Posted on 11/07/2020 4:26:05 AM PST by marktwain
On 26 July 2020, a paper titled: Glass table injuries: A silent public health problem was published in the American Journal of Surgery.
The paper detailed an examination of how many accidents involving glass tables occurred in the United States, how severe the injuries from such accidents were, and the distribution of injuries by age. The annual number of fatalities from accidents involving glass tables was projected to be about 400.
Most people do not consider glass tables to be a significant risk for accidents. 400 deaths a year sounds like a lot. It is about .13 per 100,000, out of a total of 731.9 per 100,000 total. 400 is .00018 of the total number of deaths in the nation each year.
The results of the article have been widely published in the public media. From newsmax.com:
Bonne's group found more than 3,200 U.S. cases of glass table-related injuries requiring trauma center care occurring between 2009 and 2015. The data was collected from the 96 sample hospitals included in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database. More than half of the injuries were traced to faulty glass tables, the researchers noted.
Multiplying that by the almost 5,000 emergency care centers nationwide, Bonne's team estimated there are about 13,800 U.S. cases of severe injury tied to glass tables each year.
The team also looked more closely at the 24 cases that their Level 1 trauma center treated between 2001 and 2016. In this smaller grouping, the investigators found that half of their patients experienced injuries to their deep organs, upper torso, abdomen or joint cavities and required surgery. About 8% died within a month of injury. Most of the injuries were suffered by children younger than age 7 or adults in their early 20s.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
I must have had the same model. Big rectangle of glass in our patio table just shattered after about ten years of service.
When I struck the "door". I stepped back half a step, startled, as the glass fell down. It was actually a door sized window, right next to the actual door.
I paid for it.
It was a character forming experience.
I could have walked away.
I love the treasure trove of expertise available on freerepublic.
Thank you for the valuable information.
Little correction here in regards to tempered glass.
I’ve used it in construction and seen it broken many times in demolition.
Tempered glass is much more common than laminated glass. Tempered glass without a plastic layer laminated into it is harder to break than non-tempered glass. But often, part of a pane of tempered glass (not laminated) will break into one or more long, narrow pieces. It can be quite dangerous.
Also, some of the glass will often remain in a frame. The edge of it will be sharp. Some children sometimes play rough or run in the house. We all know that. And many children have run into glass storm doors (often installed in place of screen doors). Many adults have walked into them. Those doors are easily breakable unless replaced with doors with polycarbonate or similar material instead of glass. Same with tables.
After working as a cleaning lady in high school and college, I decided to never own a glass top table, window blinds or anything rough hewn.
I wasn’t thinking of danger to kids, but two of the three can be. Blind cords seem far more dangerous to me than glass top tables.
Years ago, I foolishly tried to cut a piece of glass that I didn’t realize was tempered. It exploded, and I was finding bits of glass for weeks afterwards. I was, however, smart enough to wear eye protection.
I had a patio table explode. It conveyed with my house.
Dumb-ass me, I put the still-warm (merely warm) remains of fireworks on it. It was a sight to behold. Chains of tiny little cubes continued to twist and crawl around the ground for several minutes. *Sigh* It was also enormous so very expensive to replace.
I also know someone who lacerated his leg on a glass tabletop, cut an artery, and nearly died.
We have a glass wall. It’s actually a sliding door with 3 windows and the door in the middle. I couldn’t tell you how many times someone has walked into the one window thinking the door was open. Luckily it has never broken but wow....you should see the stunned look on their faces when it happens.
I know a lady who put self cling stickers at eye level on her glass door to avoid that. Kept having people walk into it.
Yes, it is a common experience.
It has become good practice to place an sticker or emblem of some time at eye level to register the barrier there.
Validates the paper.
It was the custom years ago to put family photos under the glass on coffee tables so visitors could sit and see the photos. You don’t see that much happening anymore, due to safety concerns, thank goodness.
If the glass is backed by something stronger, it is far less dangerous.
In all my years involved with design, specification, field inspections, and as project manager for curtain wall and monumental skylight mfr, fab, and installation, never encountered a labeled tempered glass panel break into shards. And that includes full size mock up tested past design limits to destruction. Worked with design engineers at LOF, PPG, Pilkington and others.
You may have worked with heat treated glass which is not the same thing as fully tempered and certified glass.
Well, it may be a Tennessee law. The last time ours broke, we couldn’t just get another one cut, it had to be tempered.
I got it from now defunct Pier 1
It must have been because he ripped the tag off.
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