Canadian Safety Glazing Standard Draft Expected in Fall

A new Canadian safety glazing standard draft that has been in the works since the end of 2013 is expected to be released for public review this fall.

A new standard on safety glazing is expected to be released in Canada, where the standard for wired glass hasn’t been updated since 1990.

The Canadian General Standards Board’s (CGSB) Committee on Glass reviewed the draft standard at a meeting in May 2015, approving technical requirements, according to Michele LaRose, Policy, Planning and Communications Branch at Public Works and Government Services Canada. LaRose says the board “is now ensuring the standard is written and formatted in accordance with National Standards of Canada requirements.”

When the draft standard is finally approved by the committee, it will be available for public review via the CGSB website for a minimum of 60 days.

The CGSB announced in November 2013 that it had begun working on a new edition of the standard for wired and safety glazing and had established the committee, which held its first meeting in May 2014. The committee worked to revise a draft of the standard throughout 2014 and initially planned to release a draft for public review by the end of last year.

However, the task groups established in the committee—assigned to the categories of laminated glazing, fully tempered glass, organically coated glazing and plastic glazing—continued to work on draft revisions and met again May 13-14 to review the standard and determine if it was ready for public review.

The committee has 32 members—20 voting and 12 “information and alternate” members—representing glass and window manufacturers and associations, engineering firms, architects, building associations, researchers and consultants, as well as government departments and agencies including PWGSC, Health Canada and the National Research Council.

The wired glass standard is referenced in federal regulations under the Hazardous Products Act (Glass Doors and Enclosures) and the National Building Code of Canada. The standard was last updated in 1990.