Modern glass is often billed as a great, low maintenance material to use in buildings. A regular wash and polish and it is ‘as good as new.’ That can generate a false sense of security about glass, however, and the fallacy that it needs no maintenance at all.
Incidents in Sheffield in 2012 and Manchester in 2019 where poor choices, slow response and poorly maintained supporting structure led to children falling – in one case fatally – have raised awareness of proper ongoing maintenance.
Regular checks and good record-keeping will spot potential problems
A responsible, competent person should be carrying out regular checks to make sure the glass panels are still fitting correctly, that the support and its fixtures are not corroding, that rubber gaskets are all intact and that there is no sign of impact, chips or cracks which may give rise to future problems.
Good record-keeping is also important – noting if glass is moving so that changes over time which might present a future risk can be anticipated and corrected before it is too late.
Then, those regular inspections will spot potential issues and allow them to be corrected long before they lead to another tragedy.
Inspection needs to be carried out by someone competent
While glass has been around for thousands of years, the last 100 years or so have seen rapid advancements in the technology available. That means that many people don’t fully appreciate the more detailed difference between the various glass specifications.
So, when commissioning regular inspections on glass, the things to look for in your maintenance firm are:
“…regular inspections will spot potential issues before they lead to another tragedy.”
“many people don’t fully appreciate the more detailed difference between the various glass specifications.”