How Safe is Safety Glass

 13 Apr 2014

19-300x200 How Safe is Safety Glass

Thousands of people are treated every year for injuries caused by glass-related accidents inside their own homes. While it always pays to be very careful around glass furniture and fixtures, there are more effective ways to avoid these accidents from happening. One of these is by installing safety glass.

There are two types of safety glass available in the market that provides protection against the risk of injury. These are toughened safety glass and laminated safety glass. Here are the qualities of toughened safety glass:

  • This type of safety glass has been heat-treated to improve its overall strength, making it five times stronger than ordinary glass.
  • Toughened glass measuring 8mm, for example, can withstand the force of impact of a steel ball weighing half a kilo dropped from a height of 2 metres.
  • If ever the glass does break (which rarely happens), it shatters safely into tiny pieces and with dull and safe edges; thus, avoiding potential injuries.
  • It is usually used as doors, table tops, and shower screens among other fixtures.

Laminated glass, on the other hand, has the following characteristics:

  • It is made up of two pieces of glass secured together by strong plastic films.
  • In the event of breakage, the films hold the glass in place. Even if the glass shatters into smaller pieces, they remain stuck to the plastic films.
  • This type of glass is usually used in structures where there is a probability of human impact or high risk of flying glass when the panels shatter accidentally.
  • It is usually used for ground level entryways such as doors and windows to prevent burglars from gaining entry.

If your home or place of work has old, structural glass that presents a security or safety risk, it is time to replace it with safety glass. Let Jim’s Glass assess your place for free to know how you can upgrade your glass panels and doors with safety glass. Our highly skilled glass installers are available to give their safety glass recommendations according to your needs. Call 131 546 to book our complimentary inspection.