Most (75%) fire doors in Britain do not meet required standards, with 31% of doors having been installed incorrectly in the first place, meaning that they were never able to offer adequate protection.

These claims come from a new study, which has been investigating how knowledgeable the typical UK worker is about fire doors, in particular whether they can tell when such doors are in correct working order.

Researchers asked 1,000 UK office workers about a list of fire door faults and asked them to identify which were problems. Of those asked:

• 80% appreciated that fire doors should not be wedged open and kept closed.
• 41% reported having seen fire doors wedged or propped open.
• 57% understood that cracked glass in the window was as an issue.
• 43% recognised that it would be a problem if the lock had been removed from the door.
• 22% identified that gaps around the door frame would be an issue.
• 13% said that missing door screws would present a problem.
• 9% knew that signs of wear and tear marks on the door’s hinge would need actioning.
• 17% said they had seen a fire door at their workplace locked.

The survey also asked respondents about their experience of fire doors at their place of work, identifying how much training they had been given when they started.

Some 35% said they had not been shown the fire exit route at their workplace, ending with the final fire exit door that leads to a place of safety.

The survey asked people’s opinions of how a fire door ought to be kept when not in use. Over a third gave an incorrect answer at 34%, while 8% thought a fire door should be kept completely open, and 7% thought it should be propped or wedged ajar.

Research was based on a survey of 1,000 UK office workers and all data was collected online between 28 June and 1 July 2024.

To find out more about fire safety please remember as a BFFF member you have access to industry level advice through the coordinated primary authority partnership with Essex Fire & Rescue.

For more information on OSH or Fire Safety please contact simonbrentnall@bfff.co.uk.