No door closer

[Steve Blakemore]

My apologies for all the questions. I have completed an FDIS but am find things that were not covered sadly, but I guess not every course can cover every eventuality.

Another job i have visited was built 5 years ago. It has 62 residents with at least 30 in various states of Dementia.

At night there are approximately 7 staff on duty.

All the communal doors have a various door closers but not one of the residents rooms has a closer of any fashion, but only an electronic mortise style lock using a tag to unlock them.

All the doors are FD30 and have the correct seals. Above the door is a blank plate where electrics could be fitted for a closer. 

I was told that this maybe linked to the FRA and that if the rooms have a sprinkler system inside  them that maybe the reason they dont have a closer. The rooms have no sprinklers, infact there are no sprinklers in the whole building. Sadly i haven't been able to gain access to the FRA yet but will be attempting to again on Monday when I return.

Is this true about the sprinklers or is it possible for the FRA to say a closer is not needed?

I have visited approximately 30 different homes recently and haven't come across this before so its confused me slightly. My gut feeling based on the standard of workmanship is the builders just didnt bother to put them in but surely not!

Thanks 

Steve (Confused)!!!!!

 

[Neil ashdown]

I have encountered such a situation at a mental health unit for a large primary healthcare trust.  The trust's fire safety officer allowed fire resisting doors to patient bedrooms to be non-self closing.

This link may be useful?  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suite-of-guidance-on-fire-safety-throughout-healthcare-premises-parts-a-to-m

[Steve Blakemore]

Thanks just looked briefly at the link and that's some bedtime reading but very helpful and at least I am less confused now. Still seems a crazy idea to me not to have some form of closer. 

[Neil ashdown]

Fire safety is risk based.  The Fire safety Order requires the RP to carry out a fire risk assessment.  In the case of mental healthcare the RP has to have regard for the risk to relevant persons  both in terms of fire and self-harm.