Supporting Healthcare Teams To Understand Fire Door Safety

The healthcare sector in the UK is responsible for 570 million patient interactions every year, across GPs, Hospitals, Surgeries and Mental Health Facilities.

In each of these buildings, there is a duty of care that estates managers and healthcare teams carry to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all those inside.

Through meticulous oversight and adherence to prescribed protocols, healthcare estates managers bear the responsibility of ensuring the longevity and perpetual efficacy of these buildings, as well as its health and safety systems, including fire protection systems.

However, knowledge levels surrounding the importance of fire safety can vary greatly between team members and even healthcare facilities. So how do we support healthcare teams to understand fire door safety? And what role do healthcare estates managers need to play in commitment to patient and staff safety?

The Vital Role of Healthcare Estates Managers & Fire Doors

As a healthcare estates manager, you are charged with a multifaceted duty of overseeing and maintaining the buildings in your care. Among these responsibilities you are entrusted with the meticulous management of health and safety systems, including fire doorsets.

To accurately manage these fire safety devices, all fire doors within your estate should be accurately recorded to understand and correctly manage existing fire door stock.

Maintaining comprehensive records, helps create a foundation for making informed decision-making down the line, and also helps fire doorset maintenance teams you may partner with to understand the state of your buildings easily.

Moreover, routine inspections for fire door defects should be routinely carried out. Through these proactive assessments, estates managers can identify potential vulnerabilities in fire doors. This due diligence not only safeguards the physical integrity of the doors but also ensures the ongoing effectiveness of fire protection systems.

When spotted, fire door defects can then be reported and collated in order to pass along to specialised maintenance teams, who can navigate the best course of action, whether it be to repair or replace these failing doorsets.

In essence, healthcare estates managers are the linchpins that bridge fire safety and healthcare operations. Their meticulous oversight, from accurate documentation to routine inspections and prudent specification, collectively fortifies the protective barrier that fire doors provide.

But there is also a duty to sufficiently train and empower healthcare staff to use these fire safety devices properly. Let’s dive into this is more detail.

Facilitating Clear Communication Channels In Healthcare Estates

Whilst overall responsibility of the buildings does lie with the estates manager, they shouldn’t expect to carry this duty on their shoulders alone.

Through clear communication and training, estates managers should empower healthcare teams to understand the importance of fire doorsets and the best practice procedure for their operation as well as reporting defects.

Establishing clear and accessible communication channels is an essential part of this process. These pathways ensure that healthcare staff can promptly report any identified fire door defects, fostering a proactive approach to maintenance. By disseminating information effectively, managers empower staff members to become vigilant participants in the fire safety process.

Effective communication not only expedites defect reporting but also nurtures a culture of heightened awareness. Regular reminders and informational campaigns disseminated through these channels bolster staff knowledge about fire door safety protocols.

In turn, this aids in the early detection and swift resolution of issues, allowing specialised maintenance teams to be notified and brought in to conduct services and repairs quickly and efficiently. By uniting expertise and engagement, healthcare estates managers foster an environment where the collective commitment to fire door safety remains resolute.

Instructions for Staff Regarding Fire Door Use:

Clear and concise instructions guide the proper use of fire doors within healthcare settings, whilst staff members play a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity of these critical safety components.

As a healthcare estates manager, these are some instructions you should communicate to healthcare teams:

Avoid Propping Doors Open: Fire doors must never be propped open with wedges or furniture, as this compromises their ability to contain fire and smoke.

Maintain Door Closers: Disengaging door closers undermines the door's self-closing mechanism, impairing its fire-resistant capabilities.

Preserve Ironmongery: Removal of door hardware compromises fire doorsets and their certification. It is essential to refrain from tampering with ironmongery components.

Limit Attachments: Attaching items like leaflets, signs, hooks, or additional locks to fire doors can impede their function. Doors should remain free of such obstructions, unless under advisement from specialist doorset manufacturers and service teams.

Report Issues Promptly: Loose ironmongery, doors that won't close properly, failing strips, or damage should be reported immediately to the appropriate authorities. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!

By adhering to these instructions, staff contribute significantly to the overall fire safety posture of healthcare facilities. Their vigilant cooperation with these directives ensures that fire doors maintain their optimal functionality, serving as robust barriers against potential fire-related risks.

Conclusion

In the realm of healthcare safety, the significance of fire door vigilance cannot be overstated. Healthcare estates managers play an indispensable role in fostering a culture of fire door awareness. Their responsibilities include fostering collaboration between healthcare staff and estates managers to form a robust defence against potential fire hazards.

By adhering to the prescribed instructions we laid out above and promptly reporting issues, staff demonstrate their commitment to the safety of all individuals within healthcare facilities.

RW Maintain provide bespoke service packages for your business or buildings, including the inspection, repair and replacement of all fire-rated doorsets.

RW Maintain believe that healthcare more than any other industry require doorsets to be frequently inspected and preventatively maintained, preventing damage caused by fatigue, unauthorised alteration or ill-advised adaptions.

For those in the healthcare environment we offer bespoke fire doorset services, carefully designed around industry-specific legislation, to meet current British Standards and NHS requirements.

For a fixed-term, you are assured that all fire doors are maintained in accordance with British standards, keeping you and your occupants safe.

If you have a building or project that would benefit from a maintenance package for your fire doors, contact an expert at RW Maintain today.