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New Zealand Home & Building, October-November 1985

Shattering Experiences

page 81

Shattering Experiences

Some of these stories you won't want to read. They are about kids enjoying life in their homes, suddenly and terrifyingly gashed, bleeding and shocked because they had crashed into a product we take for granted — glass. Not one of these kids need have suffered.
On these pages we review the advantages of safety glass in the home, what the commentators say and what the new Standard for glass and glazing recommends.

The Victims' Stories

"I found my son lying in his vomit and blood. He was surrounded by broken glass. His vomit had blocked the bath drain, the bath was filling with his blood. He was unconscious.

"He had been like that for five or ten minutes. We put a tourniquet on — his major artery had been cut and the blood was just spurting out. I thought we were going to lose our son that night."

The injuries to 11 year old Gus Shirley of Nelson: his major artery in the left arm sliced, his veins cut, his muscles severed. It took until the next morning on the blood drip machine to replace the enormous amount of blood Gus had lost. But he survived.

In a hurry to have his shower, he had tripped and plunged through the folding shower doors. The annealed glass panels had nearly ended his life. As it is, it will really only be in summer that his injuries will be noticeable, for the rest of his life.

For nine year old Glynn Cleaver of Blenheim however, the scars will always be visible.

Glynn Cleaver: nose held on by a sliver of flesh after running through patio door of annealed glass.

Glynn Cleaver: nose held on by a sliver of flesh after running through patio door of annealed glass.

Glynn was running to fetch his mother's purse. He literally flew up the back stairs — in mid air, he realised the patio door was still shut.

His nose was almost severed from his face in a huge ugly slice. It hung on by a sliver of flesh. Twenty eight stitches sewed the nose back on. The scars will always be there.

Jason Ross of Dunedin wasn't even running when he went through the glass. He is just a 16 month old toddler, not overly large nor clumsy as toddlers go. But even his slight body weight was enough to shatter the lower pane of a door into sharp, jagged pieces that gouged his head as he fell through.

When the glass was removed from his head and the blood wiped away, eight stitches were put in. Just a centimetre above his eye. Luckily for Jason, none of the shards from above had fallen. It would have been like a guillotine.

These incidents all happened within the space of ten months and are only the ones which we know.

The all glass Begonia Teahouse in Wellington's Botanic Gardens: combining safety with comfort and aesthetics, by use of laminated glass in walls and overhead glazing.

The all glass Begonia Teahouse in Wellington's Botanic Gardens: combining safety with comfort and aesthetics, by use of laminated glass in walls and overhead glazing.

At home in the suburbs: the safety of laminated or toughened glass extends the versatility of glass use.

At home in the suburbs: the safety of laminated or toughened glass extends the versatility of glass use.

page 82

The Standard: An Overview

Is a lounge suite worth more than a life? One would assume not but we know of a case recently where a new home owner paid extra to have solar control glass fitted to prevent a lounge suite fading, while refusing safety glass as being too expensive for the benefit.

Annealed glass: sharp, jagged, shards can kill.

Annealed glass: sharp, jagged, shards can kill.

Toughened glass: up to five times as strong as annealed glass of the same thickness, when broken it shatters into harmless granules.

Toughened glass: up to five times as strong as annealed glass of the same thickness, when broken it shatters into harmless granules.

Laminated glass: a tough polyvinyl interlayer bonds the glass even when broken, preventing falling glass and resisting penetration by bodies or objects.

Laminated glass: a tough polyvinyl interlayer bonds the glass even when broken, preventing falling glass and resisting penetration by bodies or objects.

The new Standard for glazing to be released this month goes some way toward increasing the use of safety glass in hazardous situations, but, according to some industry leaders, it does not go far enough.

The Standard is the result of five years of close consultation with all sectors of the glass and glazing industries. The experience of the Australian and United Kingdom Standards has also been used.

Following the Australian Standard AS 2208, safety materials have been divided into Grades A (the highest) and B. The grade is determined by penetration resistance in a swinging ball test.

Grade A includes toughened and laminated. Under Grade B — wired glass is included.

The main emphasis of the human impact section of the new Standard is a requirement to increase the thickness of annealed glass in all but the most limited of applications.

A presumption is made in favour of safety glazing unless annealed glass can be safely used. This entails restrictions on the extent and areas in which annealed is permitted.

The theory is that glass breakages and the likelihood of cutting and piercing injuries will be minimised by the limited size of the glass, or by the fracture characteristics of the safety material.

Certain areas are considered hazardous. These include patio doors made of glass; doors with glass panels; unframed glass doors; shower doors, screens and bath enclosures; glass used at low levels — including floor to ceiling windows; and glass balustrades or free standing use of glass.

Patio doors have caused most concern in the past. The Standard will effectively require full pane glass patio doors to be glazed in safety material. If annealed is to be used, under normal circumstance it would be a minimum of 5mm thick and the door must contain a sight or crash rail.

Shower doors, screens and bath enclosures are also hazardous areas. The Standard states that they always be glazed with safety glazing, preferably toughened glass to withstand thermal shock. If their edges are exposed then toughened must always be used.

Balustrades may use either Grade A or Grade B safety glass, except when partly or completely unframed. In such cases, only Grade A safety material may be used.

The Standard specifies that special purpose buildings, including gymnasia, should always be glazed in Grade A materials.

What is Safety Glass?

There are two types of safety glass: laminated and toughened. Both offer different safety features which suit them for particular areas.

Toughened safety glass is glass that has been heat processed, making it up to five times as strong as ordinary glass of the same thickness. Because it is so strong, it will withstand without breaking, severe blows such as those caused by a person walking or falling against it. Should it break, it shatters into small granules which, because they have blunt edges, are harmless.

Toughened glass cannot be cut after it has been processed since that would destablise the stresses placed in the glass which makes it tough. Therefore toughened glass has to be custom made for each purpose.

Toughened glass is recommended for patio and internal glass doors, floor to ceiling windows, conservatory and spa pool enclosures.

Laminated safety glass consists of two sheets of ordinary glass permanently bonded together by a sheet of special transparent plastic. Although not as strong as toughened glass, it is a safety glass because if broken the plastic holds the glass in place after breakage, as well as preventing people falling through.

Laminated glass can be cut to size after manufacture making it readily available from all glass merchants.

Laminated safety glass is recommended for the lower panel of multi-panel doors and windows, as overhead glazing for interior and exterior glass structures and as a security glass and where glass protects a difference in level.

page 82

What they're saying about Glass Safety

Safe design should be an integral part of any design where people may be injured. But it is doubtful that there is yet sufficient evidence to warrant the extra, high cost to the community of making the fitting of safety glass mandatory."

The view of John Sutherland, immediate Past President of the New Zealand Institute of Architects begs the question: what level of evidence is necessary?

Acting Safety Controller at the Accident Compensation Corporation, Maurice Dagger: "In 1983 — the last year for which we have full figures available — 549 people struck against window or glass doors. Their injuries cost an initial $322,000 in compensation.

"These figures are provisional — lump sums related to permanent disabilities often take years to show up in the statistics. In any case, we are principally concerned with the prevention of injury and suffering."

Peter Sutton, Chief Project Officer for Consumers Institute echoes the concern with prevention.

"We advise people to put dividers into large glass areas or use toughened or laminated glass in areas where appropriate. The greater cost could put some people off — but then that depends what value people put on safety. All we can do is make them aware of the choices available."

Some 'safety features' may not be all that safe for children, as Alison Brown, Child Safety Division Marketing Officer for the Plunket Society points out.

"Crash or sight rails are a good idea, but they may be too high for children. We advise the use of safety glass in the lower panes."

Worried that not enough people buying or building a home know about safety glass, she says: "Architects and builders have an important responsibility, but that responsibility is shared by others in the community."

John Crawford, President of the New Zealand Glass Merchants
Sir Randal Elliott — "mesh glass not a safety glass."

Sir Randal Elliott — "mesh glass not a safety glass."

Minister of Consumer Affairs, Margaret Shields: "promotion of safety glass necessary."

Minister of Consumer Affairs, Margaret Shields: "promotion of safety glass necessary."

Federation says his members have been promoting the virtues of safety glass for years. The impetus for its use, he says, will have to come from those who specify what is to be used in buildings.

"But I am afraid that the people who manufacture products with the glass already in them, will continue to be somewhat irresponsible by continuing to put annealed glass into them."

A strong advocate of safety glass is Sir Randal Elliott, a Wellington eye surgeon and Chancellor of the Order of St John. He was a leading light in having laminated windscreens made compulsory in cars.

"In my opinion there is no place for either plate or mesh glass in situations where people can walk into them — home, hotels or gymnasia.

"A major problem is that people think mesh glass is safety glass — and so they lean on it or push on it. A person going through mesh glass ends up in considerably worse shape than if they had gone through plate glass."

Brian Surtees, Chief Officer of the Wellington Free Ambulance doesn't mince words either.

"The wrong use of glass can cause injuries which are substantial, disfiguring and permanent. I know of deaths in this region from people going through plate glass.

"In children it is often a case of not understanding the danger; in adults, it is usually a case of tripping or falling."

The new glass and glazing Standard goes some way to addressing these problems says Rosemarie Ashton, Public Relations Manager for the Standards Association of New Zealand.

"While many people may think it does not go far enough, it is important to recognise that the code sets minimum standards which currently are acceptable.

"The community may well later demand they be upgraded, in line with new thinking and new technology. In the meantime, the user may always specify higher quality glass safety for their own situation."

Will Safety Glass become Mandatory?

With the advent of more adventurous domestic architecture, modern homeowners are enjoying glass in quantities undreamt of twenty years ago.

Tinted glass to control ultra violet rays, reflective or coated glass for heat control and double or single glazing — they all help control the home environment. They also contribute to privacy and the aesthetic enjoyment of the home.

Great thought is given and money spent on glass that will protect the lounge suite or carpet from fading. But much less thought (and money) is given to overcome the potential safety hazards of all this increased glass use.

Homeowners tend to evaluate toughened or laminated safety glass on a straight cost comparison with ordinary glass, without regard to the inherent safety insurance characteristics.

It is easier to calculate the cost of replacing faded carpet than the traumatic consequences of an accident involving glass. We accept the carpet will fade if we don't protect it, but refuse to acknowledge that the increased use of glass also increases the risk of serious accidents.

Ironically, we are more protected in our cars where safety glass has been mandatory for many years. Once again, domestic application is lagging behind developments in the commercial area.

The number of serious glass accidents in the home annually point to a double tragedy. The insufficient use of safety glass in areas of hazard is only one of these.

Perhaps a greater tragedy is the ignorance of many homeowners of the availability of safety glass. Or, that if they are aware, they are not prepared to pay that little extra for the safety of themselves and their families.

Surely we don't need the government to make safety glass mandatory in the home, as well as in the car — or do we?

page 84