On an everyday basis, fire rated glass is asked to do much more than offer protection from a fire.  In a typical school setting for example fire rated glass is much more likely to be impacted by active children or a ball thrown across a gymnasium than subjected to the heat from a fire.

As a result, building codes are changing to reflect the need for higher impact safety in addition to performance in a fire test.  The new International Building Code (IBC) will require that glazing products used in hazardous locations must meet CPSC Impact Safety Standards.

In effect this eliminates traditional 1/4" wired glass as an option.

WHY?

Until recently there have been 3 recognized levels of safety glazing in North America ...                             

ANSI Z97.1 & CPSC Category I & Category II
ANSI Z97.1 = 100 ft/lbs (5 yr old child)
CPSC Cat I = 150 ft/lbs (young child)
CPSC Cat II= 400 ft/lbs (Adult - Full Body Impact)

ANSI has traditionally been recognized as the lowest level of "safety" and has been associated with wired glass.  In independent testing it has been shown that wired glass may not even meet this level!

This level is no longer being recognized in the building codes, but rather CPSC levels are required for glazing in hazardous locations.

Over 25 years ago the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) granted wired glass a 'temporary exemption' from complying to the new higher standards of impact safety. With the adoption of the new IBC, this exemption will finally be lifted and as a result ALL fire rated glazing products installed into hazardous locations will need to perform to a higher level of human impact safety!