Replacing a fire door? Plan protection before taking it out

The replacement door is booked for Tuesday. Staff will still be working in the office. Before the installer removes the existing door, ask: what protects the people using the building while that opening is out of service?

The finished installation is only part of the planning discussion. HSE advises that work in occupied buildings should not interfere with existing escape routes, fire separation or other fire-safety systems. That makes the replacement sequence a fire-safety question, not simply a joinery programme. HSE general fire safety guidance.

Existing guidance, not a new deadline

This article concerns occupied offices in England. It offers practical planning suggestions, not a temporary-door design or a complete compliance checklist. It does not extend England's regulatory arrangements to Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

There is no new September requirement being announced here. HSE's *Fire safety in construction*, HSG168, is existing guidance: its third edition was published in July 2022. Publication details.

Assess the work period, not just the end result

The government's offices and shops guide recommends reviewing the fire risk assessment before building work starts, considering additional dangers and monitoring the effects of the work. Its examples include obstructed escape routes and breaches in fire-resisting separation—the construction intended to limit fire spread between areas. Offices and shops guidance, section 1.7.

Our suggested starting point is a discussion between the building's fire-safety manager, the contractor and the person planning the work. Ask them to establish which people and routes could be affected, when the existing door would cease to provide protection, and what arrangements are needed before that happens.

Do not treat “we should finish today” as the answer. Include breaks, unexpected problems and the possibility that the replacement cannot be completed as planned.

For specifiers: include the replacement sequence

HSG168 recommends retaining existing general fire precautions for as long as possible during refurbishment. These precautions include measures for escape, warning and limiting fire spread. HSG168, Appendix 3, printed page 79.

When preparing the work package, ask the team to resolve more than the final doorset specification. As a practical brief, include:

• the intended removal and installation sequence;
• how continued occupation will be addressed;
• who arranges any necessary temporary protection;
• what happens if work cannot finish within the agreed period.

Leave the selection of appropriate precautions to the project-specific assessment and suitably competent advice. This article does not prescribe a temporary screen, a fire watch or a standard number of hours for leaving an opening unprotected.

For installers: agree the starting conditions

Consider a fictional office refurbishment. An installer arrives to replace a corridor door, but the manager explains that a neighbouring department will remain open late. The work plan assumed that area would be empty.

Our recommendation is to pause removal and raise the changed occupancy with the people managing the work and building safety. Ask them to resolve the difference before dismantling begins, rather than relying on the original booking.

HSG168 specifically identifies liaison between construction managers and occupiers as important when work takes place in occupied or partly occupied buildings. HSG168, paragraph 11.

One question for the next replacement job

Before taking the existing door out, ask the team to explain the plan from removal through to safe return to use—including the response to an overrun.

The useful outcome is a shared decision about how people will be protected throughout the work, not just confidence that the new door can eventually be fitted.

Sources checked: 25 October 2026. Source links appear alongside the relevant statements.