Glass Manifestation London

Glass manifestations are vinyl stickers which can take a number of different styles or designs. They are fixed to any transparent or glazed area in an office, in order to prevent people from causing themselves injury by walking into them. Floor-to-ceiling glazing and doors are common features of many modern offices, glass manifestations are legally required to fulfil workplace safety regulations.

Glass panels and doors are often used in office to promote an open environment and to create spaces with more natural light. Unfortunately, a drawback to this design choice is an increased risk of collision with those unfamiliar with the space and visually impaired people. Glass manifestations are intended to prevent workplace accidents and reduce the risk of injury claims that come as a result of them. 

Glass manifestations are a legal requirement in any workplace which makes use of clear glass doors or glazed panels. Their use is required by Regulation 14 of The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992:

“Every window or other transparent or translucent surface in a wall or partition and every transparent or translucent surface in a door or gate shall, where necessary for reasons of health or safety—

(a) be of safety material or be protected against breakage of the transparent or translucent material; and

(b) be appropriately marked or incorporate features so as, in either case, to make it apparent.”

There is specific reference to the fixing of manifestations to transparent glass in Part N2 of the Building Regulations 2000:

“Transparent glazing, with which people are likely to come into contact while moving in or about the building, shall incorporate features which make it apparent.”

This statutory requirement is then supplemented with guidelines detailing how manifestations should be fixed, what size they need to be and the minimum requirements for manifestations in the workplace. It’s important to note that glass manifestations are not a legal requirement in dwellings. 

According to the government’s Approved Document N, glass manifestations should be placed in ‘critical locations’ to indicated the presence of ‘large uninterrupted areas of transparent glazing’. These locations are defined as being areas of building, or the general surroundings, where a person might reasonably assume that they can walk through. Essentially, manifestations are required in places where someone might assume they can simply walk straight through. Manifestations are not required on transparent glass when there are other means of indicating that the glazing is present, such as door framing or large pull/push handles. 

There are no size requirements for workplace glass manifestations, however, there is a stipulation on the height that the manifestation should be fixed at. In places where they are needed, all manifestations should be fixed at a height of 1500m. 

The requirements for the manifestation of windows, transparent or translucent doors in regards to the visually impaired is laid out in Part M1/M2 of the government’s Approved Documents: 

“People with visual impairment should be in no doubt as to the location of glass entrance doors, especially when they are within a glazed screen. The choice of a different style of manifestation for the door and the glazed screen can help to differentiate between them.”

There are a few design stipulations in the government’s Approved Document K which define how a glass manifestation should appear. Section 7.4 states that glass manifestations should ‘contrast visually with the background seen through the glass, both from inside and outside, in all lighting conditions.’ Additionally, ‘manifestation in the form of a logo or sign, a minimum of 150mm high (repeated if on a glazed screen), or a decorative feature such as broken lines or continuous bands, a minimum of 5mm high.’ These requirements leave designers a great deal room of room for manoeuvring. Whilst it’s possible to buy ‘off the shelf’ solutions that conform to the minimum requirements of these regulations, there’s an opportunity to create interesting manifestations that provide a handful of additional aesthetic and practical benefits. 

Glass manifestations can provide a number of useful benefits to the workplace, besides reducing the likelihood of workplace accidents and consequential injury compensation claims. Large frosted vinyl designs can be used to create privacy for meeting rooms whilst still allowing light to naturally filter through. These spaces can then also provide a distraction-free zone for occupants to work without passing colleagues and other disturbances breaking their focus.

A thoughtfully designed glass manifestation for the workplace could synchronise with the business’ branding or even reflect core values, giving employees a greater sense of ownership and command over their workspace. Additionally, manifestations could be used outside of the legally required critical locations as a way to separate the workspace into subtly demarcated zones intended for co-operative work, communal breaks or client meetings. 

There is no legal stipulation for glass manifestations to be used at home, however incorporating them into dwellings can provide many of the same benefits. Pets, visitors and children can be particularly at risk of colliding with floor to ceiling glass doors and windows. Manifestations do not necessarily have to be corporate in nature, decorative designs can add a unique touch to living environments whilst also providing a health and safety benefit.