# Safety glazing in rollup doors??



## righter101 (Nov 10, 2011)

Is safety glazing required in a roll up garage door?

Would it make a difference if used in a dwelling rather than a garage?

R308.4 item #1 says glazing in all fixed and operable panels of SWINGING, SLIDING, and BI FOLD DOORS.

it doesn't mention specifically the roll up door.

Reading the IBC, 2406.4, #1-#4 includes

"glazing in sqinging doors", "fixed and sliding panels of sliding door assemblies" sliding and bifold closet doors", glazing in storm doors, galzing in unframed swinging doors.

THe confusion comes if you read the IBC 2406.4 commentary which states "Collectively, Items 1 through 4 can be summarized by saying that any door containing glazing must be glazed with safety glass..."

In reading the IRC, it would appear that it doesn't need SG.

Reading of the commentary of the IBC could indicate an intent otherwise.

Thoughts??


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## gbhammer (Nov 10, 2011)

Here is a good link on the subject.

http://www.dasma.com/PDF/Publications/TechDataSheets/CommercialResidential/TDS158.pdf


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## righter101 (Nov 10, 2011)

Very useful.  I appreciate this forum and all of those who contribute.


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## Paul Sweet (Nov 11, 2011)

I believe the reason that roll-up garage doors aren't generally required to have safety glazing is because they're unlikely to be confused for a means of egress and people aren't likely to run into them (unless they're driving home drunk).  However, if there is a pedestrian door or a stair next to a garage door, then the same safety glazing standards that apply to walls would apply to the garage door.

The commentary is often as clear as mud.


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## Examiner (Nov 11, 2011)

Due to office software I cannot go to the pdf link here at work.  It is blocked.  Kind of would like to know what it said.  I think a safety glazing should be in the door because; if the door goes up and you are under it and the glazing falls out due to inadequate maintenance or if it was already broken and ready to fall out, one could get injured with bad cuts.

Excuse the run on sentence above.


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## Francis Vineyard (Nov 11, 2011)

*G**LAZING **I**N **G**ARAGE **D**OORS**Introduction*Federal glazing laws, as contained in the document CPSC 16 CFR 1201, have been enacted and enforced in the UnitedStates. The laws aim to protect individuals in various defined hazardous locations from injuries due to human impactwith glazing, or due to pieces of glazing falling onto pedestrians. Building codes have adopted provisions of these lawsand have developed them into useful code enforcement provisions. Various types of doors are cited in the codes asbeing considered specific hazardous locations and requiring safety glazing material.Garage doors are not mentioned by name as one of these locations; however, it is important to define instances in whichgarage doors are not considered a hazardous location, as well as those instances in which garage doors may beconsidered as such, within the context of building codes. This Technical Data Sheet will identify some potentialsituations and clarify the application of glazing requirements to garage doors.*Hazardous Locations*Using Section 2406.2 of the International Building Code as a reference, the following three hazardous locations havebeen identified for consideration relative to garage doors:1. *Glazing in ingress and egress doors*. Under normal circumstances, garage doors are not a “required exit”from a building. In other words, buildings are not usually designed to incorporate a garage door as anecessary means for pedestrians to exit, particularly in an emergency situation; therefore, unless otherwisespecifically designed as such, garage doors are not considered either an ingress door or an egress door.2. *Glazing in fixed and sliding panels of sliding door assemblies. *“Sliding door assemblies”, within thecontext of the code, is intended to apply to patio type doors that are usually defined as a means ofingress/egress. Garage doors are not to be interpreted as “sliding door assemblies.”3. *Glazing in a fixed or operable panel. *In order for the requirements related to glazing in a fixed or operablepanel to apply to a garage door, and, therefore, for safety glazing material to be required, all of thefollowing conditions would have to be met:a. Exposed area of an individual pane greater than 9 square feet.b. Exposed bottom edge less than 18 inches above the floor.c. Exposed top edge greater than 36 inches above the floor.d. One or more walking surfaces within 36 inches horizontally of the plane of the glazing.A walking surface is likely to be located near a garage door to satisfy d) above; however, in order to satisfyall of the remaining criteria, at least one pane of glass 72 inches in width or greater would need to belocated in a second section above the floor, where the first section is less than 18 inches high and the top ofthe second section is more than 36 inches above the floor. _Typical garage door designs dictate that any__glazing in a garage door will not comply with all four of the “fixed” glazing criteria set forth. See Figure 1._*Garage Doors vs. “Sloped Glazing”*Although glazing in a garage door may sometimes be confused as “sloped glazing” when the garage is in the fully openposition, it is important to note that glazing in garage doors _is not considered “sloped glazing_._” _Sloped glazingrequirements apply to glazing with a significant area and weight, where the potential exists for causing injuries due tofall or breakage because of the height of the location. In garage doors, glazing is typically small and lightweight;therefore, even if there is a potential for impact and breakage, the glazing is not a potential hazard that could cause asignificant injury.A building code evaluation services staff evaluation letter is attached to further illustrate the comparison of garage doorglazing and sloped glazing. While the staff evaluations are informative and helpful, as always, the local buildingofficial is responsible for final interpretation.

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## Examiner (Nov 11, 2011)

Thanks for the post of the document.  Kind of similar to safety glazing size and limits in 2006 IBC 2406.3 #7.  Good to know info.


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