Introduction to provisions for limiting impact injuries

The guidance in Section 2 is given to limit the risk of people sustaining cutting and piercing injuries from impact with glazing. The most likely locations for impacts leading to injuries are in doors and door side panels and at low level in internal and external walls and partitions. In doors and door side panels, the risk is at its greatest between floor/access route level and shoulder level, near door handles and at push plates (especially when normal building movement causes doors to stick). Hands, wrists and arms are particularly vulnerable. An initial impact between waist and shoulder level may be followed by a fall through the glazing, resulting in additional injury to the face and body. In walls and partitions away from doors, the risks are predominantly at low level, and at that level children are particularly vulnerable.