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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is updating its mandatory safety standard for architectural glazing materials.
This month, the commission voted unanimously in a 5-0 decision to replace CPSC’s testing procedures with those used in the ANSI Z97.1-2015 (American National Standard for Safety Glazing Materials Used in Buildings—Safety Performance Specifications and Methods of Test) consensus safety standard.
The procedures in 16 CFR Part 1201 had been in place since 1977. The new procedures will go into effect April 22, 30 days after the rule was published in the Federal Registrar.
According to the CPSC, the standard applies to glazing materials used or intended for use in any of the following architectural products:
- Storm doors or combination doors;
- Doors (both exterior and interior);
- Bathtub doors and enclosures;
- Shower doors and enclosures; and
- Sliding glass doors (patio-type).
In June of 2012, the Safety Glazing Certification Council (SGCC) petitioned the commission, requesting that it initiate rulemaking to replace the testing procedures for glazing materials in certain architectural products in the ANSI standard.
“SGCC stated that consumers and the glazing industry would be better served if the test procedures for glazing materials used in architectural products in 16 C.F.R. § 1201.4 were replaced with the ANSI standard because the ANSI test procedures are more efficient and modern, having been updated periodically, in contrast to the CPSC standard,” according to a statement from the commission.
The CPSC voted to grant the petition in 2014 and published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) in 2015.
“A new version of the ANSI standard was published after the NPR, which contains updates to several sections of the standard,” according to the commission. “The amendment replacing the test procedures specified in CPSC’s mandatory standard did not involve a material change to the regulations and maintains the scope of products covered by the original regulation.”
According to the Glass Association of North America (GANA), in amending 16 CFR 1201, the CPSC “declined industry’s request to substitute the ‘most recent edition’ of ANSI Z97.1, thus compelling the industry to return to the CPSC to request another amendment each time ANSI Z97.1 is revised.”
“The CPSC did indicate it would be receptive to subsequent amendment requests in response to future ANSI Z97.1 revisions,” reads a statement from GANA. “The CPSC’s current amendment will permit safety glazing fabricators to reference ‘Class A’ and ‘Class B’ in their certificates of compliance, the ANSI Z97.1 terminology equivalency to CPSC’s ‘Cat. I’ and ‘Cat. II.’ The latter terminology will continue to be an acceptable alternative.”
