What an Access Door Fire Rating Means for Your Business

Safety is critical for any business, with fire safety being one of the most important pieces to any building’s safety protocol. Access panels can play a key role in ensuring that water, electricity, or telecommunication lines stay safe during and after a fire. Protecting your business from a fire is critical. That’s why it’s important to have passive fire resistance mechanisms like fire-rated access panels in place in the event of an emergency.

Why Fire Ratings Matter

Access panels that are fire-rated means they’re built to withstand the heat for a certain period of time before failing. They’re meant to give more time to put out the fire, assist people exiting the building, or protect the contents inside from damage. Additionally, they can keep flammable elements safe until they can be removed by those evacuating. Different fire ratings indicate how well a door or panel is built to withstand fire. When it comes to access panels and access doors, those being used to protect critical elements should have high fire resistance.

Types of Fire Access Doors

The most common fire rating information involves time. Access doors and panels that are fire rated indicate how long they’re able to protect the interior contents — provided that the fire temperature does not increase. Doors can provide anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours of protection.

Considerations When Looking for Access Doors

No company ever anticipates having a fire on its premises. However, there are over 100,000 commercial fires each year, and the estimated costs of commercial fires have skyrocketed to $2.4 billion per year. Roughly 30% of these fires are in an office, and 50% are in hotels and motels.

At The Access Panel Store, we provide a variety of businesses with the equipment they need to keep their property safe. That’s why we offer a selection of fire-rated access doors for walls and ceilings, as well as for different types of walls.