A common accessory used in commercial doors, wire glass, has been outlawed by the National Glass Association in all non-fire rated doors following a CSPC report.

Not long ago the federal Consumer Products Safety Commission (CSPC) revised the national glazing code with regards to glass used within Doors. An extremely notable change involved the use of standard Wire Glass. Wire Glass failed to pass the CSPC safety standards within non-fire rated doors. The CSPC made a specific exemption for Fire Rated Door openings, but those glass kits have special size and frame limitations and construction. The CSPC stated standard Wire Glass lite kits are no longer acceptable and the use of wire glass presented “unreasonable risk of injury”. Since most major building codes use the CSPC as a basis, this standard is now the national norm.

Says door expert, Tom Granitz, president of Dominion Building Products, “This change caught us by surprise, frankly. Wire Glass has been used for years and we weren’t even aware of the change in codes until very recently. We have researched this in depth and confirmed that this is a real and palpable change for door glazing.” In an effort to stay current with the national standards and to protect her customers from code violation and potential litigation in the future, Dominion Building Products has ceased to offer Wire Lite kits with any of their door products with the exception of Fire Rated Doors with the special Fire Lite Kits.

Aside from the worrisome aspect of abruptly discontinuing a product that has been widely used for decades the position of the CSPC has opened design build firms, engineers, architects and general contractors to liability lawsuits if they continue to make wire glass an option in the doors they provide.

Sources: National Glass Association, “Guide to the Glass and Glazing Requirements of the Model Building Codes” CSPC, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 16, Volume 2, January 1, 2003

Contact:
Aaron Clow
53518 CR 9 North
Elkhart, IN 46514
574-264-0638
www.dominionproducts.com

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