Is Safety Glass Required At The First Floor

Safety glass is required when the lowest point of glazing is within 800mm from floor level.

Is safety glass required at the first floor.

The height you are required to use safety glass in a residential situation has changed from 700mm to 800mm from floor level it has changed from between 700mm 1000mm to 800mm 1000mm. Also glass on a perpendicular wall to a door and opposite the swing must be safety tempered as illustrated below. The history of safety tempered glass dates back quite a ways. All glass in the bathroom or around a hot tub or sauna must consist of safety glass if the bottom edge is less than 60 inches above a standing or walking surface such as the shower floor.

The top edge is more than 36 inches above the floor. This process makes the glass stronger and also changes the way the glass breaks. The proceedure involves heating the glass up and then cooling it down rapidly. There are restrictions on using film instead of toughened or laminated glass and this depends on the size of the glass pane and its thickness.

Tempered glass is glass that has an extra proceedure done to it to make it 4 to 5 times stronger. It works in a similar fashion to laminated glass by holding shattered glass pieces to the film if broken. Glass pavers 1 thick solid pavers can be circular or square and are set within an aluminum stainless steel or cast iron framework. As the drawing below shows any glass in doors that does not start over 1500mm from the floor must be safety glass.

There is a walking area within 36 inches of the glass. There are exceptions allowed for decorative glass in windows also along with the addition of a sturdy rail in front of the glass and outboard panes of insulating glass in a high location. Safety films can be used to bring ordinary glass up to grade a safety glass requirements. Glazing adjacent to doors windows side panels wholly or partially within 300mm of the edge of a door and which is also wholly or partially within 1500mm from floor level must be safety glass.

Tempered glass is required as safety glazing in hazardous applications such as floor to ceiling partition walls entrance doors sidelites etc. Glass cannot be further processed cut drilled etc after tempering. Cast glass usually 1 thick cast glass is made in a mold as solid one piece panel. Uniform building code ubc since 1967 and southern standard building code ssbc at about the same time.

International residential code irc since inception in 2000. The main one you need to understand is when it is required to use tempered safety glass. Glass floor tiles being installed in an aluminum grid system. Florida building code fbc since inception a couple of years later.