New Research on Fire Door Supply Chain Compliance Highlights Challenges Faced by Housing Professionals
A recent study has brought attention to the ongoing challenges faced by professionals in the housing sector regarding fire door supply chain compliance. According to reports by Local Authority Building & Maintenance (LABM) magazine and Builders’ News, a One Poll survey conducted in September 2023 gathered responses from 450 professionals, including landlords, public administrators, and public sector contractors.
Commissioned by door manufacturer JELD-WEN, the survey aimed to “investigate the current issues and gaps in understanding regarding fire safety compliance.”
As previously reported by the Fire Protection Association (FPA), the importance of ensuring fire safety compliance has been widely recognized and understood within the industry, particularly as the government updates fire door safety regulations. However, the survey results show that the industry continues to struggle with “a lack of understanding about who holds responsibility for fire safety compliance within the supply chain.”
Only 37% of respondents expressed being “very confident” in understanding their professional responsibilities regarding fire safety compliance. The survey also revealed that specification writers and procurement professionals exhibited the highest confidence levels (48% and 44%, respectively), while landlords and property managers (36%) and contractors (26%) showed significantly less confidence.
Furthermore, the study found that the majority of specification writers and procurement professionals would feel “very responsible” if a fire door in their building failed to perform as expected during a fire, with responses at 60% and 58%, respectively. On the other hand, only 43% of landlords and property managers, and 26% of contractors, expressed feeling “very responsible” under similar circumstances.
A notable finding from the survey was that 35% of respondents believed the “biggest challenge in ensuring proper fire safety compliance is the ‘lack of clarity or understanding of who is responsible for fire safety within the supply chain.'”
Marcus Payne, head of research and development at JELD-WEN, commented, “With new fire safety regulations continuously being introduced, it’s understandable why those involved in the fire door supply chain might be uncertain about their individual responsibilities—especially when guidance can be complex, confusing, and constantly evolving.”
Due to the ongoing changes in statutory guidelines around fire door safety compliance, many professionals in the industry feel compelled to review fire door regulations on a monthly basis. In total, 57% of housing professionals, 62% of specification writers, and 59% of landlords reported doing so. Additionally, 64% of respondents called for more guidance, while 23% described the current fire safety legislative guidance as “confusing.”
Payne emphasized, “We urgently need to address the gaps in understanding of fire door regulations to ensure full compliance throughout post-manufacture processes. It’s reassuring that housing professionals recognize the importance of safety certification and standards when procuring fire doors, but equally critical is increasing industry-wide understanding and confidence across the supply chain to ensure robust fire safety measures.”
He added, “Stakeholders across the project lifecycle must work together to achieve better, safer outcomes and possess the necessary knowledge and expertise, not only to meet current compliance standards but to exceed them.”
