fast facts 

Fire Doors 

Keeping You Out of Harm’s Way 

August 2008 

Office of Compliance 

advancing safety, health, and workplace rights in the legislative branch 

Electromagnetic hold-open device. This is the 

only means by which a fire door may be held 

open.

Fire door improperly held open by tying it to a wall. 

www.compliance.gov 

Enclosing areas with fire barriers 

— fire doors, walls, ceilings and 

floors — is the best means of containing fire. Fire barriers play an 

integral role in managing a fire by 

interrupting the spread of smoke, 

toxic gases and the fire itself from 

one fire zone to another. 

What is a Fire Door? 

Not all doors are fire doors. The 

Life Safety Code stringently regulates fire doors and their closure, 

precisely because of their importance as passive fire protection devices. 

Fire doors are composed of a combination of materials, including 

steel, gypsum and other fireresistant materials. Some fire 

doors are equipped with windows, 

which must be subjected to product certification. Fire-resistant 

windows may include wire mesh 

glass, liquid sodium silicate (or 

“water glass”) between two window panes, ceramic glass or borosilicate glass. 

Every approved fire door will have 

an assigned fire rating determined 

by a standard fire endurance test. 

The fire rating is stated on the 

door’s label, and indicates the 

door’s ability to resist the passage 

of fire and hot gases. The fire rating of the door is determined by a 

standardized destructive fire endurance test on a sample door. 

Fire doors are fundamental to the 

integrity of fire barriers, because 

any time there is an access portal 

(such as a doorway) to a compartment, a fire barrier is broken temporarily. To minimize the break in 

protection and the spread of fire, 

smoke and toxic gases, fire doors 

must be self-closing and have 

proper latching devices. 

 

When Are Fire Doors Needed? 

In general, fire doors are needed 

whenever a door opening is present in a fire wall. Fire doors are 

also needed when a door has an 

“Exit” sign on or near it, when a 

door leads into exit stairwells and 

horizontal exits, or when a door 

leads to a hazardous area such as a 

room used to store flammable liquids. 

Potential Fire Door Hazards 

Fire doors are often blocked open 

for the convenience of employees 

and visitors, creating a significant 

fire hazard for all building occupants because of the break created 

in the fire barrier. Fire doors 

should never be tied open or held 

open by unapproved devices, such 

as door wedges or blocks. 
fast stats 

 OSHA regulations require that fire doors not be obstructed, 

locked or held open unless equipped with a device that releases the door, 

such as an electromagnetic hold-open device, upon activation of a fire alarm panel. 

(29 CFR § 1910.36(d)) 

 Fire doors must be certified by an OSHA — recognized testing laboratory. 

The laboratory’s certification label, typically on the door edge, 

must state the door’s fire rating. 

(29 CFR § 1910.36 (a) (3))

 

 

This information does not constitute advice or an official ruling of the Office of Compliance or the 

Board of Directors and is intended for educational purposes only. For further information, please refer to the Congressional Accountability Act (2 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) and the regulations issued by the 

Board, or you may contact the Office of Compliance.

Fire door latch improperly taped to hold the door open

The Office of Compliance advances safety, 

health, and workplace rights in the U.S. 

Congress and the Legislative Branch. Established as an independent agency by the 

Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, 

the Office educates employees and employing offices about their rights and responsibilities under the Act, provides an impartial 

dispute resolution process, and investigates 

and remedies violations of the Act. 

If you have any questions, please do not 

hesitate to contact the Office of Compliance: 

Room LA 200, John Adams Building 

110 Second Street, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20540 

t/ 202-724-9250 

tdd/ 202-426-1912 

Peter Ames Eveleth f/ 202-426-1913 

General Counsel 

Mary-Margaret Smith 

Editor Download the entire Fast Facts suite at http://www.compliance.gov 

Doors that are designed as fire exit doors can be held open, for example, by 

an electromagnetic hold-open device that automatically releases when building smoke control or fire alarms are activated. 

Even when closed, fire doors should never have their latches taped over. 

During a fire, hot gases can easily build up enough pressure to blow the 

fire doors open, rendering them ineffective. 

A fire door and its frame can often be identified by a plate affixed to each, 

indicating the laboratory approval and the duration of fire rating. Painters 

must avoid painting over these plates, as this could prevent future determination of whether or not the doors and frames are appropriately fire-rated.