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Tips GLASSense for Doors Why Safety Glass in Doors? Injuries from accidental impact with glass in doors became a growing concern in the early 1960's with the increased use of sliding glass door assemblies. Statistics developed by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System showed that roughly 250,000 people were injured annually from accidental impacts with ordinary glass. Through efforts of the major glass producers and the National Safety Council, a number of states adopted laws or codes to require the use of safety glazing in hazardous locations. These initially addressed only sliding glass door assemblies but expanded as reports were received for other door types. By 1974 twenty-eight states had some form of safety glazing code or law. At this point, steps were taken by the glass industry to implement a uniform national safety glazing standard. It's the Law The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the glass and plastics industries, drafted a standard for safety glazing materials used in door and other applications. This was adopted in 1977 as a federal law and superseded existing codes or ordinances. Fully tempered glass and laminated glass comply with the provisions of the federal safety glazing law. Included in the provisions are all doors used for passage, the fixed and operable panels in sliding glass door assemblies and glass panels immediately adjacent to doors. Safety glass is fabricated to eliminate or minimize cutting and piercing injuries if the glass is broken by human impact. This reduces the risk of serious injury should a person impact the glass with enough force to cause breakage. The federal law requires that all replacement glass complies, including cases where the existing glass may have been a non-safety type. Glaziers and contractors are prohibited from installing non-complying glass. There are legal penalties for violations. Is It Safety Glass? Fully tempered glass is produced by heating the glass to a high temperature and then rapidly cooling the surface with air. Certain glass properties are changed in the process. Fully tempered glass will resist greater impact loads and most other forces better than the ordinary (annealed) glass. If fractured, fully tempered glass breaks into small, relatively harmless particles. This reduces the potential for cutting and piercing injuries. Laminated glass is a "sandwich" of two glass plies bonded with an interlayer material. When the glass breaks, the broken particles remain bonded to the interlayer with a minimum of exposed sharp edges. In many cases the glass is not penetrated by the impact. The federal law, combined with mandates in building codes, requires that each pane of safety glass be permanently marked. The monogram or logo includes the manufacturer, type of glass and the standard to which it complies. Other information may be included. The federal law is designated by its identifying number "16 CFR 120l-II." Look for this designation. If it is not included, the glass may not be safety glass. The 2000 International Building Code and its predecessor regional model building codes specify compliance with the federal law. Fully tempered glass cannot be cut after fabrication. Every pane would typically include a monogram. Some laminated glass can be cut. Although large sizes intended to be cut to size are generally monogrammed at two opposite corners, the monogram may not be on every pane. In this case a certificate of compliance is furnished attesting that the larger pane was properly marked. Source: GLASSense for Doors. |
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