diff --git a/src/share/vm/opto/output.cpp b/src/share/vm/opto/output.cpp
index ede7534642dc720a90f8f6a24c4b050f8e3cfff8..ad90c5124b91ba06ebf80137be92e9c78c5c347d 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/opto/output.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/opto/output.cpp
@@ -783,9 +783,9 @@ void Compile::FillLocArray( int idx, MachSafePointNode* sfpt, Node *local,
     // grow downwards in all implementations.
     // (If, on some machine, the interpreter's Java locals or stack
     // were to grow upwards, the embedded doubles would be word-swapped.)
-    jint   *dp = (jint*)&d;
-    array->append(new ConstantIntValue(dp[1]));
-    array->append(new ConstantIntValue(dp[0]));
+    jlong_accessor acc = { jlong_cast(d) };
+    array->append(new ConstantIntValue(acc.words[1]));
+    array->append(new ConstantIntValue(acc.words[0]));
 #endif
     break;
   }
@@ -802,9 +802,9 @@ void Compile::FillLocArray( int idx, MachSafePointNode* sfpt, Node *local,
     // grow downwards in all implementations.
     // (If, on some machine, the interpreter's Java locals or stack
     // were to grow upwards, the embedded doubles would be word-swapped.)
-    jint *dp = (jint*)&d;
-    array->append(new ConstantIntValue(dp[1]));
-    array->append(new ConstantIntValue(dp[0]));
+    jlong_accessor acc = { d };
+    array->append(new ConstantIntValue(acc.words[1]));
+    array->append(new ConstantIntValue(acc.words[0]));
 #endif
     break;
   }
diff --git a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions.hpp b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions.hpp
index 5a4bd199d94046067c3aeae8db937c5b55b3ba53..a2d827812eba75ee732ab53d5aabe29d4e8ec4cc 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions.hpp
@@ -558,6 +558,27 @@ inline double fabsd(double value) {
   return fabs(value);
 }
 
+//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Special casts
+// Cast floats into same-size integers and vice-versa w/o changing bit-pattern
+typedef union {
+  jfloat f;
+  jint i;
+} FloatIntConv;
+
+typedef union {
+  jdouble d;
+  jlong l;
+  julong ul;
+} DoubleLongConv;
+
+inline jint    jint_cast    (jfloat  x)  { return ((FloatIntConv*)&x)->i; }
+inline jfloat  jfloat_cast  (jint    x)  { return ((FloatIntConv*)&x)->f; }
+
+inline jlong   jlong_cast   (jdouble x)  { return ((DoubleLongConv*)&x)->l;  }
+inline julong  julong_cast  (jdouble x)  { return ((DoubleLongConv*)&x)->ul; }
+inline jdouble jdouble_cast (jlong   x)  { return ((DoubleLongConv*)&x)->d;  }
+
 inline jint low (jlong value)                    { return jint(value); }
 inline jint high(jlong value)                    { return jint(value >> 32); }
 
diff --git a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_gcc.hpp b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_gcc.hpp
index 22e5d277c81929669bddedde4781286dd7dfdff5..576b0235af4130c90c4396db1821d9d4c00c628e 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_gcc.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_gcc.hpp
@@ -167,17 +167,6 @@ typedef uint16_t jushort;
 typedef uint32_t juint;
 typedef uint64_t julong;
 
-//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Special (possibly not-portable) casts
-// Cast floats into same-size integers and vice-versa w/o changing bit-pattern
-// %%%%%% These seem like standard C++ to me--how about factoring them out? - Ungar
-
-inline jint    jint_cast   (jfloat  x)           { return *(jint*   )&x; }
-inline jlong   jlong_cast  (jdouble x)           { return *(jlong*  )&x; }
-inline julong  julong_cast (jdouble x)           { return *(julong* )&x; }
-
-inline jfloat  jfloat_cast (jint    x)           { return *(jfloat* )&x; }
-inline jdouble jdouble_cast(jlong   x)           { return *(jdouble*)&x; }
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Constant for jlong (specifying an long long canstant is C++ compiler specific)
diff --git a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_sparcWorks.hpp b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_sparcWorks.hpp
index e91e6078098b4fdf363a226d503bac16cdf6c1e2..b64bbf8da0fbdb193c5defceb5de4f9a70f19f8e 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_sparcWorks.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_sparcWorks.hpp
@@ -183,15 +183,6 @@ typedef unsigned short     jushort;
 typedef unsigned int       juint;
 typedef unsigned long long julong;
 
-//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Special (possibly not-portable) casts
-// Cast floats into same-size integers and vice-versa w/o changing bit-pattern
-
-inline jint    jint_cast   (jfloat  x)           { return *(jint*   )&x; }
-inline jlong   jlong_cast  (jdouble x)           { return *(jlong*  )&x; }
-
-inline jfloat  jfloat_cast (jint    x)           { return *(jfloat* )&x; }
-inline jdouble jdouble_cast(jlong   x)           { return *(jdouble*)&x; }
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Constant for jlong (specifying an long long constant is C++ compiler specific)
diff --git a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_visCPP.hpp b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_visCPP.hpp
index db22cc8ada6ae5bfc9ad7a3b548f4600311ea972..46e8f9e8e937104c12ff927bb3bab32db5959f8b 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_visCPP.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_visCPP.hpp
@@ -116,16 +116,6 @@ typedef unsigned short   jushort;
 typedef unsigned int     juint;
 typedef unsigned __int64 julong;
 
-//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Special (possibly not-portable) casts
-// Cast floats into same-size integers and vice-versa w/o changing bit-pattern
-
-inline jint    jint_cast   (jfloat  x)           { return *(jint*   )&x; }
-inline jlong   jlong_cast  (jdouble x)           { return *(jlong*  )&x; }
-
-inline jfloat  jfloat_cast (jint    x)           { return *(jfloat* )&x; }
-inline jdouble jdouble_cast(jlong   x)           { return *(jdouble*)&x; }
-
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Non-standard stdlib-like stuff:
diff --git a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_xlc.hpp b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_xlc.hpp
index 8a340062129866c7ab2d93514c5a05550524b821..ad71883f81d7f35bc45f20c13d5095f1652f7d76 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_xlc.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/utilities/globalDefinitions_xlc.hpp
@@ -114,16 +114,6 @@ typedef uint16_t jushort;
 typedef uint32_t juint;
 typedef uint64_t julong;
 
-//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Special (possibly not-portable) casts
-// Cast floats into same-size integers and vice-versa w/o changing bit-pattern
-// %%%%%% These seem like standard C++ to me--how about factoring them out? - Ungar
-
-inline jint    jint_cast   (jfloat  x)           { return *(jint*   )&x; }
-inline jlong   jlong_cast  (jdouble x)           { return *(jlong*  )&x; }
-
-inline jfloat  jfloat_cast (jint    x)           { return *(jfloat* )&x; }
-inline jdouble jdouble_cast(jlong   x)           { return *(jdouble*)&x; }
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Constant for jlong (specifying an long long canstant is C++ compiler specific)