Interpretation ID: nht95-1.65

TYPE: INTERPRETATION-NHTSA

DATE: February 14, 1995

FROM: Philip R. Recht -- Chief Counsel, NHTSA

TO: David O'Neil -- Hehr International Inc.

TITLE: None

ATTACHMT: ATTACHED TO 12/6/94 LETTER FROM DAVID O'NEIL TO PHILIP R. RECHT (OCC 10574)

TEXT: This responds to your inquiry about Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205, Glazing Materials, with respect to the labeling of glazing installed on transit buses. You stated that the passenger and driver side window glazing on certain transit bus es will be a glass-plastic composite consisting of 1/4 inch tempered glass with DuPont Spallshield 307 plastic laminated to the interior surface. You asked whether this glazing must be certified and marked as Item 15B/16B glazing or whether it is possib le to certify and mark the glazing as Item 2/3. You also asked whether taping the required cleaning instructions to the glazing satisfies the requirements of paragraph S5.1.2.10.

Question One: Must the glazing be certified and marked as Item 15B/16B or is it possible to certify and mark the glazing as Item 2/3?

The glazing described in your letter is tempered glass-plastic and therefore must be certified and marked as either Item 15B or 16B glazing. Item 2 and Item 3 glazing refers to glass, not glass-plastic glazing. It would be incorrect to certify and mark a glass-plastic item of glazing as glass.

Question Two: Does a label containing all required instructions which is taped to the glazing satisfy the requirements of paragraph S5.1.2.10?

Paragraph S5.1.2.10(a) states that

Each manufacturer of glazing materials designed to meet the requirements of S5.1.2.1, S5.1.2.2, S5.1.2.3, S5.1.2.4, S5.1.2.5, S5.1.2.6, S5.1.2.7, or S5.1.2.8 shall affix a label, removable by hand without tools, to each item of such glazing material. Th e label shall identify the product involved, specify instructions and agents for cleaning the material that will minimize the loss of transparency, and instructions for removing frost and ice, and at the option of the manufacturer refer owners to the veh icle's Owners Manual for more specific cleaning and other instructions.

S5.1.2.10(a) applies to your Item 15B/16B glazing since the glazing is required to comply with S5.1.2.6 or S5.1.2.8, S5.1.2.10(a) requires a manufacturer to "affix a label, removable by hand without tools . . . ." Taping the instructions to the glazing i s one way to affix a label to glazing that could be removed by hand without tools. Therefore, a manufacturer could comply with the requirements in S5.1.2.10(a) by taping the instructions to the glazing.

I hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to contact Marvin Shaw of my staff at this address or by telephone at (202) 366-2992 if you have any further questions or need additional information.