Safety glazing

Glazing in doorsR308.4.1#

Glazing in all fixed and operable panels of swinging, sliding, and bifold doors is a hazardous location and must be safety glazed. Decorative glazing and small openings may have limited exceptions, so check the adopted section before substituting.

Glazing adjacent to doorsR308.4.2#

Glazing within a 24 inch arc of either vertical edge of a door, where the bottom edge is less than 60 inches above the floor, must be safety glazed. This covers sidelites and nearby windows on the same wall plane.

Tubs, showers, and wet surfacesR308.4.5#

Glazing in walls, enclosures, and fixed panels that face or enclose a bathtub, shower, hot tub, sauna, or similar wet area is a hazardous location when the exposed bottom edge is less than 60 inches above any standing or walking surface.

Glazing near walking surfacesR308.4.3#

Glazing qualifies as a hazardous location when the pane is larger than 9 square feet, the bottom edge is less than 18 inches above the floor, the top edge is more than 36 inches above the floor, and a walking surface is within 36 inches horizontally.

Glazing at stairs and landingsR308.4.6, R308.4.7#

Glazing adjacent to stairs, landings, and ramps is a hazardous location when the bottom edge of the pane is less than 36 inches above the walking surface. Glazing within 60 inches horizontally of the bottom tread of a stair is also a hazardous location when less than 60 inches above the nosing.

Common inspection flags#

The most common safety glazing failures caught at final:

• Sidelite next to the front door with standard annealed glass
• Fixed picture window beside a tub where the sill is below 60 inches
• Large low-sill window in a stairwell without a temper mark
• Shower enclosure glass with no visible permanent etched label
• Interior French door panels not tempered on both leaves