IWCA Glass Research

Jeff Klass co chairman of the IWCA Glass Committee was quoted at this years 2019 IWCA Convention as saying- “Safety saves lives Glass Research saves livelihoods”. That’s such a true statement. The issue of glass damage and window cleaners being blamed for it, can have very serious consequences on the bottom line of a business.

Two classes were presented by IWCA Glass Committee chairman Paul West at this years convention. The classes were based on the ongoing research being done on glass at Penn State University by scientist S. H Kim. The presentations presented some fascinating research being conducted that challenges conventional wisdom about the understanding of glass and how it reacts to various exposures and elements. One preliminary finding that is fascinating is a sample piece of tempered glass was sent to Kim at Penn State University. The glass was scraped using a razor to see if glass fines could be noted on the blade. They were able to achieve their goal and get their test sample as the blade did indeed produce a dust and was able to be analyzed. The findings presented something that nobody was expecting while silica was present it was not unusually high however there was a very high level of aluminum found in the sampling. What does it mean? Does it occur repeatedly on tempered surfaces? Where does the aluminum come from? These questions are being further studied for answers by Dr Kim at Penn State University.

Dr Paul Duffer IWCA glass consultant has also been very busy presenting already two presentations to the glass industry and has planned several more this year. One such presentation was in Indianapolis at the Midwest Glass expo. There he talked to glaziers about the potential problems created for window cleaners by improper storage and improper protection during the construction process. He explained to them that many times window cleaners are being blamed or being asked to do the impossible. In January, Dr Duffer was in Naples Florida speaking to NGA/GANA at their annual conference and once again explaining to the glass industry the challenges window cleaners are placed in and reminding the glass industry about the joint bulletins that both the IWCA and GANA wrote together. AWC Magazine was invited to both of those events and the IWCA and it’s glass committee did window cleaners a great deal of justice at these events. Stay tuned for more great info throughout the year.