Technical guide
Part K critical locations
Building Regulations Part K requires safety glass in critical locations — broadly, any glazing below 800mm from floor level, and any glazing within 300mm of a door edge up to 1500mm from floor level, where impact is likely.
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The two zones
Zone one is everything below 800mm across any glazed area. Zone two is a 300mm band either side of a door, up to 1500mm high. Between them these catch shopfronts, entrance screens, side panels and low-level partitions.
What counts as safety glass
Toughened to BS EN 12150 or laminated to BS EN 14449, classified for impact under BS EN 12600. Class 3 is the general minimum; Class 1 is specified where the consequences of failure are higher.
Manifestation
Full-height glazing must be marked so it is visible. Two bands are expected, roughly 850–1000mm and 1400–1600mm, in a contrast that reads against whatever sits behind the glass.
Older commercial buildings
Annealed float glass in critical locations is common in pre-1990s stock and is a live liability. It is normally picked up at survey, at refurbishment, or after an injury.
Upgrading without replacing
Certified safety film can bring existing glass to an impact classification where replacement is impractical. It must be specified and certified properly rather than applied as a general precaution.
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Where this applies
Toughened & laminated safety glass
Safety glass is glass that fails without causing serious injury.
Commercial shopfronts
A commercial shopfront is the glazed street elevation of a retail or hospitality unit, normally thermally broken aluminium framing with toughened or laminated safety glass, an accessible entrance door and, on most units, a security shutter or grille.
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Free measured survey, fixed written quotation, and a straight answer about what is and is not worth doing. Mainland UK, commercial work only.