Safety Window Film: Anti-Shatter Film and Compliance in the North West
Safety window film is a clear film that holds glass together if it breaks, so a pane cracks and stays in place instead of falling out in sharp pieces. It is the standard way to make ordinary glass safer without replacing it, and it is what schools, surgeries, workplaces and landlords ask us for when a risk assessment has flagged a pane.
This is a different job from security film. Safety film is about injury and compliance: BS EN 12600, building regulations and Regulation 14 of the Workplace Regulations. Here is what those mean in practice, and what we can and cannot promise. We supply and fit safety window film across the North West: Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria, including Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Chester, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle.
The short answer
Safety film reduces the risk of injury if glass breaks, and can help older glass meet safety expectations when the film has been tested on that type of glass. Whether a particular pane complies depends on the glass, the film and where the pane is, so we check the glass first and send the manufacturer's test data.
The rules in plain English
Three things come up in almost every enquiry. This is a guide, not legal advice, and your building control officer or health and safety adviser has the final say.
| Rule or standard | What it covers | What it means for your glass |
|---|---|---|
| BS EN 12600 | The impact test used to classify glass by how it behaves when hit. Class 1 is the toughest test, then 2 and 3. A letter shows how it breaks: B holds the pieces together, C crumbles into small pieces, A leaves sharp fragments | Film is tested as a system on a particular glass, so any classification applies to the film and the glass together |
| Approved Document K (England) | Building regulations guidance on glass in critical locations, with equivalents in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland | Glass in and beside doors, and in low windows, should be safe if broken, or protected |
| Workplace Regulations 1992, Regulation 14 | The employer's duty for windows and other transparent surfaces in walls, partitions, doors and gates | Glass likely to be dangerous if it breaks must be of safety material or protected, and large glazed areas must be marked so people can see them. See glass manifestation |
| Your own risk assessment | What you decide is a risk in your building | The place to start, and where we usually hear about the pane in the first place |
Where glass counts as a critical location
Building regulations treat some places as higher risk, because people walk into the glass, fall against it or hit it with something. In England the guidance on critical locations, from Approved Document K, covers:
- Glass in doors, and in side panels within about 300 mm of a door edge, up to about 1500 mm above the floor
- Glass in windows below about 800 mm from the floor
- Large glazed screens and partitions, particularly in corridors, entrances and stairwells
- Glass where children run, such as school corridors, sports halls and nurseries
Newer glazing in these places is toughened or laminated. Older glazing often is not, which is when film is asked for.
Check the exact requirement: The class or type of glass required depends on the location and the building, so confirm it with your building control officer or health and safety adviser.
How we assess your glass
Identify it
We look for the markings that show whether the glass is toughened or laminated, and check its size, thickness and position.
Judge the risk
Is it in or next to a door, near the floor, or somewhere people will lean on it or run past?
Choose the film
The film is matched to the glass. Impact classifications depend on the film and the glass together.
Supply the paperwork
You get the film's technical data, warranty and our insurance details, which is what a school or a landlord usually needs.
Replace it, film it or guard it
| Option | Disruption | Makes sense when |
|---|---|---|
| Replace the glass | High. Contractors, lead times and closure of the area | The glass is damaged, the frame is failing, or you are refurbishing anyway |
| Fit safety film | Low. Done in place, often in a day | The glass is sound and you need it to hold together if it breaks |
| Guard or mark the glass | Low | The risk is people not seeing the glass, not the glass breaking. See glass manifestation |
Paperwork: what to ask any installer for
A safety film is only as good as the evidence behind it. For a school, a council or a housing provider the paperwork matters as much as the film, and it is worth asking any installer for the same things.
- Test evidence for the film on your type and thickness of glass, not just on a sample
- Any classification in writing, with the standard it refers to
- The manufacturer's warranty, and its term
- The installer's public liability insurance
- Confirmation that the film suits the glass, including fire-rated glass
We provide all of this with the quote. We do not quote a classification we cannot back with test data, and we say so where film is not the right answer.
Related jobs
We have not yet published a job that was purely safety film. These are jobs on the kinds of glass safety film is asked for: a school, a surgery and the glazed entrances of houses.
Window Film for School Classrooms in Chorley
Solar window film on classroom windows in a Victorian and modern school building in Chorley, fitted by DBS-checked staff.
Window Film for a GP Surgery in Wythenshawe
Reflective solar control film on the upstairs and ground-floor bay windows and the front windows, in white uPVC.
Frosted Film on Front Door Side Panels in Alderley Edge
Frosted privacy film on two tall glass side panels either side of a solid front door.
Frosted Privacy Film Around a Front Door in Hazel Grove
Privacy in the hallway without losing the daylight from the door glass.Safety film across the North West
We fit safety film in schools, surgeries, offices and homes across the North West. For education and healthcare work our fitters are employed by us and DBS checked, and used to working around staff, pupils and patients. See school window film and healthcare window film.
Safety film matters wherever people walk past glass, and that is every part of the North West. In Greater Manchester we fit it in schools, offices and public buildings in Manchester and Salford, and in Cheshire in Chester's offices and the schools of the south. In Merseyside it goes into Liverpool's civic and commercial glass and Southport's care homes, in Lancashire into schools and clinics around Preston and Lancaster, and in Cumbria into the buildings of Carlisle and the market towns.
We assess the glass first, because replacing it, filming it or guarding it are different answers. That process is the same in Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Preston, Lancaster and Salford as it is in Carlisle. We work across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria, and supply the manufacturer's test data with every job. See the areas we cover across the North West.
Safety window film questions
Is safety film a legal requirement?
Not as such. The law requires glass in certain places to be safe, and film is one way of achieving that on existing glass. Regulation 14 and the building regulations set the expectation, and your risk assessment shows where it applies.
Does safety film make my glass comply with BS EN 12600?
It can, when the film has been tested on the same type and thickness of glass and the result supports it. We check the glass first and supply the test data. We do not claim a classification we cannot evidence.
What is the difference between safety film and security film?
Safety film keeps glass from falling as sharp shards when it breaks. Security film is thicker and aims to resist attack. See security window film.
Does it make glass unbreakable?
No. It holds broken glass together. It does not stop glass breaking.
Can it go on fire doors and fire-rated glass?
Fire-rated glass is tested as a complete unit, so film can affect it. We check the specification before filming anything in a fire door or screen, and say so if film is not suitable.
Does it change how the glass looks?
Safety film is clear, so most glass looks the same afterwards. It can be combined with solar, privacy or frosted film where needed.
Do you fit safety film across the North West?
Yes. We fit safety window film in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria, including in schools, offices and public buildings in Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Chester, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle. We assess your glass first and supply the manufacturer's test data and warranty.
Glass that worries you?
Tell us where it is and what kind of building it is in. We will say whether film is the right answer and send the paperwork with the quote.
Get a free quote0161 410 0870
Fitted by our own DBS-checked team. Fully insured, with a manufacturer-backed warranty.
