GLASS ROOFLIGHTS
New guidance on rooflight safety from ACR ACR, the Advisory Committee for Roofsafety, has published a new Information Sheet, entitled ‘Glass Specification in Flat Rooflights’, in response to concerns regarding inappropriate and potentially unsafe designs which have come to light recently. The document, which references information provided by NARM, the National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers, gives clear guidance on design and glass specification for this type of rooflight. Mark Wilcox, ACR committee member and Safety Representative for NARM, pointed out that: “It’s important to note that there are many high quality flat glass rooflights available from reputable suppliers, all of which offer excellent aesthetics and performance. However, there have been a number of cases reported by individuals who have installed or commissioned what they believed to be high quality products, only to discover functional problems and more importantly, major safety concerns, following installation.”
Major concerns outlined in the document are: The use of inner panes made of toughened (rather than laminated) glass which can shatter under a number of circumstances (including, on occasion, spontaneously), falling into the room beneath. The use of glass specifications which may be appropriate for use in vertical glazing, but are unsuitable for use in overhead glazing where glass can
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November/December 2020
be almost horizontal, significantly increasing the stress on the pane. Insufficient support for the inner glass pane, potentially allowing a whole glazed unit to fall into the room beneath if the outer pane is broken, jeopardising both safety and security. Some recently reported designs
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