How Important Is It When Handling Glass?

The most important thing to know before handling glass is how to apply glass safety to a worksite. If these precautions are not taken, glass handling can become dangerous and harmful. Glass is notorious for being difficult to work with because it is heavy, difficult to hold, and easily breakable. Although the material is more durable than plastic, it is rigid and can break from a short drop.

1. What should I look for when handling glass?

1.1 Glass Protection

A variety of factors influence how safe you are around glass. As a result, you must first consider the importance of health and safety.

1.2 PPE

If all other safety precautions have been taken, the best way to avoid harm is to wear the appropriate PPE. PPE commonly includes a hard hat, hi-vis, long sleeves, trousers, safety gloves, safety glasses, safety boots, and so on. Depending on the job, you may need to wear additional PPE to ensure your safety. Wearing proper PPE is always recommended because it protects against injuries that can occur on even the most routine jobs.

1.3 Transportation Aids

Manually moving glass can be hazardous. To transport your glass safely, you may need to use specialized equipment on occasion. These helpful items may look like carts, carrying straps, or transport dollies.

You can easily slide your glazing onto the dolly's padded opening by using GGR Group's Self-Locking Dolly. You can easily move your glass around the job site now that it has two wheels. Our carrying straps allow the user to easily wrap them over their glazing for easy setup and transfer.

1.4 Remove Obstacles

Moving items, especially large and heavy ones, can frequently disrupt your balance and field of vision. You can reduce the possibility of injury and breakage by locating and removing/identifying any obstructions, such as any floor debris that would present a trip hazard. Other difficulties include narrow entrances or difficult-to-open doors. These can be overcome by selecting appropriate tools for transporting the glass through these small spaces or by figuring out a safe way to keep the door open.

1.5 Revolving Glass

When working with glass, it is critical to use the proper PPE and tools. Transportation tools, lifting tools, specialized tools, and so on can all be used to assist you in handling glass. These products not only protect against glass damage but also from bodily harm.

1.6 Tools Avoid Injuries

By using glazing tools, you can reduce the likelihood of injury. One of our most frequently used tools is our selection of glass vacuum cups, which provide a firm grip on the typically smooth and flat glass surface. It would be difficult to raise and carry glazing without the use of these cups.

Another item that improves job safety is the Woods N4000 Deglazing Tool. This useful device attaches to the glass to be removed and provides the operator with leverage for secure removal. The attached 760mm pry bar and 57kg capacity allow the user to easily support the weight of the glass.

1.7 Preventing Glass Damage During Installation and Transportation

By handling your glass properly, you can avoid the majority of the damage that can occur during transit and installation. Always choose glass tools that give you a firm grip and precise control over the glass. The majority of breaks can be avoided by using proper holding and handling techniques.

To safely hold your glass, you must first understand how to pick it up correctly. Find a safe and secure grip and level yourself with the load first. Lifting the glass with your legs rather than your back is preferable. This reduces the risk of injury from strain on the spine and shoulders. In this recent blog, we go into greater detail about the proper lifting position.

1.8 Be Wary

Being cautious is important because touching glass can impair your ability to see your surroundings. Any load you are carrying may obscure your view of what is in front of you and on the ground. As a result, before carrying a load any distance, you should map out your intended route to identify any potential obstacles. When moving your load, take your time and keep an eye out for any emerging obstacles. Heavy machinery, pedestrians, and debris may all be involved.

2. Raising the Bar: Health and Safety Issues

There are many things to avoid when lifting glass, as well as things to do to make it safer. GGR Glass provides the best lifting solutions for glazing, giving customers better and safer ways to raise a glass. Suction cups, hand cups, suction mounts, glass transport, lifting accessories, and other items are available in our professional glass lifting range.

Lifting accessories can improve your lifting experience, reduce injuries, and lower costs. The right lifting tools help you get a better grip on glass, which is notoriously difficult to work with. Glass is typically very fragile, with sharp edges, and becomes more difficult to move as it grows larger. In addition to selecting the appropriate tools for your project, you must employ proper lifting techniques, which we discuss in our blog here.

2.1 Different Types of Glass Lifting Solutions

When raising a glass, you must consider all of the lifting options available to you to do so quickly. Glass hand cups, for example, allow glaziers to manipulate glazing with a firm and secure grip while avoiding fingerprints on the surface. However, by using a glass dolly, the user can transport larger pieces of glass without having to fully lift it manually.

2.2 Continuous Slings

Although one of our simpler lifting accessories, continuous slings are essential for all types of heavy lifting. This is because of their numerous contact points, ability to absorb shock loads, resist twists and kinks, and use in choke applications. Our continuous slings are available in a variety of sizes and capacities ranging from 0.5m to 16m and up to 6 tonnes. Click here for Glass Lifting Sling.

2.3 Hand Cups

Our hand cup collection includes a variety of vacuum suction cups that attach to glass and other surfaces. By incorporating hand cups into your everyday glazing tools, you will be able to handle glass much more easily and safely. With the addition of this secure handle and the simple activation of the vacuum, you can easily turn and lift glass. It also makes positioning glass much easier because you can still hold it while it is flush with the window frame.

2.4 Slings Made of Webbing

Webbing slings perform very similarly to continuous slings, but they have a higher stretch rate. This feature is useful because it can help to reduce shock loading issues. Depending on what you intend to lift, webbing slings can improve your and your load's safety.

2.5 Carrying Straps

GGR Glass offers a variety of carrying straps that make raising glass much easier and safer. Because these straps are lightweight and compact, they are easy to transport from job to job. Because of their simple yet sturdy design, even inexperienced glaziers can use these straps to safely lift and shift glass. We offer polyester carrying straps as well as incline carrying straps, which are ideal for transporting glass up slopes and stairwells.