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GBC Spec Sheets

GBC Safety Glow designs, manufactures and installs Emergency Egress products. Our team has the expertise and knowledge of the code requirements and we are here to help! Our team will assess your facility’s needs with onsite walk- throughs available anywhere in the U.S and abroad. We will work directly with your safety team and local building or fire inspectors and create a plan to make your building code- compliant.

We design, manufacture, and coordinate installation on every project no matter what the size. The need for emergency egress systems has become more in demand. As a result, we have established distributors nationwide to service our customers. GBC Safety Glow has also expanded internationally with distributors located in the Middle East and Europe. Our diverse network of distributors and installers can provide answers and solutions to your every Photo-Luminescent Safety requirement. Our company has built a reputation on providing quality products through quality people! We would love to help make your building a safer place and equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to know in emergency situations. Contact us today for a free project quote or download our Spec Sheets here.

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Updated 2018 GBC Catalogs

GBC’s 2018 product lines have been updated! This year we have many new industry leading products! We are ready to serve your every photo-luminescent and UV-reactive need. Click on the catalog to view and download it. Check out all of the exciting new products that GBC Safety Glow has to offer. If you have any questions or inquiries, send us a message or give us a call. We’d love to hear from you. Stay tuned for more products to come!

2018 Catalogs

Click image to download

Click image to download

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GBC 2018 Product Catalogs

GBC Safety Glow’s 2018 Product Catalogs are hot off the press! Including many new industry leading products, we are ready to serve your every photo-luminescent and UV-reactive needs. Click on the catalog to view and download it. Check out all of the exciting new products that GBC Safety Glow has to offer. If you have any questions or inquiries, send us a message or give us a call. We’d love to hear from you. Stay tuned for more products to come!

2018 Catalogs

Click image to download

Click image to download

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GBC Partners with U.S. Airways

GBC Safety Glow recently produced Emergency Egress Components for U.S. Airways in Tempe, Arizona. Products included Photo-Luminescent Stair Treads and Hand Rail Markers for building stair wells. In an emergency evacuation, components will illuminate a clear, safe passage through the building to the nearest exit. Installed products comply with updated International Business Code (IBC) and International Fire Code (IFC) and are also UL Listed for emergency egress.

Thank you to the general contractors at Gilbane Construction for choosing GBC Safety Glow for your emergency evacuation needs and to the skilled installers at K&R Holdings for doing another wonderful job installing our products.

If you are a general contractor or business owner and would like to learn more about providing effective safety precautions in your building, contact us today!

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Product Spotlight: Glow Paint

GBC Safety Glow is the largest manufacturer of Photo-Luminescent Glow in the Dark Coatings in the U.S. Photo-Luminescent Coatings (Glow Paint) are not UL 1994 compliant and will not meet Emergency Egress System standards. That being said, glow coatings have come a long way over the last 5 years through technology, and the uses for glow coatings are virtually endless. Glow Paint can be used anywhere that does not specifically require code compliant glow products be used instead. If you are unsure if your building meets certain code requirements, contact us!

Glow paint can be applied onto the clean surface of a diverse amount of substrates including metal, wood, engineering polymer, composite, brick, and concrete. It starts curing in as little as 10 minutes! Click here to view additional product information.

Glow Paint_Dark

Glow Paint works great for:

  • Mechanical rooms
  • Warehouse Safety Paths
  • Parking Garages

Glow Paint works gr

  • Offshore Oil Rigs
  • Military Purposes
  • Emergency Response

Glow Paint works great

  • Manufacturing Facilities
  • Airport Markings
  • And more!
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Safety Solutions- Tape vs Stair Tread

IBC and IFC 2009, 2012, and 2015 have introduced new egress system component requirements. Only quality rigid components meet the high safety evaluation standards set out in UL 1994 for photo-luminescent egress system components.

Tape for emergency egress is non-compliant with IBC/IFC 2009, 2012, and 2015 standards and is not code compliant with UL 1994 listings, however, many companies still utilize the old method of tape. This is unsafe! Tapes do not have the capacity to glow as bright or as long as the required rigid or semi-rigid components. After a little bit of wear, tape will get slippery, dirty, and start to peel off, unstick, and tear. Tape needs to be reapplied often and is not durable or made for long wear.

GBC has the code compliant answer for your emergency egress system needs.

Stairs with Tape

Instead of tape, use GBC Safety Glow’s Bull Nose Stair Treads. Constructed of extruded aluminum, the treads were built with durability and longevity in mind. Treads utilize proprietary polymer fusion technology and proprietary anti-skid black substrate with embedded aggregate that allows for heavy traffic and extended longevity. These treads hold up in ice, rain, or snow in any lighting conditions. Bull Nose Stair Treads have a wrap around edge that is ideal for use over carpet or for covering up rough edges to help the appearance of step damage. Stair tread is available in aluminum, bronze, black, and gold finish.

Stair with Bull Nose Stair Tread
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PL Egress Lighting Performance

Photo-luminescent (PL Egress) systems should be UL listed in accordance with national codes IBC/IFC 2009, 2012, and 2015. The minimum requirements of the performance characteristics for the glow are as follows:

1006.4 Performance of System
Emergency lighting facilities shall be arranged to provide initial illumination that is at least an average of 1 foot-candle (11 lux) and a minimum at any point of 0.1 foot-candle (1 lux), measured along the path of egress at floor level. Illumination levels shall be permitted to decline to 0.6 foot-candle (6 lux), average and a minimum at any point of 0.06 foot-candle (0.6 lux) at the end of the emergency lighting time duration. A maximum-to-minimum illumination uniformity ratio of 40 to 1 shall not be exceeded.

There are many other requirements of the performance relating to ADA and NFPA 101. The specifications set out by UL 1994 are the testing requirements for all of the components which make up the emergency egress system. PL Egress is quickly becoming the standard for Emergency egress in stairwells of high rise public facilities all over the world! The U.S standard for PL Egress systems is one of the best in the world and other countries are quickly following suit. GBC Safety Glow has long been at the forefront of PL Egress technology. The dedicated team of Safety Glow professionals have the desire to put people first! “People Helping People” is our approach to public safety.

Foot Candle & Lux
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Safety Solutions: High Rise Buildings

Per the IBC and IFC, any high rise building over 75ft is required to implement a low location photo-luminescent emergency egress system except for apartment buildings. Between 2005 and 2009, an estimated 15,700 reported high-rise structure fires per year resulted in associated losses of 53 civilian deaths, 546 civilian injuries, and $235 million in direct property damage per year. An estimated 2.6% of all 2005-2009 reported structure fires were in high-rise buildings. According to reports, 4 property classes account for roughly half of high-rise fires: apartments, hotels, offices, and facilities that care for the sick. In these four property classes combined, there were 7,800 reported high-rise structure fires per year and associated losses of 30 civilian deaths, 352 civilian injuries, and $99 million in direct property damage per year.

High Rise Apartment Building on Fire

The fraction of 2005-2009 high-rise fires that began on the 7th floor or higher was 32% for apartments, 22% for hotels, 39% for office buildings, and 21% for facilities that care for the sick. Most high-rise building fires begin on floors no higher than the 6th story. The risk of a fire starting on a lower level is great for all instances except offices where it is reports more fires start on the upper levels. The requirements of Photo-Luminescent Life safety evacuation systems do not apply to high rise apartment complex or R-2 facilities, yet an average of 12% more fires occur in apartment buildings than any other class of facility.

GBC Safety Glow wants to keep everyone safe by adding simple emergency egress components in every building. Your safety in a high rise apartment is just as important as those in a high rise office building. Isn’t it? Voice this concern to your local fire department. Stand up for safety in the place you live and be proactive to help make a change and save lives! Contact Us today to learn more!

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Path Marking – Section 4604.23 Requirements

In some areas, path marking for existing buildings is required. To know if this is required for structures near you, the requirements for such path markings are stated in the IFC; Section 4604.23 Egress Path Markings.

Minimum compliance requirements:
Existing buildings of Groups A, B, E, I, M and R-l having occupied floors located more than 75 feet (22,860 mm) above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access shall be provided with luminous egress path markings in accordance with IBC; Section 1024 Luminous Egress Path Markings.

Emergency Egress System
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GBC Partners with Sky Zone Trampoline Parks

After a recent conference in Chicago, GBC Safety Glow has partnered with Sky Zone Trampoline Parks to provide quality UV-Reactive products throughout Sky Zone franchises nationwide.

“Trampoline parks are everywhere nowdays. Kids love trampoline parks, especially Glow Nights when the lights are off and everything glows. With decreased visibility, parks need to set up appropriate safety precautions,” says GBC owner, Jason Doran. “Many parks utilize the tape method, but this is old technology that provides a short solution to an ongoing problem.”

Sky Zone Building

The method of using tape is inefficient because after only a small amount of wear, it will start to peel off, unstick, and tear. You will find yourself constantly replacing your tape markings. Instead, GBC offers high quality solutions that are built with durability and longevity in mind to withstand the high traffic of trampoline parks. Solutions include perimeter markings, obstacle markings, hand rail markings, and stair treads.

Thank you to Alex and the corporate Sky Zone team for inviting GBC Safety Glow to participate in the conference and choosing us for your glow needs. We look forward to future business together!