Making School Children Safer From Unseen Dangers
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As children go back to school, two unseen dangers may confront them as they return, the first is inadequately secured windows and doors, and the second is doors and windows with wire glass, according to The International Window Film Association (IWFA).
A school building's unprotected ground level windows and doors provide a quick entry for intruders when the glass is smashed open. Safety glass quickly collapses into small granules and annealed glass breaks into larger pieces, both types may be compromised in seconds.
To better secure glass and provide more time for first responders to arrive to address the situation, the IWFA recommends security window film for ground level windows and doors. Security window films are a cost-effective option for any structurally sound window and the IWFA has published a free, downloadable guide at www.iwfa.com/consumers under Literature that states what security window film can and cannot do.
Another unseen danger that has caused serious injuries to school children is wire glass windows, which are often found in hallway doors, classrooms, offices, entry areas and exits.
"To look at an installation of wire glass in a door, one would assume it would make the glass stronger, but in fact the wire is a weak link and the glass may be broken more easily," said Darrell Smith, executive director of the IWFA. "Imagine the result of a hard charging youngster moving quickly through a hall and instead of hitting the panic bar on a door, their hand and arm goes through wire glass, potentially causing severe damage to ligaments, tendons and blood vessels, both during the initial impact and when the limb is pulled away," he added.
The IWFA recommends that existing wire glass locations be evaluated for potential impact and injury and suggests safety and security window film be applied to at least the side of a wire glass installation which is subject to human impact. An 8-mil security window film without any coatings is expected to have a puncture strength of 170 pounds or more.
The International Window Film Association (IWFA) (www.iwfa.com) is a nonprofit industry body of window film dealers, distributors, and manufacturers that facilitates the growth of the window film industry through education, research, advocacy and public awareness. Like us on Facebook and see more information on YouTube.
SOURCE International Window Film Association
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