Hi,  the staff in our laboratory have asked if they can hang their lab coats onto the doors of an electrical cupboard located in the lab as there's no wall space available next to the entrance. I'm a little bit uncomfortable with this as it doesn't seem sensible to hang flammable material to a fire door. Just wondering if anyone has any opinions on this. Thanks.

What is wrong with a free standing coat rack stand?

Where do they hang their ordinary coat or leave their umbrella when coming in to work?

Why does it have to be "in the lab"?

I cant see an issue to hang coats on a fire door as long as they are on hooks - and on the lab side of the door!!!! (notwitstanding I have no idea of the processes carried on in the lab) ​​​​​​​Would it really significantly reduce the FR integrity of the door? - I cant see it

As Messey said the point of the fire resistant cupboard is to prevent a fire getting out of the cupboard not to protect the electrics. So in theory as long the coats are hung on the outside  and nobody drills holes into the cupboard it should be ok. A coat rack for lab coats is nice in theory but in most labs, I worked in there is no space to fit a coat rack on the wall and people tend to leave their coats on the back of stools and chairs where they pose a trip hazard as they tend to reach the floor.

Yes, in some cases you can make alterations to your fire door, however, these alterations can only be done if they remain within the scope of the fire door's Certifire Approval documents. For example when a fire-rated door viewer or intumescent letterbox / letter plate is required. This information should also be detailed in the installation and maintenance instructions supplied with each door leaf. It is critical that any changes made to a fire door are done so following the manufacturer’s instructions, by a trained professional, and with certified hardware to ensure that the performance of the door, and its associated certification, is not compromised.

copied from safelincs.co.uk

Forgot to mention. I'll make sure the screws that hold the hooks in place do not go completely through the door.

Is it actually a "Fire Door" i.e. plated as being resistant?

Personally I am with Kate on being careful about screwing anything in to a door - quite a lot are panel designs i.e. a wooden frame at the edges with thin panels either side and typically a honeycomb inside aka nothing for screws to fix to.

If it's not a true fire door is there a minimal gap over which a door top hanger set could be hooked? 

I have only worked at one site where the laboratory was accessed by an external door and the walls inaccesibe due to equipment - all others you had to pass along a corridor where racks for lab coats and dispensers for gloves and eye protection would be found.

Very early on in my education teachers would drum in to students the importance of keeping floors clear to prevent accident - coats and school bags being relegated to the back of the laboratory not hanging off chairs.

Why is it "our brightest" often appear the least sensible when it come to taking unecessary risk and creating preventable hazard.

Ok, its always tricky to understand the full picture, but how I see this issue: The electrical intake is in the lab. The occupants of the premises are awake and familiar with it

Its in a fire resisting cupboard/space with a fire door fitted. The fire resisting nature of the enclosure is to surround a high fire risk bit of infrastructure. The fire door is not protecting a means of escape, other than those in the lab

If this is the case, I truly cannot see a huge issue in using short screws to fit coat hooks. It all about risk assessment and whether it's appropriate for life safety concerns  However, if the electrical intake was withing a single starcase building (not alternative means of escape from upstairs) used as a hotel or care home, where people may be asleep or unfamiliar - indeed, some may require assistance in leaving the building - then altering the fire door (even slightly) would be a definate no-no

Some may have another opinion, but fire risk assessing is NOT slavishly applying standards in a robotic and prescriptive manner to achieve zero risk, its about using standards as a tool to pragmatically drive risk to a tolerable level, even if that means reducing the requirements of that standard (if it can be justified)

Personally I'm loathe to allow anything attached to a FR door except the required labels.

Short screws can be pulled out by the weight of anything hanging on the hook/s, not just lab coats but backpacks and similar.

Would the coats be combustible and or even flammable if exposed to certain chemicals, (powders or liquids).

Would ther be a box of matches in a coat pocket.

Will the coats hang in front of the "FIRE DOOR KEEP SHUT" sign.

Gilby hasn't actually said that the door has a sign "FIRE DOOR KEEP SHUT" on it, and without checking the detail of e.g. Approved Document B, I am not convinced that a locked door to electical equipment would need such a sign. 

Sometimes, people just default to "the norm" without thinking through the practicalities.

Such an approach works when the legislation is almost entirely written in prescripive (DO this) or proscriptive (DON'T DO that) wording, as in e.g. most US H&S and fire legislation but is not well suited where the legislation in almost entirely "goal setting", so that what is to be done should be proportionate and based on an appropriate risk assessment.

Edited by user 02 May 2024 12:53:42(UTC)  | Reason: Typo