Rank: Forum user 
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Having recently had a fire risk assessment by an outside qualified person, the report said that the signage fire door keep shut should be put on the fire doors. However currently the fire doors have fire doors keep clear. Which ones would be the most appropriate one?
thanks
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Is there perhaps a confusion on the type of door? Fire doors usually have "Fire door keep shut" or "Fire door keep locked" on them, whilst a final fire exit door may have "Fire exit keep clear" sometimes on both sides of it to prevent staff storing items inside or cars, etc, blocking egress on the outside.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Be clear about whether they are just fire doors (designed to prevent the spread of fire) or are fire exits (for emergency escape). Fire doors need to be kept closed whereas fire exits need to be kept clear. Normally you would see "fire door - keep closed" on a door that people are likely to open and go through (for example, on a corridor, or an entrance to a room), but "fire exit - keep clear" on a door that people are not likely to open except in an emergency and may be tempted to store stuff next to (for example, a push-bar type door on an emergency escape route that is not used for routine access). If the door is routinely used for access, people are unlikely to want to obstruct it as it would only inconvenience themselves so no need to put "keep clear".
I don't think I've ever seen the sign "fire door - keep clear" - it's logically either "fire door - keep closed" or "fire exit - keep clear".
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 1 user thanked Kate for this useful post.
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Rank: Forum user
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Thank you Kate. If a fire door is linked into the fire panel and closes when the alarm sounds, why should it have a sign on it fire door keep closed. The place where I work have blind people and visually impaired and to keep the doors closed all the time would create a significant problem with them moving about the building.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Oh, I see!
If the door is meant to stay open until the alarm is activated and then self-close, then it would make no sense to put a sign on it to "keep closed". If people might leave stuff around it which would block it from closing - then in that case I do see logic in "fire door - keep clear". Did the fire risk assessor criticise the doors being open and recommend keeping them closed? That is the only way "fire door - keep closed" would make sense. Or did the fire risk assessor arrive with a checklist on which they had the question "Are fire doors marked fire door - keep closed"? I ask because this could be unthinking application of a standard checklist.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I think Kate is right, this is safety by checklist not by risk assessment. A fire risk assessment should take into account all the circumstances including the people using the building and adaptations made to the building to ensure those people can evacuate safely as well as move around the premises safely at other times. I would challenge the person who did the risk assessment on this point.
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Rank: Forum user
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If these fire doors are fitted with a fail safe device (i.e. automatically closes on sounding of the alarm) then the appropriate sign should be "Automatic Fire Door - Keep Clear".
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