Unit 8 Cedab Ind Est, Cedab Road, Ellesmere port, Cheshire, CH65 4FE
T: 0151 355 9232 | E: office@jstconstruction.co.uk | W: www.jstconstruction.co.uk
FIRE DOOR MAINTENANCE SCHEME
Survey and Scheme Procedures Acceptance Form
The following document outlines the procedures that will be used to conduct a survey and undertake maintenance of fire resisting doorsets as part of the BM TRADA Q-Mark Fire Door Maintenance scheme. The Responsible Person will need to confirm by signing this document, whether these procedures are appropriate for the level of risk within their site, prior to any activities taking place.
Scope of the BM TRADA Q-Mark Fire Door Maintenance Scheme:
The purpose of the BM TRADA Q-Mark Fire Door Maintenance scheme (the Scheme) is to provide independent 3rd party certification for the activity of taking a fire resistant doorset that needs adjustment and / or has minor to moderate damage, and to repair or maintain it, in such a way as to restore the fire resistance performance to what it was before the damage occurred or the doorset went out of tolerance.
The Scheme does not provide certification for either the upgrade of doorsets to improve their fire resistance, or the survey of doorsets to determine their period of fire resistance. If the period of resistance needs to be determined, this should be undertaken by an appropriate expert prior to any maintenance work being carried out by the individual certified under the Scheme.
Identification and communication of fire resistant doorsets:
Prior to any maintenance activity being undertaken, the Responsible Person must identify which doorsets are required to be fire resistant and what the period of fire resistance is for each doorset. This will normally be established through a fire risk assessment, with the fire resistant properties of the doorsets being confirmed through a review of fire test evidence to BS 476 Pt 22 or BS EN 1634. Where it is available, documentation confirming the period of fire resistance of each Doorset is to be provided by the client. Where such documentation is not available, any inspection or maintenance activities carried out will only be against the Scheme’s general rules of thumb, and the level of confidence in such an inspection will be considerably lower.
All fire resistant doorsets which require maintenance (the Doorsets) must be confirmed by the client in writing in advance, indicating the declared fire resistance for each Doorset, with the location of each Doorset being clearly identified on floor plans.
The maintainer does not take any responsibility for confirming whether the risk assessment is acceptable, for determining the period of fire resistance that is required for any Doorsets, or determining the period of fire resistance that any Doorset is likely to achieve.
General Inspection of the Doorsets:
The purpose of any inspection that is undertaken on a Doorset is to identify issues that may prevent a Doorset from meeting the declared period of fire resistance, such as damage to the Doorset structure or its components. The inspection is conducted on the understanding that it is assumed that the Doorsets are original and complied with the required building regulations at the time of building completion, and any work that was carried out on the Doorsets prior
Unit 8 Cedab Ind Est, Cedab Road, Ellesmere port, Cheshire, CH65 4FE
T: 0151 355 9232 | E: office@jstconstruction.co.uk | W: www.jstconstruction.co.uk
to the inspection (whether during manufacture, installation, or subsequent to the installation) maintained the period of fire resistance to that of the original test specification. Whilst the maintainer will attempt to identify issues which may have an impact on the fire resistance, the maintainer does not take responsibility for determining whether any aspect of general maintenance, condition or obvious modification will have altered the original fire resistance period. The inspection can only advise on likely performance issues based on observations that can reasonably be made and cannot establish the period of fire resistance in the same way that a fire resistance test can.
Unit 8 Cedab Ind Est, Cedab Road, Ellesmere port, Cheshire, CH65 4FE
T: 0151 355 9232 | E: office@jstconstruction.co.uk | W: www.jstconstruction.co.uk
Any inspection and maintenance operations that are carried out by individuals certified under the Scheme will be done so based on the following assumptions;
- The Doorset was originally manufactured and installed as a fire resisting doorset
- The Doorset was originally installed correctly with appropriate fire stopping to rear of frame and structural opening • The appropriate door frame material was used for the Doorset and for the period of fire resistance • The structural opening is appropriate for the period of fire resistance
- The intumescent materials and hardware were correct at the time of installation
- Ongoing maintenance / repair work has been carried out correctly, without changing the specification of the doorset or affecting any of the above assumptions.
Whilst where it is practical to do so, the maintainer may check the above assumptions are correct and report any issues found to the Responsible Person, the maintainer does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of the doorset’s fire resistance performance that may have been affected by any manufacture, installation or repair work that has not been undertaken by the maintainer.
Maintenance and Repair Work:
Where instructed by the Responsible Person, the maintainer will take steps to rectify issues identified with the Doorsets, by conducting repairs in accordance with BM TRADA
BM TRADA’s Approved Repair Techniques (ARTs). The aim of any repair work that is undertaken is to restore the performance of the Doorset to the performance that it would have had prior to the damage being sustained. Where an ART is not available for the repair, but the Responsible Person wishes to have the work undertaken, such work will be outside of the scope of certification of the Fire Door Maintenance Scheme.
Whether or not any repair work is undertaken on a Doorset, responsibility cannot be assumed for any aspects of the Doorset’s performance that may be attributed to any manufacturing, installation or maintenance activities that were carried out prior to the maintenance activities to be conducted as part of this project.
Acceptance of the approach by the responsible person:
It is a condition of the Scheme that the client takes full responsibility for the proposed approach which is outlined above. It is suggested that the client seeks agreement with the Risk Assessor, Responsible Person or Competent Person prior to commencement to ensure that the approach is adequate to address the risks identified.
Sample inspection of fire stopping behind the architraves:
The application of appropriate fire stopping between the frame and the surrounding structure during installation is critical to the fire resistance of a Doorset. Where there is a lack of such fire stopping, the fire resistance performance of the Doorset is likely to be significantly reduced. In order to properly verify the fire stopping detail, the architrave of each Doorset would need to be removed during the inspection process. As this is unlikely to be considered practical, the client will be given the option of a survey of this fire stopping to be conducted on a sampling basis. This is a pragmatic solution that cannot guarantee that all Doorsets will have been sufficiently fire stopped and it is the client’s responsibility to determine that the proposed sampling regime is sufficient to cover the risk to an acceptable level. Where the sample survey of fire stopping identifies a deficiency, the client will be required to instruct the maintainer and take responsibility for the level of additional checks that are required to maintain a level of risk that is acceptable to the client.
Unit 8 Cedab Ind Est, Cedab Road, Ellesmere port, Cheshire, CH65 4FE
T: 0151 355 9232 | E: office@jstconstruction.co.uk | W: www.jstconstruction.co.uk
In some cases, the sample inspection of fire stopping may be carried out using a borascope. Whilst this method is less intrusive than removal of the architrave, it does not provide the same degree of inspection and therefore cannot provide the same confidence with respect to the level of fire stopping present. Where a borascope inspection is offered, the client must determine whether this appropriately mitigates the perceived level of risk.
An inspection behind the architraves may not be necessary where there are other means of verifying that this has been done, for example:
- Where the original installation was conducted by a BM TRADA Q-Mark Registered Fire Door installer • Where a survey has previously been conducted on the doorset to verify the fire stopping
Declaration by the responsible person:
In signing this declaration, I accept the terms and conditions of the Survey and Scheme Procedures outlined within this document. I further agree to the following action being undertaken with respect to the architrave survey:
◻ I agree to have an architrave survey conducted on the doorsets identified in Table 1. I understand that this survey will only be conducted on a representative sample of doorsets, and will not guarantee the presence of appropriate fire stopping for all doorsets on site.
◻ I am confident that appropriate fire stopping has been fitted behind the architrave but agree to have an architrave survey conducted on only the doorsets which have been indicated by me in Table 1.
◻ I am confident that appropriate fire stopping has been fitted behind the architrave and therefore DO NOT agree to have an architrave survey conducted on the doorsets listed in Table 1.
Responsible person name
__________________________________________________________________________
Signature _______________________________________________________________________________________ Date
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Unit 8 Cedab Ind Est, Cedab Road, Ellesmere port, Cheshire, CH65 4FE
T: 0151 355 9232 | E: office@jstconstruction.co.uk | W: www.jstconstruction.co.uk
Table 1 – Suggested doorsets for inclusion in the sample architrave survey:
| Floor | Location | Door ref: | Architrave Survey Agreed | Architrave Survey Declined |
Unit 8 Cedab Ind Est, Cedab Road, Ellesmere port, Cheshire, CH65 4FE
T: 0151 355 9232 | E: office@jstconstruction.co.uk | W: www.jstconstruction.co.uk