Guide to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application)

Guide to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application)
(d) transparent and translucent walls, in particular all-glass partitions, in rooms or in the
vicinity of workstations and traffic routes are—
(i) clearly indicated,
(ii) made of safety material, or
(iii) shielded from such places or traffic routes,
to prevent employees from coming into contact with the walls or being injured should the
walls shatter, and
A translucent wall is one that is semi-transparent.
The first requirement is to ensure that persons will be able to note the presence of a transparent wall
and not confuse it for an opening through which they may expect to pass.
Transparent or translucent walls and partitions should be made of materials which are safe or they
should be adequately protected against breakage, particularly where any part of the transparent or
translucent surface is at waist level (800 mm from floor level) or below.
Detailed guidance related to glazing and human impact can be found in BS 6262-4:2005 “Glazing for
buildings: Code of practice for safety related to human impact”.
As an alternative to the use of safety materials, transparent or translucent surfaces may be adequately
protected against breakage. This may be achieved by means of a screen or barrier which will prevent a
person from coming into contact with the glass if he or she falls against it.
A transparent or translucent surface should be marked, where necessary, to make it apparent. Where it
is needed, marking may take any form (for example coloured lines or patterns) provided that it is
conspicuous and at a conspicuous height.
In all glass structures, such as glasshouses, employees should be instructed in the necessary safety
precautions to avoid contact and injury from glass.
(e) places of work containing workstations are adequately thermally insulated, bearing in
mind the type of undertaking involved and the physical activity of the employees.
(2) Paragraph (1)(e) does not apply to places of work in use prior to 31 December
1992 except as regards modifications, extensions or conversions made after
that date.
Adequate thermal insulation in the context of these Regulations relates to securing an appropriate
temperature for employees. The application of this Regulation depends on determining the adequacy of
the existing arrangements and, if inadequate, what impact any change in thermal insulation would
have. In buildings where, of necessity, large doors are kept open for most of the time, a change in
thermal insulation would have little impact on worker wellbeing though there may still be options for
local draught reduction.
(From a regulatory point of view this is a separate matter from the issue of thermal insulation related to
fuel and energy conservation.)
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