmentalise fires. It also means that firefighters can safely and efficiently tackle the blaze right next to the door, with people able to escape on the other side safer than if they had to pass the fire properly. 

Fire shutter door features/specifications 

There are a few core elements that you need to look for when seeking out the right 

workplace fire safety doors: 

• Galvanised steel construction
• 240v declutching gear motors
• Controllers or panels
• Manual override options
• Design specifications that align with LPS 1056
• Controlled descent hoods
• LPCB certification
• Auto solenoid release functions
• Optional powder coating
• Custom construction options to fit any opening

It’s also important to seek out sellers and manufacturers that offer installation, repair, service and maintenance as a primary element of their provision. This will ensure that the shutters are fit properly, along with guaranteeing that you can get them back up and running in a pinch if they should somehow start to go faulty. Regular maintenance is necessary for rolling shutter doors, so you need to make sure your provider will come in for regular tune-ups. 

Where to source doors

Fire-resistant doors, fire shutters and high-speed doors should be sourced from the most reputable dealer possible – these are people’s lives we’re talking about. Seek out a manufacturer or contractor that offers everything we’ve described in this blog, along with a solid brand reputation and you can trust you’ll enhance workplace fire safety effectively.