Is TGP Glass Railing Safe?

It is widely believed that frameless glass railing is not safe. These statements as a whole are very much untrue, however there are very strict regulations that need to be followed to create a compliant frameless glass balustrade.

Generally with a frameless glass balustrade system that is using only toughened glass, the world security authorities requires a handrail to be installed as a fall arrest to prevent injury. This can create some wonderful opportunities to create. Such as a nice timber, or even a stainless steel handrail.

Many years ago it became illegal to use regular toughened glass in a frameless system. This is because while the glass is difficult to break. It is still possible that it can be broken and the way that it is made to be tougher than standard glass means that it will break into many tiny pieces. This means that if someone were to be leaning against the balustrade when it breaks then it is unlikely that they would be able to regain their balance in time to prevent a fall. This is where the handrail has become necessary as it would remain in place even if the glass panel were to break. In addition, generally still be able to prevent a fall from happening.

Safe Glass Railing

The way to achieve a fully frameless system without a handrail is to use laminated toughened glass. This is basically a ‘glass sandwich’, using 2 or more plies of glass with a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer.

The vinyl interlayer is completely clear and will not interfere with the views that are generally trying to be saved by installing a glass system. The interlayer also means that in the case the glass is broken. It will keep the broken glass stuck together, so that the panels will remain whole and in place with minimal sagging until a replacement piece can be installed.

So if you have a place in or around your home where frameless glass balustrade would be the perfect fit, whether to keep a spectacular view from being obscured, being able to see your kids in the pool easily or even on a set of internal stairs to keep the space light and open then you can rest assured that although on the rare occasion it is possible to be broken, it is completely safe to install, provided of course that you only use the correct materials.