What to do When Your Industrial Door Fails
a Safety Inspection
A failed safety inspection is never welcome news, but it doesn’t have to bring your operation to a standstill. The important thing is knowing what to do next, quickly, calmly and correctly. At Enfix, we work with businesses every day to get their industrial doors back into safe, compliant working order and the process is more straightforward that many people expect.
Understand What The Failure Means
Not all inspection failures carry the same weight. Some relate to minor issues (worn seals, surface damage or slow-responding sensor) while others point to more serious structural or mechanical faults that require the door to be taken out of service immediately.
When you receive a failed inspection report, read it carefully. Pay attention to:
- Which specific components or functions have failed
- Whether the door has been deemed unsafe for immediate use
- Any deadlines given for remedial work to be completed
- Whether a follow-up inspection is needed before the food can return to service
If anything in the report is unclear, contact the inspector or your door maintenance provider straight away. Acting on incomplete information can make things worse.
Don’t Ignore it or Delay
This might seem obvious, but the temptation to keep using a door that has failed (especially if it appears to be working) is one businesses should resist. A failed inspection indicates that the door does not meet current safety standards. Continued use could put your staff at risk, invalidate your insurance and leave you exposed to enforcement action under health and safety legislation.
If the door has been flagged as immediately unsafe, take it out of service and restrict access until repairs are carried out.
Get Your Door Assessed and Repaired by a Qualified Engineer
Once you have reviewed the report, get in touch with a specialist company to carry out a thorough assessment and complete any necessary repairs. A qualified engineer will be able to:
- Diagnose the root cause of each failure
- Advise on repair vs replacement
- Carry out any remedial work to the required standard
- Provide documentation to confirm that the work is complete
Plan Ahead to Avoid Repeat Failures
A safety inspection failure is often a sign that routine maintenance has been missed or left too long. Once your door is back in service, putting a structural maintenance plan in place is the most effective way to stay compliant and avoid the same situation happening again.
Regular servicing catches minor issues before they can become serious ones, extends the working life of your doors and means future inspections are far less likely to throw up surprises. Get in touch to book a service visit.