Factory-prepared doorsets are the way forward

DHF (Door and Hardware Federation) has re-issued its call for the use of factory-prepared doorsets in the wake of recent findings regarding the Grenfell tragedy.

A police investigation has found a number of the doors to flats in Grenfell Tower did not meet test standards, and could only hold back a fire for half the time they were designed to; just 15 minutes as opposed to 30.

The test was conducted as part of a Metropolitan Police review into the fire in West London which killed 71 people in June 2017.

DHF believes that installing a complete factory-prepared doorset that has been tested as a complete unit, manufactured under a third-party certification scheme, installed and maintained by companies certified to do so under third-party certification, provides a plethora of benefits, namely, safety, peace of mind, reduced installation time and ultimately, costs.

“We find the results of the Metropolitan Police’s recent investigation extremely troubling,” explained DHF’s CEO, Bob Perry. “Fire doors are an integral part of the fire strategy for any building. Properly installed and maintained, a fire door will achieve its specified fire resistance which could be anything between 30 minutes and four hours, depending on location, providing vital and life-saving minutes in the event of a fire.

“We wholeheartedly recommend the use of factory-prepared complete doorsets whose components have been tested together and – when correctly manufactured, installed and maintained by trained personnel – will meet the necessary fire safety requirements.”