Health & Safety

Health and Safety guidelines recommended by City Sound

Glass Safety

Where secondary glazing is being installed, the glass used should be at least 4mm thick, unless the pane is larger than 1.8 metres, when 6mm glass should be used.

Safety glass should be used, in accordance with BS 6262:1994: Part 4, whenever:

• the glass is less than 800mm from the existing or proposed finished floor level (FFL), or
• the glass in doors and adjacent windows is within 300mm of doors to a height of 1500mm above FFL.

Glass and Guarding

For new buildings and those undergoing major refurbishment, the building regulations Part K (England and Wales), Part S (Scotland) and Part H (Northern Ireland) must be observed and this may, in certain circumstances, affect specifications for the secondary windows.

Panel Size

Small panels are better if the windows are to be used regularly, particularly when the intended users are elderly or frail.

Large panels may be used on windows that require only occasional access, e.g. those within an air-conditioned building.

Manual Handling

An aluminium-framed panel containing 4mm glass will weigh approximately 12kg per square metre, with 6mm glass, 17kg per square metre and with 11.5mm laminate, 29kg per square metre.

Where panels have to be removed for cleaning or access, a full manual handling assessment must take place. Depending on who will be using the secondary windows, this could affect their design.

Access

The window design should take into account access for the safe handling of materials, both while the secondary glazing is being installed and during its future maintenance.