Pictured: Louise Halton, FDIS Scheme Manager
FDIS Ltd, the owner of the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS), is proud to claim that it has become "the first organisation in the UK to be awarded UKAS accreditation for the certification of fire door inspectors under the international standard BS EN ISO/IEC 17024:2012 Conformity assessment – General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons".
The accreditation marks a shift in the industry by focusing on individual competence. It provides those responsible for appointing or procuring fire door inspectors with assurance that the inspector has met the scope and rules to demonstrate competence set out in the FDIS Competence Person Certification Scheme standard.
Championing personal competence
The FDIS is the first to have its ‘Competent Person Certification Scheme’ independently verified by UKAS against ISO/IEC 17024:2012 to ensure that the specific skills, knowledge and experience of the individual inspector meet a rigorous global benchmark with periodic reassessment to maintain certification. This is different to other schemes in the UK that have accreditations, such as ISO/IEC 17065, which are based on certification of products, processes or services.
The accreditation comes at a time of increased regulatory scrutiny following the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), which place greater emphasis on demonstrable competence across the built environment. Under the BSR framework, individuals must demonstrate the specific skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours (SKEB) required for their role, while organisations must evidence organisational capability through appropriate management systems, resources and supervision.
“The Building Safety Act and The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 are clear that individuals must be able to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours required for their role," says Louise Halton, FDIS Scheme Manager. "Fire doors are a critical life-saving component of a building, so the competence of the professionals responsible for inspecting them should not be assumed – it should be evidenced through recognised training, assessment and third-party accreditation.
“In essence, ISO/IEC 17024 ensures a person is qualified to perform a job, while ISO/IEC 17065 ensures a product, process, or service meets specific standards. Both standards aim to build confidence and trust through impartial, competent, and consistent third-party assessment.”
2025 Inspection data
The latest FDIS inspection statistics reinforces the importance of this accreditation. Data from inspections carried out in 2025 shows that 72% of fire doors did not meet the required standard to pass inspection.
Key findings from the 2025 data include:
- Common issues identified: excessive gaps, issues around smoke sealing and issues relating to care and maintenance
- Simple fixes: 70% of non-compliant fire doors required only minor remedial works
- Top safety concerns: poor maintenance, incorrect installation and fire doors being wedged or propped open
Of the fire doors that did not meet the required standards, hospitals, local authority and housing association buildings, and hotels and residential healthcare homes were found to require the most remediation work. These settings - particularly healthcare environments - are used by more vulnerable occupants and experience high levels of footfall, increasing wear and tear. This means that fire doors in these environments require more frequent inspection and maintenance to ensure they remain fit for purpose.
This underlines the importance of engaging a certified fire door inspector to carry out regular inspections, ensuring that defects are identified and addressed promptly so that doors continue to meet the required standard.
