Several years ago I was involved in the investigation of a tower block fire in Birmingham. As a result of the investigation it was that the fire had started in the bin store room on the ground floor. However, it was unclear how the fire had started. The smoke from the fire travelled up the chutes and out on to the landings of the 7th, 8th and 9th floors. For some reason missing the other floors in the block.
The smoke on the landings was bad enough, however it further transpired that the seals on the individual flat doors were not sufficient. As a result smoke infiltrated into the flats on these floors. Residents had to be literally cherry-picked from their balconies in order to be rescued from their smoke filled homes.
Above all the cases that I have listed made me realise the importance of Bin Store Doors. Not only are bin stores subject to arson attacks as described above, but from other anti-social behaviour in general, such as wilful vandalism. I have also experienced a case where a rough sleeper was sleeping in a bin store room. Despite the noise of new doors being fitted, the person slept through the whole installation! At one point we even checked whether he was still alive – thankfully they were.
At Warrior Doors we strongly advise that stainless-steel should be specified due to the importance of Bin Store Doors. Generally Bin Store Doors are louvred to allow air to circulate. Stainless-steel louvred doors are extremely robust and will withstand any stress it is put under.
In addition, another reason for specifying stainless-steel for Bin Store Doors is that the large bins are heavy. As a result they are often clumsily knocked into the a storage space’s doors, for example when refuse is being collected. An aluminium bin store door would not stand up to being consistently knocked by heavy bins.
I have lost count of the number of aluminium and wooden louvre bin store doors we have replaced with a stainless steel alternative. Needless to say, every stainless-steel bin door we have installed is still in use today.
In the light of the tragedy at Grenfell, I feel it is important that social housing providers and councils check their bin store doors thoroughly. Of course this is in addition to checking facades, sprinkler systems and other fire precautions, as has been widely documented.
I cannot stress enough the need for the specification of Bin Store Doors to be taken seriously. I am not saying that all incidents can be completely avoided. However, a stainless-steel louvered door on a bin store room can certainly minimise these events.
All our doors are manufactured to ISO 9001: 2015 as part of our quality management system. This system governs all processes including design, manufacture and installation. Furthermore, the doors we produce are DDA compliant and Duty of Best Value.
In conclusion, it is my passion to provide door solutions that are robust and withstand wilful vandalism and misuse. Furthermore, I want to offer a cost effective solution by manufacturing doors that offer longevity with virtually no ongoing maintenance costs.
Learn more about our stainless-steel Bin Store Doors by clicking here.
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