Laminated & Tempered Safety Glass
Safety Glazing for Glass and Doors
Safety glass refers to any glass that when broken does not pose a safety hazard. It wasn't until 1972 that building codes were revised to mandate safety glazing in doors and other high traffic areas. Until then numerous injuries including loss of limbs and even death were attributed to broken glass that allowed large sharp shards of glass. Current building codes require safety glazing in all doors, sidelites, walking surfaces, bathroom tub and shower enclosures, patio furniture and other applications to ensure the safety of any person that may come into contact with glass in these potentially dangerous traffic areas. The two most common types of safety glass are Laminated and Tempered glass.Laminated glass like that in your car windshield is manufactured by laminating 2 pieces of glass together with a PVB (polyvinyl butyral) inner-layer. When broken, the glass cracks but stays together so there is no danger of lacerations. Laminated glass also provides a level of security when used in storefronts window glazing or other secure locations as it remains in place even when badly broken due to the strong PVB inner-layer.
