Safety Glass – It’s the Law
In 1977, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission passed a requirement to use safety glass in both fixed & sliding sections of patio doors.
On Track Sliding Door Repair installs safety glass whenever required by law. During your initial consultation we check for this in our assessment of the door and make you aware immediately. As members of the National Glass Association, our company adheres to a professional Code of Ethics and will advise you against using any glass product not specifically designed and approved for the use in the application in your home .
Your safety, and the safety of your family, guests, and visitors is the responsibility we take very seriously.
As a company policy, we expressly forbid our employees to install glass which does not conform to safety in any patio door opening.
You and your families safety must come first
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has documented 75,000 injuries involving sliding glass doors in the last 10 years. Lacerations and cuts were commonplace in doors without safety glass. We’ve had a customer of our own who walked through a plate glass door in the 1970’s which removed the tip of his nose. This is a real problem and not a matter to take lightly.
How to Identify Safety Glass?
Tempered and laminated are two main types of safety glass:
- Tempered: is glass that is heat treated so that, if broken, it crumbles into hundreds of pebbles with rounded edges. This type of glass must be marked with a “bug” or logo that identifies that piece of glass as safety glass. The “bug” may vary, but will always contain reference to the American National Standards Institute standard ANSI Z-97.1. Often the Consumer Product Safety Commission standard (16CFR-1201) is also included.
- Laminated glass, unlike tempered glass, can be cut into sections and installed. Cutting laminated glass to size may remove identifying “bugs.” Unless the glass is broken, it is difficult for the untrained eye to identify laminated glass.
Laminated glass consists of two pieces of glass with a PVB interlayer which is heat and pressure treated. The vinyl layer keeps the glass intact when broken and prevents body parts from penetrating the glass pane.
Unbroken Glass: A possible Hazard
If even one panel of your patio door system shatters into sharp, dangerous pieces, the chances are good that all the panels are non-safety glass.
Federal law and all building codes require safety glass in all openings and adjacent panels of openings for human passage.
The Law requires your glazing contractor to replace all non-safety glass. If your contractor does not replace it, the job will not meet code requirements.
We are unable to accept requests to use materials that do not conform to safety standards. Our company rigidly adheres to the law, and we believe in proper public safety.
Do I Have Safety Glass?
If you are curious as to whether you have safety glass or not please call us today!
(you can also use our contact form if you prefer)
For Further Reference
(Building In California) Safety Glazing Code Reference PDF
“Jeff and his team were hired to do a shower glass enclosure at my home. The install went a little faster than expected and it came out great! My wife is very happy with the look and if she’s happy, well!. I shopped On Track against a few other companies and Jeff came in with the best price and we couldn’t be happier. I would use On Track and Jeff again. In fact my wife and I were talking about this last night about doing another bathroom in our home. Thanks Jeff!” — Darrick P. via Google