Door glazing: IBC 2406.4.1
All glazing in fixed and operable panels of swinging, sliding and bifold doors is hazardous. Exceptions:
- openings a 3-in. sphere cannot pass
- decorative glazing
- curved revolving-door panels
- commercial refrigerated cabinet doors
No occupancy exception exists. A lite of 9 sq ft or less still needs safety glazing; 9 sq ft only picks the CPSC category. The 18-in. figure is a 2406.4.3 window test, not a door exception.
Glazing next to a door: IBC 2406.4.2
Glazing is hazardous when its nearest edge is within a 24-in. arc of either vertical edge of the door in a closed position AND its bottom exposed edge is less than 60 in. above the walking surface. Measuring at 90 degrees open is the IBC 1010.1.1 clear-width method, not this one.
Exceptions: decorative glazing; an intervening wall or permanent barrier; closet or storage doors 3 ft deep or less (see 2406.4.3); and latch-side glazing perpendicular to the door, but only in one- and two-family dwellings or inside R-2 dwelling units. Not a Group B office. A fire-door label and pane size play no role here.
Windows: IBC 2406.4.3
Hazardous only when all four are met:
- pane larger than 9 sq ft
- bottom edge less than 18 in. above the floor
- top edge more than 36 in. above the floor
- walking surface within 36 in. horizontally
Fail one and none is required: a 2.5 by 3.5 ft pane is 8.75 sq ft and fails. Treating the tests as alternatives is the classic error. The top-edge test is 36 in., not 60.
Exceptions: decorative glazing; a horizontal rail 34 to 38 in. high resisting 50 plf; and the outboard pane of insulating glass 25 ft or more above grade. Never the inboard pane.
Wet areas: IBC 2406.4.5
Glazing facing pools, hot tubs, saunas and showers is hazardous where its bottom edge is less than 60 in. above the walking surface, unless it is more than 60 in. horizontally from the water's edge. Glazing 72 in. away needs none.