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In 2022 alone, the fire and rescue services attended 584,881 incidents. As a business owner, you have a responsibility to ensure that your building is safe for your employees, customers and any visitors. While we understand that it is easier to focus on more obvious ways to protect your business, fire-resistant glass should be a key part of your fire safety strategy. In this article, we will discuss how incorporating specialist glass into the design of your office, warehouse or retail shop can maximise safety.
What Is Fire-Rated Glass?
In simple terms, it is a type of glass that has been specially treated to resist fire, smoke and heat. In the unfortunate event that a fire breaks out, ordinary glass will shatter at around 120 degrees Celsius. Similarly, toughened glass will usually break at 260 degrees. But the good news is that fire-rated glazed partitions can withstand temperatures well above 870 degrees Celsius. This is due to their intumescent interlayers; these act as a barrier and prevent flames and smoke from spreading. These layers will provide you and your employees with valuable minutes to evacuate the building and ultimately save lives. That is why installing specialist fire-safety partitions is worth a second thought for every business owner.
How Is It Made?
The main difference between fire-resistant and ordinary glass is that fire-safety glass has a unique construction. Unlike ordinary glass, fire-resistant glass is composed of several layers of toughened glass with intumescent interlayers. In other words, an interlayer is interjected in between the glass panes and sealed together. If a fire breaks out, the glass closest to the flames will quickly heat up and shatter into small pieces. In turn, this activates the intumescent interlayer, causing it to expand and repel the flames.
In some cases, a wireframe is added to the structure to hold the shattered pieces in place in the presence of a fire. This increases the safety and security of your partitions. Plus, there will be no shattered pieces of glass raining down on you and your team.
Alternatively, partitions may be lined with a fire-resistant resin that is protected by at least two layers of glass. While this may sound like an eyesore, the resin is transparent and will not prevent natural light from pouring into your space. That means you can enjoy all the benefits of stunning glass partitions whilst maximising the safety of your building. During a fire, the resin will expand and become opaque. This will screen the fire and help the emergency services locate it.
How Is Fire Resistance In Glass Measured?
To have a fire-resistance rating, glass must be tested in a controlled environment. Generally, one side of the glass will be exposed to a furnace and will be assessed in three categories:
Integrity (Class E)
In layman’s terms, this is the ability of the fire-resistant screen to prevent flames, smoke or hot gases from passing through it when it is exposed to a fire on one side.
Radiation Control (Class EW)
While this is similar to the integrity rating, a class EW glass screen is able to prevent flames, smoke and heat from passing through to the other side. This can prevent combustible items on the other side from smoking or igniting.
Insulation (Class EI)
Integrity and insulation are measured based on the ability of the glass to block heat transfer and prevent the passage of smoke and flames. This type of glass can keep the average temperature below 140 degrees Celsius on the other side of the partition, increasing the chance of people escaping to safety.
It is worth noting that each glass screen is also given a rating that is measured in time periods upward of 30 minutes. Say, for example, you have a fire-resistant panel with a rating of E60, it will have an integrity period of 60 minutes.
Where Should It Be Used?
The Approved Document B of the Building Regulations for England and Wales provides guidance on the areas where fire-safety glass should be installed, including:
- Fire escape routes – To give evacuees valuable minutes to leave the building safely, it is wise to install fire safety partitions along fire escape routes, including stairways and exit stairways
- Windows – This prevents fires from escaping or entering a property
- Communal areas – It is important to enhance fire protection in areas where large groups of people gather
The Benefits
It is fair to say that glass technology has come a long way and changed the world like no other material. So, it is easy to see why more and more people are incorporating it into the design of their commercial buildings. Here are the benefits of fire and heat-resistant glass.
1. Superior Strength
Thanks to its unique structure and design, glass with fire-resistant properties can withstand high temperatures without shattering into large shards that are potentially dangerous.
2. Slows The Spread Of Fire
Fire stabilisation is just as important as fire prevention. Simply installing fire-resistant walls, screens and doors can make a world of difference and significantly slow down the spread of flames. That way, you can reduce the damage to your assets inside the building, as well as the building itself.
3. Protect People
Of course, the main benefit of fire-rated glass is that you can protect your employees. Your team is your greatest asset and you have a responsibility to provide them with a safe working environment. But it is important to remember that your duty of care extends beyond your employees. You also have a duty of care to your customers and any visitors. Slowing down the spread of fire will provide everyone with more time to escape the building and get to safety. It will also give the emergency services more time to arrive before things get really serious.
4. Added Beauty
As glass is an extremely versatile material, it is easy to integrate fire and heat-resistant partitions into your space without taking away from its beauty or structural integrity.
5. Peace Of Mind
The peace of mind that a glass partition with fire-resistant properties will offer you and your employees is invaluable. Glass can already do wonders for your well-being, so we can only begin to imagine how much comfort fire-rated glass will bring.
Fire-Rated Glazed Partitions For Your Commercial Space
Fire-resistant glass is key to the design of any building. Not only to increase health and safety but to open your space and increase natural light too. At Office Glass, we only use fire-rated glazed partitions, walls and doors that have been rigorously tested. We can help you improve the fire safety standard of your building. Simply call our Manchester office on 01925 755145 or ring our Midlands experts on 0121 663 1240. If you would like a quote, complete our online enquiry form now.