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Glass - Safety
This information
is relevant to UK - domestic situations only.
Glass supplied for domestic use (such as conservatories, garages,
double glazing, etc) must comply with the 'General Safety Requirement'
of the General Product Safety Regulations 1994 (GPSR). This
requires consumer products to be reasonably safe and this may be
achieved by conforming with British Standard BS 6262: Part 4:
1994
WHAT GLAZING MUST BE SAFE?
The updated British Standard "BS 6262: Part 4: 1994 Code of Practice
for Glazing for Buildings", introduced new requirements that glazing
fitted in 'critical locations' in domestic buildings must be safe.
The GPSR and the standard apply to all
domestic glazing installations whether new build, replacement or
refurbishment.
WHAT IS A CRITICAL LOCATION?
The
'critical locations' in any internal or external domestic area are:
| Doors |
Any glazing or part of that glazing in a door, which
is between the finished floor level and a height of 1500mm
above the floor level, is in a 'critical location'. |
| Side Panels to Doors |
Any glazing or part of that glazing, which is within
300mm of either side of a door edge and which is between the
finished floor level and a height of 1500mm above the floor
level, is in a 'critical location'. |
| Windows, partitions, and walls |
Any glazing or part of that glazing, which is between
the finished floor level and a height of 800mm above the floor
level, is in a 'critical location'. |
WHAT GLAZING IS
'SAFE' IN 'CRITICAL LOCATIONS'?
Safety Glass and Safety Plastics
Safety glass, which complies with 'BS 6206: 1981 (1994)'
may be fitted in 'critical locations'.
Different types of glass can be classified as safety glass:
| Toughened Glass (also called tempered) categorised
as Class A |
This looks like ordinary glass but receives a special
heat treatment process to toughen it. It is much stronger
than ordinary glass and on impact disintegrates into small
granular pieces, which are not sharp, reducing the risk of
injury. |
| Laminated Glass available in Class A, B or C |
Consists of two or more sheets of ordinary glass which
are attached together by a plastic interlayer. The plastic
layer provides a barrier and on impact any broken shards of
glass will remain attached to the plastic reducing the risk
of injury. |
| Wired Glass (also called Pyroshield safety clear/textured)
categorised as Class C |
This glass has a network/mesh of wires embedded in it.
Certain types of wired glass can satisfy the impact requirements
for safety glass while giving a level of fire resistance. |
| Plastics Glazing Sheet |
Certain types of transparent plastic sheet can satisfy
the impact requirements for safety glass. Please Note: Glass
in doors and side panels may only be glazed in Class C materials
where the smaller dimension is a maximum of 900mm. Where this
dimension is greater than 900mm glazing categorised as Class
A or B is required. |
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