Dear USG

Taken to Task (Group)

Dear USGlass:
I am a member of the ASTM task group chaired by Mr. Ellis (E06.51.25) referenced in the “Glass vs. Plastic” article (see May 2008 USGlass, page 44). As mentioned in the article, both plastic- and glass-glazed skylights are involved here, as it is possible under some circumstances to fall through either. The subject skylights addressed here should be unit skylights, “a complete factory-assembled glass- or plastic- glazed fenestration unit consisting of not more than one panel of glass or plastic in a sloped or horizontal orientation that allows for natural daylighting,” as defined by AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-08. Sloped glazing, both glass and plastic, should be addressed elsewhere.

Plastic skylights are domed and can be installed horizontally, while glass glazing, being flat, must be installed on enough slope for drainage.

It has been found that the data used to quantify injuries and death in falls through skylights has not differentiated between holes in a roof under construction or through skylights, which would make the falls through skylights far less than reported. The type of glazing in these cases is not known.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health publication number 2004-156 “Preventing Falls of Workers through Skylights and Roof and Floor Openings” describes reducing death and injuries from falls which and correctly documents that there must be a joint effort among the following to succeed:
• Employers;
• Skylight manufacturers;
• Building owners; and
• Workers.
Ivan Johnson, P.E.
CCS Engineering
Mission Viejo, Calif.

A Trendy Point
Dear USGlass:
I have just finished reading your article “Turning Heads” (see May 2008 USGlass in the Only Online section of www.usglassmag.com), and I am glad to see that there is now a trend back to the point-fixing of glass.

Even though we are headquartered in Australia, I have travelled extensively throughout the United States and am always surprised at the point-fixed market. While travelling along the East Coast, and especially the New York-area, in my discussions with architects I find that they seem to be very conservative with their approach, using fittings that were designed 20 years ago. The West Coast architects tend to be more willing to accept modern approaches. Here in Australia, the architects are very “out there” and are willing to put the effort into designing structures with glass facades and newer point-fix system designs.

Linox Technology prides itself on being on the cutting edge of design and, as an example, we have manufactured a glass point-fix system that incorporates an automatic vertical louver sunshade. Basically, the façade contractor can install point-fix glass (no holes in the glass), plus an external shading control system in one go using the point-fix arm as the support for the glass and sunshade. That way the architectural design is very smooth and the glass façade is very prominently displayed.

The concept behind all of our design work is based on cutting edge stainless steel casting, which is only limited by size and imagination. The real design work is what we are, in the end, all about. Promoting our company internationally has always been the hardest pill to swallow—how could a company in Australia with its own manufacturing facilities in Australia and China be on the cutting edge, people ask. Steven Polgar
Linox Technology Pty. Ltd.
Alexandria, Australia

USG
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