Four! Whoops … that golf ball just made a smash landing right in your living room!
Whether a stray soft ball or a ladder that slips and goes through a window, it’s important to know in advance how to safely handle broken window glass. As part of National Window Safety Week from April 4 -10, the experts at Simonton Windows® offer these tips for handling broken window glass:
Tip #1 – Do not pick up broken pieces of glass with bare hands. Put on heavy leather or safety gloves before handling glass pieces and try to sweep or vacuum up as much of the broken glass as possible without touching it.
Tip #2 – Never walk in bare feet around broken glass. Put on close-toe shoes before starting any clean up efforts involving glass.
Tip #3 – Make certain children and pets are kept outside the area where the broken glass is located before beginning a cleanup project.
Tip #4 – If a window breaks, make sure to check for broken glass inside the home, within the frame of the window and outside the window area on the ground.
Tip #5 – To clean up small particles of glass, use several thicknesses of wet paper towels and then discard safely. Cloth napkins, cloth towels, sponges or ordinary mops should not be used for clean up because they can harbor tiny glass particles.
Tip #6 – To dispose of glass, carefully put it in a durable container (such as a sturdy box or plastic container) and label “broken glass.” Do not put glass shards or pieces in plastic bags.
Tip #7 – If a window is broken, do not try to “knock out” remaining glass in the frame. Safely remove the loose and fallen pieces of glass and then contact a professional to repair or replace the window unit.
Tip #8 – Immediately post a warning sign and/or secure the area where there is broken glass until it can be successfully cleaned up.
Tip #9 – If your entire window glass is broken out, cover the window to help prevent additional accidents or inclement weather from coming into the home. Usually you can tape cardboard over the opening or heavy plastic as a temporary fix.
Tip #10 – If the glass in a window gets broken, do not replace the glass yourself. Some windows have insulating glass units that contain harmless Argon gas that helps in the window’s energy efficiency. A replacement unit should be ordered and installed by a professional that perfectly matches the original window.
