Safety glasses A Grade Melbourne

Glass Compliance and Safety Standards for Buildings

All glass installed in buildings must comply with the relevant Australian Standards to ensure safety and durability. It is essential that builders, architects, building designers, and building surveyors ensure that proper evidence of compliance is provided. Marking of glass to indicate compliance with AS2208 is mandatory.

For safety, the use of monolithic toughened glass more than 5000mm above the finished floor height can be at risk of spontaneous breakage. In such cases, toughened glass that is glazed monolithically should be heat soaked unless a suitable barrier, such as an awning or balcony, is in place to prevent fragments from falling, thereby reducing the risk of injury.

For further details and clarification, please refer to AS1288, which provides comprehensive guidelines on glass installation and safety requirements in buildings.

Glass Requirements for Various Applications

Doors:
- Small Panels in Doors:
  - 3mm and 4mm Annealed Glass: Allowed with a maximum size of 0.1m² and a maximum panel width of 125mm.
  - 5mm and 6mm Annealed Glass: Allowed with a maximum size of 0.26m² and a maximum panel width of 300mm.
- Unframed Doors (excluding bathrooms):
  - Must be glazed with toughened safety glass with a minimum thickness of 10mm.
Side Panels (Glass within 300mm of door opening):
- Ordinary Annealed Glass:
  - 5mm Glass: Allowed with a maximum area of 0.3m².
- Decorated Glass:
  - 3mm and 4mm Glass: Should not exceed 0.1m² and maximum panel width of 125mm.
  - 5mm and 6mm Glass: Should not exceed 0.26m² and maximum panel width of 300mm.
- Grade A Safety Glass: For panels within 1200mm from floor level and fully framed.
Windows (Low Lights):
- Grade A Safety Glass required for any low-level glazing where the lowest sight line is less than 500mm from the ground or floor level, except in fully framed glazing.
- Ordinary Annealed Glass: For fully framed glazing, 5mm minimum thickness is allowed up to a maximum area of 1.2m². Larger areas of ordinary annealed glass are not permitted regardless of thickness.
Glass Mistaken for Doorway or Opening:
- If the panel could be mistaken for a doorway or opening, Grade A safety glass should be used.
- Exceptions: The panel cannot be mistaken for a doorway if:
  - The opening is equal to or less than 500mm in width.
  - The lowest sight line is 500mm above the floor.
  - The sight height is less than 1000mm.
  - The glazing is opaque or patterned.
  - A chair rail is provided, positioned between 700mm and 1000mm above the floor.
  - The panels are louvres with blade width no greater than 230mm.
  - There is a difference in floor level of 1000mm.
Bathrooms:
- Fully Framed Glazing: Should be glazed with Grade A or B safety glass.
  - Exceptions: A mirror fully adhered to the wall or protected by a vanity/bench with a minimum height of 760mm and depth of 300mm.
- Partly Framed Glazing: Must be glazed with Grade A Safety Glass with a minimum thickness of 5mm for areas not exceeding 2.2m².
- Frameless Glazing (Shower Screens): Must use Grade A toughened or toughened laminate glass with a minimum thickness of 6mm.

These guidelines ensure that glass installations meet the required safety standards for various applications, offering both functionality and safety for your building.

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8. Stairway Glazing

Glazing including mirrors in stairways, shall be Grade A safety glass in the following situations:

Within 2000mm horizontally and at right angles to the bottom riser of each stair flight.
Withing 1000mmm and parallel to any part of the stair flight or landing.
Safety glass is not required where the glazing is protected by a solid barrier not less than 1000mm in height.

9. Making Glass Visible

If the presence of glass is not made visible in a door, side panel or a panel capable of being mistaken for a doorway or opening and is not made apparent by other means, the glass shall be marked to make it visible.

Marking shall be in the form of an opaque band not less than 20mm in height and located so that the vertical height from the floor level is:

Not less than 700mm from the upper edges of the band and
Not more than 1200mm to the lower edge of the band.

Making glass visible is not a substitute for safety glazing.

Maximum Areas of Safety Glass

NOTE: Toughened laminate can be substituted where toughened is required.

10. Balustrades

All balustrades require an interlinking hand rail where the difference in floor level is greater than 1000mm.

Glass in balustrades which have a load supporting handrail and use glass infill panels at 1.0kPa and 0.50kN, which are framed on two opposite sides or are fully framed on all four edges, shall be a minimum of 8mm toughened to a maximum span of 1070mm between supports.

10mm toughened to a maiximum span of 1650mm supports. 12mm toughened to a maximum span of 1930mm between supports.

Span is defined as the distance between supports. For glass supported on all four edges, span is the smaller dimension.

PLEASE NOTE

This guide applies to glass that has a maximum wind load of 1.5 ULS and .80 SLS and an aspect ratio not greater than 4.
It only applies where panels are supported on 4 sides (except where indicated)
This guide applies to glass that is within 2000mm of ground or floor level

PLEASE NOTE

Disclaimer: This post has been developed to provide general guidance, awareness and education. It should not be viewed as a definitive guide. While every effort has been made to ensure all information is accurate Victoria Glass Projects expressly disclaims all and any liability to any person for anything done in reliance on this publication.

Safety glasses A Grade Melbourne

Glass Compliance and Safety Standards for Buildings

Glass Requirements for Various Applications

Safety glasses A Grade Melbourne

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