HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK ACT - WORKPLACES REGULATION 14

These are retrospective requirements with Statutory powers under the terms of the Health and
Safety at Work Act 1974, believed to be the first of their kind. All affected property, (the
Workplace Regulations apply very broadly, and specifically include the common parts of
domestic property in multiple occupation), had until 1st January 1996 to comply with the
Workplace(Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (WHSW). Regulation 14 deals with
the principal glazing requirements. The operative Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Code of
Practice and Guidance (L24) gives BS 6262:1982 and Document N of the Building
Regulations 1992 as technical references, which in turn refer to BS 6206:1981. Reference to
other Standards and Codes is necessary for some specialist applications. To satisfy these
criteria it is not enough that glass in risk areas is simply Toughened or Laminated - it must be
of the fully correct specification. Glass type, grade, thickness, wind-load, (internal glass is
designed for 600 N per m²), relative position and risk proximities are all necessary
considerations. The technical glazing requirements are already enforced for glazing in new
and modified existing buildings via other legislation. But the retrospective requirement for
existing buildings is quite new, and has implications for many businesses, who otherwise
might not contemplate such costs for years ahead. For leasehold property it is not always clear
whose is the ultimate legal liability for the cost of the replacement glazing, whether landlord
or tenant, for which conveyancers and surveyors should refer to individual leases. However
HSE make it plain that the Regulations are primarily requirements for the employer,
irrespective of any secondary interest in the building. There may be exceptions where the
landlord is responsible for a specific area of a building (eg a shared lobby) but even here HSE
state that owners' duties are limited to matters within their control (eg not for breakages
caused by others). The WHSW documents cover much more than glass and glazing in their 27
sections, and implement most provisions of the EC Workplace Directive (89/654/EEC).

LETHAL INJURIES

Lethal injuries are caused by broken glazing. Survivors are commonly scarred for life, and
frequently disabled. Such injuries are unnecessary, and can be largely avoided by the use of
appropriate glass in risk situations. This is the reason for the Regulations. There are only two
true safety Glasses (Toughened and Laminated) but other glasses can, in certain
circumstances, form part of safety solutions. BS 6206:1981 This is the key British Standard
for Safety Glazing classification, after the United States' ANSI Z 97.1-1975. BS 6206
specifies impact tests that simulate the mass of a running child. A 1001b (45.36 kg) leather
punch bag (impactor case) filled with lead shot is swung against a framed glass test panel
from three different drop heights (1219mm, 457mm & 305mm). If the glass does not break
(or breaks "safely" according to carefully specified criteria on the size and shape of the broken
pieces) the sample is classified A, B or C. "A" is the highest grade, surviving all three drop
heights. Plastics glazing can be tested to the same Safety Glazing classifications. It is
important to note that BS 6206 tests are for impact, and not durability.

ANNEALED GLASS

Often referred to as "ordinary" glass, this is the standard glazing product, and also the basic
material for Safety Glasses. Glass is a "supercooled liquid" and one of the most robust
materials used in Building - if unbroken it can perform for hundreds of years. Glass is
manufactured from silica sand (72%), soda (l4%), lime (10%), and various oxides (4%), fused
in a furnace at around 1500°C then (in the most frequently used process) flowed continuously
onto molten tin where it solidifies. No polishing is required. Annealed glass can also be one of
the most dangerous materials used in Building. When broken it forms sharp glass "daggers"
which cause serious injuries. Annealed Glass should therefore only be used in low-risk
situations (usually the largest percentage of glazed areas).

TOUGHENED GLASS

This is a true Safety Glass to BS 6206. It begins as ordinary annealed glass, is cut to the exact
finished size, uniformly heated to 700+ °C then cooled rapidly by blowing air on both sides.
The outer surfaces cool faster than the core, and permanent stresses are built up. After
toughening, the glass can have up to 5 times its original strength. Toughened glass breaks into
small blunt fragments, reducing the risk of serious injury. Typically when broken the whole
pane crazes and falls out in pieces. Toughened glass products cannot be cut, drilled or shaped
- all such work must be completed before toughening is carried out. Toughened glass can be
identified by its edge bevels introduced during preparation to avoid localised stress cracking,
characteristic "leopard spots" seen in certain lighting conditions, and a manufacturer's stamp
in the corner stating its BS 6206 grade. Various scientific identification techniques use
polarised and ultra-violet light sources, or a laboratory Differential Surface Refractometer can
compare optical distortions between the "fringes" occurring during toughening. Toughened
Glass usually falls out of its frame when broken, and fragments can cause injury and shock if
falling from some height. Additional containment is therefore needed in (for example) roofing
installations. Toughened Glass is subject to spontaneous fracture, sometimes by the gradual
expansion of a Nickel Sulphide inclusion, or perhaps by minor damage of an edge. Thermal
movements of frames, or near-invisible accidental damage during installation, can lead to
such sudden failures. Improvements in manufacturing processes, particularly the technique of
Heat Soaking (Heat Soaked Toughened Glass) have meant that Nickel Sulphide inclusions
have been less common in recent years, however the problem is not eradicated and must still
be considered a significant risk.

LAMINATED GLASS

This is a true Safety Glass to BS 6206. It begins as two or more sheets of ordinary annealed
glass bonded together, with interlayer(s) of polyvinyl butryl (PVB). Laminated glass's
strength differs little from that of the original glass from which it is fabricated, but the PVB
interlayer absorbs and distributes impact energy, giving valuable resistance. When broken,
cracking is typically limited to the area of impact, the remainder of the pane remaining clear
and (mostly) in place. Laminated glass often has no markings - these can be lost when cutting
from larger sheets, however it must be given BS 6206 markings if is to qualify as a Safety
Glass. Laminated glass can be identified in situ using specialist ultra-sound or laser
intruments, or visually by dismantling and inspecting an edge, where the PVB interlayer(s)
can be seen. Laminated Glass offers considerable protection against people or objects falling
through.

HEAT STRENGTHENED GLASS

This is NOT a Safety Glass, and its name can cause some confusion. It is a heat-treated
Annealed Glass (as is Toughened Glass) and can achieve twice the original mechanical
strength, which can be useful, but it does not set out to achieve a BS 6206 Safety Glass
classification.
WIRED GLASS

Old-style Wired Glass (known as Georgian Wired Glass) is NOT a true Safety Glass to BS
6206. Although sometimes safer than plain annealed glass, it should not be used in risk
situations unless further protected. Wired glass is a rolled Annealed Glass containing 12.5mm
steel mesh that does not contribute to its strength (the wires actually introduce planes of
weakness) but helps contain broken pieces. It offers more security than non-wired annealed
glass, as it is relatively difficult to penetrate the mesh. It also offers more fire-resistance than
clear Annealed Glass, and often provides an inexpensive solution in this area. Wired Glass
has several appropriate uses but its visual appearance may not be acceptable to some
specifiers who often prefer a fully clear (more expensive) option for aesthetic reasons. A
Wired Safety Glass has become available in recent years - a true BS6206 Safety Glass -
gaining strength from a thicker wire.

PLASTICS GLAZING PRODUCTS

A number of plastics (eg polycarbonates) can achieve the true Safety Glass criteria of BS
6206. None have the durability of glass (in particular they are subject to abrasion,
discoloration etc), but improvements are coming along all the time. Plastics films may be
applied to Annealed glass to achieve Safety classifications, and several useful products are
available. They each suffer durability limitations, but can be of great value in the short term
(eg as an interim solution ahead of a building alteration). Plastics glazing has a useful role in
Safety applications, and will certainly become more predominant in the future.

DOCUMENTATION

Those responsible must ultimately be able to satisfy a Court that their glazing meets stringent
technical requirements. Written proof should therefore be requested from glaziers and
specifiers to demonstrate that installed glass is of the correct type, grade and thickness for its
application. To assert "to BS 6262:1982" and issue a standard diagram is inadequate. For
accurate glass specification the installed position, geographical location, topography and risk
proximities must be clarified. Permissible deflection and predicted wind-load must be
calculated to determine glass type and thickness.

TECHNICAL RESOURCES

Computer software is available for glass specification. Much additional technical glazing data
may be found in the definitive Glazing Manual and other publications of The Glass and
Glazing Federation, 44-48 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1XB Tel : 0171-403-7177.
GGF publications are available to non-members.