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Posted By Paul Abbott
A Team Leader working on a hazardous chemical plant persists in jamming open the Laboratory fire door.
Q1, Is it mandatory to have fire doors for Laboratorys which house flammable and toxic substances.
Q2, Jammining open fire doors. Is there a specific regulation I can relate to.
Q3, Do fire doors have to state on them "fire door"
I would be grateful for any help,
Regards Paul.
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
The answer to this is within the Workplace regs as amended - Fire Risk Assessments must be made for all workplaces.
All buildings require fire exit routes and fire doors protect these routes. The number and spacing depends on the fire loading of the building and may be 10m for high fire loads. You are not clear about whether the doors in question are final exit doors in which case it matters not if they are open only if they are obstructed.
If a door is a fire door it will be marked as such on the fire certification and associated drawings and must then be properly labelled "Fire Door - Keep Shut"
Bob
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Posted By Alison Dando
The answer to Q 2 would be your disciplinary procedures e.g smoking in the lab area is gross misconduct and would mean dismissal, as you have inflammables but you need to play it by the book. Obviously your procedures will have verbal, first formal written warnings etc. written into the policy.Taks advice from your personnel dept..
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
Please note that my comment about open only applies to the final exit door. This can then be a security question
Bob
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Posted By John Webster
If the door in question is truly an internal fire/smoke check door then it is illegal to secure it open unless it can automatically close in the event of fire. You can find out if it is so designated from your fire risk assessment and/or fire certificate. You also mentioned a hazardous chemical plant. The lab could be an area under positive ventilation, and leaving open an external door which is part of such a system could allow ingress of hazardous vapours/gases/fumes in the event of a leak.
Section 8 of the Health & safety at Work Act makes it an offence to interfere with or misuse anything, whether plant equipment or methods of work, provided by the employer to meet H&S obligations.
Find out WHY it is felt necessary to wedge the door open. Is it because of ventilation problems; to allow people to communicate; because people have difficulties opening it due to carrying samples or pushing trolleys, or due to pressure differentials? Tackle these and/or consider electro-magnetic catches which hold the door open, but release it when the alarm is activated.
John
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