How much should I budget for blast-resistant glazing in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles?
As a guide, blast-resistant glazing costs £450 to £1,495 plus VAT (£540 to £1,794 inc VAT) per m². Because work in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles is arranged individually, we confirm the full price, including any travel, in writing first.
Blast-resistant glazing is laminated glass fitted in a frame and fixing system designed to stay in the opening, or fail safely, when hit by the pressure wave from an explosion. Its purpose is to stop glass becoming high-speed fragments, which cause most injuries in a blast, and it is designed from a threat assessment rather than chosen off the shelf.
What you can specify
- Work planned from the threat assessment and engineer's design
- Sealed units with a laminated inner pane
- Laminated glass with thick or stiff interlayers
- Manufacturer's test evidence supplied with your quote
- Blast-resistant net curtains as a fragment-catching layer
- Deep-bite frames and structural silicone or mechanical retention
Covering Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
Work in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles is arranged individually because of travel, including in Kirkwall, Lerwick and Stornoway. Send your postcode and we will confirm what is possible.
The island groups have small stone-built towns such as Kirkwall, Lerwick and Stornoway and scattered rural properties, with exposed weather and ferry freight for every glass delivery.
Common uses:
- Laboratories and industrial sites with process risks
- Government, council and civic buildings
- Transport hubs, venues and stadium frontages
- Embassies, courts and police premises
Towns in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
What to think about first
Who sets the level
The design pressure comes from a threat and risk assessment by a security adviser or blast engineer, not from the glass supplier.
Fragment hazard
Some designs accept that glass will break but keep it in place; others allow controlled failure into a catching system. Both aim to stop flying shards.
Consents and safety: Scotland
Fire-rated glass is different
Glass in fire doors and fire screens must be fire-rated glass tested within that system, under section 2 of the Building Standards technical handbooks and the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 for non-domestic premises. Security and laminated glass are not fire-rated unless the product is tested for it.
Glazing in workplaces
Regulation 14 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 applies in Scotland. Windows and transparent surfaces in walls, partitions, doors and gates must be of safety material or protected against breakage where health or safety requires it, and marked so people see them. The duty holder's risk assessment decides where.
How it works
- Send sizes, photos and your postcode
- We confirm what is possible and when
- Fixed price in writing
- Glass made, delivered and fitted
Blast-resistant glazing in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles: questions
Which towns in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles do you cover?
Work across Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles is arranged individually because of travel and glass delivery, including in Kirkwall, Lerwick and Stornoway. Send your postcode and we will confirm what is possible.
Does blast glazing affect fire doors and fire screens?
Glass in fire-rated doors and screens must stay fire-rated glass tested in that system. Blast measures there need fire-rated products or a specialist design, never a swap to plain laminated glass.
Is blast film enough on its own?
Film helps hold glass together but works much better when the film is anchored to the frame so the whole pane cannot fly in. Plain film without retention offers less.
Can existing windows be made blast-resistant?
They can often be improved. Anti-shatter film with an edge-retention system, laminated replacement glass in strengthened frames or internal secondary glazing can cut the flying-glass hazard, depending on the threat.
Other glazing in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
- Commercial reglazing
- Laminated glass retrofit
- Display case security glass
- Toughened safety glass
- Security glass for home windows
- Bullet-resistant glass
Send sizes and photos with the form, or call 0800 088 6248.