subject: Blast-resistant Protection [print this page] In the past several years, the emergency management field has grown significantly, but it's not just military or government facilities that must prepare themselves for high threat situations. Many people do not realize the large number of facilities that include safety features like blast-resistant windows. Hospitals, jails, and laboratories/research facilities all boast high security levels. One major technological advance that has proved indispensable in the defense and security industry is the advancement of blast-proofing technology.
Glass is one material that seems almost impossible to protect against the high-pressure blast of an explosion. When a window is hit by an explosion, the shards of glass ejected into the surrounding areas are often more dangerous than the initial blast. If an individual is standing near a glass surface affected by a high-pressure blast, it is highly unlikelyif not impossibleto walk away unharmed. Security windows are a useful piece of equipment, but blast-resistant windows are one of the most effective tools in protection against a high-pressure blast and the intense backlash of debris.
Blast-resistant windows have a special kind of glass installed in place of normal window glass. Blast-resistant glass cannot resist all blasts/explosions; it is, however, stronger and safer than normal glass. Blast-resistant windows hold broken shards of glass in place after being struck by an explosion. This means people inside the affected area are not struck by stray shards of glass fragments. The glass held within the window also keeps harmful debris from hitting bystanders because, while cracked, the window is still intact.
In order to better protect a structure from intense pressure blasts or explosions, a building requires more than special glass. Blast-resistant doors are designed to stop flying debris, resist high blast pressure, seal against chemicals, and resist high thermal temperatures caused by an explosion. While all these singular components are useful, they become life-saving when combined into one unit. When used in tandem with one another, blast-resistant windows and doors increase the safety of a building by a significant margin.
It is an unhappy truth that a large number of businesses in the United States need to protect themselves from the dangers of intense, high-pressure blasts and explosions. In the United States, government buildings, hospitals, jails, and laboratories/research facilities require high levels of protection. While there is no way to protect a structure from every possible type of attack, it is possible to engineer a blast-resistant building. Blast-resistant doors and windows can help protect you from disaster.
