Over the last 40 years JALITE have unfortunately been privy to devastating tragedies that have led to the loss of lives for people within their homes. From Lakanal house to Grenfell, there have been clear shortfalls that through miseducation and negligence have had dreadful consequences. Since our inception, JALITE have always been advocates of good practice, with the three elements of fire safety, compliance, conformance and competence underpinning all that we do. As part of this campaign, we believe in going beyond the minimum requirements to providing prescriptive guidance that give responsible and appointed persons the best opportunity to protect lives and property. This week, the 14th June marks seven years since Grenfell which led to the loss of 72 lives, that rightfully caused a shift in fire safety. The Inquiry highlighted clear shortfalls in fire safety, with the government since introducing legislation in phases to protect against such a loss from happening again. One significant factor in the spread of fire found by the Inquiry, was the inadequacies of the fire doors installed. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 has since been designed to equip responsible persons and residents with the confidence to mitigate the risks that ensue when fire doors are compromised, which includes regular inspection of this vital fire protection equipment. As endorsers of the full approach, we would recommend achieving this through the installation of adequate fire safety notices for fire doors. Below, you’ll find our full range of JALITE AAA photoluminescent fire safety instruction notices for fire doors, designed to instruct occupants such as residents and visitors. However, first we will touch on legislation on fire doors. Legislation on Fire Doors since Grenfell As mentioned, a significant finding from the Grenfell Inquiry, was that many of the fire doors installed, required further maintenance and were either left open or had malfunctioning self-closers, at the time the fire ignited. Fire doors are essential for preventing the spread of fire and toxic gases through compartmentation. Unfortunately, as the fire doors within Grenfell were compromised, the fire was not contained to the floor level the fire started on. To combat this moving forward, The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 made it a legal requirement for responsible persons for all multi-occupied residential buildings in England over 11 metres to: a) Perform quarterly inspections of all fire doors b) Perform annual inspection of all flat entrance doors. Essentially, as part of The Fire Safety Order 2005, the scope of the fire risk assessment must extend to fire doors; ensuring that responsible persons have completed checks. Responsible persons are also required to provide residents with information on fire doors including stressing the importance of keeping the fire doors shut and obstruction free, raising any fault or damage to the fire doors immediately. Thus, deepening their understanding of their role in keeping the building safe. JALITE Photoluminescent Fire Safety Instruction Notices for Fire Doors Although The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, focus namely on the inspection of the physical aspects of the fire doors, JALITE recommend going beyond this to fortify the life safety of residents and visitors of these multi-occupancy buildings. This good practice approach that JALITE encourages, recommends installing fire safety instruction notices on each fire door, as part of the inspection and maintenance of the fire door. The installation of fire safety instruction notices for fire doors including ‘Fire door keep shut’, and ‘This door must be kept closed' is integral to instructing building residents and visitors, as to the best way to operate the fire doors. JALITE photoluminescent fire safety instruction notices, are designed to conform to Standards including BS ISO 3864-1 and BS 5499-10 for the blue safety colour, circle shape and text type. Installation of JALITE photoluminescent fire safety instruction notices are an essential part of the fire safety procedure and education that responsible persons are legally required to provide to residents, as per the legislation. JALITE is a trusted source for responsible persons to deter the misuse of fire doors, with obstructions that compromise the effectiveness of this vital equipment. JALITE your trusted source Remembering Grenfell invokes us to remember the responsibility we hold, from supplier to installer to protect the lives of those who trust us to be competent. By going beyond minimum requirements, JALITE can assure that you are complying to legislation, with conformance to Standards, which serves as additional guidance to best practice. Contact us! If you need any further information on this legislation or on our range of JALITE AAA photoluminescent fire safety instruction notices, contact us at sales@jalite.com or +44 (0)1268 242 300. |