Owens Corning announced that several of its Thermafiber mineral wool insulation products and their supporting design and installation services have earned SAFETY Act Designation, retroactive to January 1, 2006, from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Use of these products and services will provide building owners and professionals with liability protection in the unfortunate event of an act of terrorism on their structure.

The purpose of the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act, enacted in 2002, is to ensure the threat of liability doesn’t prevent companies from developing and commercializing products that could save lives in the event of an act of terrorism. It restricts liability where qualified anti-terrorism technologies, or QATTs, have been used.

“Owens Corning is the first insulation manufacturer to be listed publicly with the Department of Homeland Security as having qualified technology carrying the SAFETY Act Designation,” said Julian Francis, president, Insulation Business. “This recognition and its powerful liability protection provide a strong and unique benefit to our customers, building owners, and the architects and contractors who design and build high-rise buildings.”

After a thorough review process by DHS, the following Thermafiber fire barrier solutions qualify as anti-terrorism technologies and meet the highest standards required to earn SAFETY Act Designation:

Thermafiber Perimeter Fire Barrier System and Components
•    Owens Corning Thermafiber FireSpan 90 and 40
•    Owens Corning Thermafiber Safing
•    Owens Corning Thermafiber Impasse Insulation Hanger System
•    Thermafiber Insolutions Design and Installation Services

Thermafiber Interior Wall/Floor Ceiling Systems
•    Owens Corning Thermafiber SAFB (Sound Attenuation Fire Blanket)

Thermafiber Construction Joint Firestopping Systems
•    Owens Corning Thermafiber TopStop
•    Owens Corning Thermafiber Safing

Thermafiber Penetration Firestopping Systems
•    Owens Corning Thermafiber Safing

Angela Ogino, technical services leader, added, “Commercial building occupants depend on solid building design for their safety; for architects and specifiers, this DHS SAFETY Act Designation provides added peace of mind. The SAFETY Act Designation further underscores the role Owens Corning can play as a resource to architects and others in confidently designing, specifying and building durable and safe commercial structures.”

Life-safety systems in commercial buildings involve:
•    Detection, such as heat and smoke detectors
•    Suppression, such as sprinklers
•    Compartmentation, or passive systems, which help contain a fire to the room of origin, delaying its spread and adding time for building occupants to evacuate

An example of a passive system is mineral wool insulation. Thermafiber FireSpan 90 curtain wall and Safing mineral wool insulation are key components of perimeter fire barrier systems that provide ratings up to three hours when tested to ASTM E2307. This is the standard test method for determining fire resistance of perimeter fire barrier systems using the intermediate-scale multi-story test apparatus.

Based upon its fire resistance and performance properties, Thermafiber mineral wool insulation products have been installed in eight of the world’s tallest buildings including the tallest building in the western hemisphere, One World Trade Center in New York City, and the record-breaking Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, U.A.E. In addition to the new formaldehyde-free offerings, Thermafiber mineral wool insulation also contributes to LEED Credit achievement for specific commercial and residential applications and has certification for a minimum 70 percent recycled content by the ICC-ES.