Like many of our fire safety colleagues, we’re sure, we have noticed an increasing trend of requests from contractors for us to oversee/sign off fire door installations because their clients are specifying that the installation must be signed off by an accredited, third party specialist and the contractors themselves are not accredited.
We welcome this work because it is an opportunity to increase awareness and understanding of the standards and tolerances within the construction industry.
Many of the joiners we work with are skilled and experienced and we always make clear that the guidance (or corrections) we give are not a negative reflection on their skills – but it can still be quite a delicate process to get them on board! The lack of understanding of why the tolerances are so fine is, perhaps, the biggest hurdle to overcome. They are makers, adapters, used to making things work within more flexible boundaries and, for many of the things they make ‘THAT’LL DO’ is absolutely fine because it looks great and works.
Even when the contractor has purchased factory assembled doorsets or factory milled door assemblies these skilled joiners have been challenged to achieve consistent and compliant gaps between door leaf and frame, whilst ensuring the doors close properly and can be opened easily – especially on 54mm thick doors.
Now, given time and experience –they will obviously get quicker as they get more practiced at achieving these standards, but what is abundantly clear is that, contrary to popular belief, installing a fire door is not as easy or quick as hanging a normal door and no, you are not going to be hanging 10 of them a day!
THAT’LL DO DOESN’T DO when it comes to installing fire doors!
If you would like some guidance, advice or just a chat to help you understand why, please get in touch.
#That’llDoDoesn’tDo
