doors, windows & glazing
Safe as houses: safety and security glass
Keeping people safe in their homes is a high priority for housing professionals, and glass has a significant role to play in achieving this. Phil Brown of Pilkington explains how today’s advanced glazing solutions are helping those in the industry to ensure home safety.
L
ike all landlords, those working in the social housing sector have a legal responsibility to make sure that tenants are kept safe in their homes. Similarly, landlords and property developers working in
the industry have a responsibility to carry out repairs to the property’s structure and exterior, to further safeguard it against accidental damage or deliberate attack. Although windows are one of the most commonly used access points
for intruders, they are often overlooked when it comes to making a property more secure. Huge expense is spent on installing modern alarms and security systems, but robust safety and security glass is an equally effective long-term solution. While home safety and security glass are closely linked, there is a clear distinction between the two terms and the way the glass performs. For that reason, it’s crucial that housing professionals understand the difference between these products and where they need to be placed in order to be effective. The term ‘critical locations’ is commonly used in this area as it is key to the specification of security elements. Critical locations refers to glass in doors, door side panels, and low-level glazing in general. Typically in access locations, these areas are considered to be the most likely to cause accident or injury should the glass break.
Safety glass
Safety glass applies to glazing that reduces the risk of an accident by impact or fracture and is found across commercial and domestic settings. The two most common types of safety glass are toughened glass and laminated glass. Toughened glass is manufactured by subjecting glass to a heating and
cooling treatment whereby high compressive stresses are set up at the surfaces with balancing tensile stresses in the centre. The high compressive surface stresses give toughened safety glass its increased strength, resulting in panes typically four or five times stronger than ordinary glass. When it does break, it tends to fracture into small, relatively harmless fragments. Laminated glass differs as it has a polyvinylbutyral (PVB) interlayer sandwiched between two panes of glass. If broken, the interlayer holds the
“Although windows are one of the most commonly used access points for intruders, they are often overlooked when it comes to making a property more secure”
fragments of glass in place. While it is technically no stronger than traditional glass, this interlayer makes it safer for people as it reduces the risk of occupants coming into contact with broken glass and injuring themselves on harmful shards.
Security glass
While safety glass applies to glazing that reduces the risk of an accident by impact or fracture, security glass is designed to withstand various deliberate attacks. Laminated glass in particular offers considerable security benefits, and when correctly designed and installed, its
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM July 2016 | 39
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