Quality Glass & Mirror Corp windows and window glass, other than storm windows

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. Hurt, no treatment

   Made Oct 7, 2020 · , sent to the company Nov 10, 2020 · , published by CPSC Nov 25, 2020

   The product, in the report: The product was an approximately 8’ x 3’ x 3/8” sheet of clear, tempered glass installed in a master bathroom shower. We are not experts in glass so we can’t say much regarding the specific attributes or quality of the glass itself. The glass was installed in our newly constructed condo in late 2017 or early 2018. We do not know the exact purchase or installation date, but based on the glass’s presence during our walk-throughs of the condo, the glass had been installed by mid-January 2018 at the latest which is the basis for the estimated “purchase date” of 1/15/2018 below. We do not have any information about the clamps or other mounting hardware, but we believe they were provided by the installer. Photos of the manufacturer markings on the glass have been provided. The markings on the exploded panel are very difficult to photograph, but from visual inspection, they appear to match the markings on the adjacent panel (also included). The markings appear to read: [triangle-symbol] QUALITY GLASS SAFE?Y TEMP?RED ANSI Z97.1 2015 16 CFR 1201 ?? SGCC 2983 3/8 UA “SGCC 2983 3/8 UA” appears to identify a specific certification by the “Safety Glazing Certification Council” for Quality Glass & Mirror Inc. of Mount Prospect, IL, which is consistent with the “QUALITY GLASS” labeling. The SGCC search function can be accessed here: https://www.sgcc.org/Certified-Products-Search.aspx, and searching by SGCC number 2983 provides the attached certificate from SGCC concerning the current certification for Quality Glass & Mirror. The SGCC search function also provides a history of certification testing for the 2983 product, which can be viewed by selecting ‘History’ from the search results. The 2983 results date back to 2009. A screenshot of the list is attached, as are the three testing records that pre-date our early 2018 installation. We note that the certifications are typically performed every 6-8 months, EXCEPT that there was a 15-month gap in certifications from 8/4/2016 until 11/3/2017. Without knowing more about the inventory practices of the manufacturer, or how long the glass may have been in inventory by the installer, we are unable to form a view regarding which testing certificate (or whether any testing certificate) was in place when the exploded glass was tempered. Given the abnormal and significant gap in certification testing reported by SGCC, and given the explosion of our glass, which may have been caused by a manufacturing or material defect, we strongly urge CPSC to investigate this further.

   The glass wall that was installed in the shower in our master bathroom exploded around 8:50am on 10/2/2020. No one was in the shower or bathroom at the time, and the last use of the bathroom was approximately ~1 hour earlier. The noise of the glass exploding was loud enough that when I entered the room, I expected to find that the ceiling or floor had collapsed. Glass shards--both large blocky pieces and small sharp shards--were scattered throughout the bathroom and on all surfaces in the bathroom, and were also spread into the adjacent bedroom. The shower itself was filled with broken glass.

   After the explosion, large pieces of shattered glass remained in the floor and ceiling clamps as shown in the photos. Several pieces of glass have fallen from the overhead portion that was attached to the ceiling since then.

   Fortunately, no one was in the room when the glass exploded, and there were no immediate injuries. Myself, my wife and my 23-mo. daughter are frequently in that bathroom, so we believe we are fairly fortunate to have not been in there at the time of the explosion. As mentioned above the last use of the shower was approximately 1-hour before the panel exploded. I did receive a few minor cuts on my hands during the clean-up, which is still ongoing while we wait for contractors to arrive to provide repair estimates. As we are not sure how to safely remove the overhead glass, we currently expect to engage a professional for that purpose. So far the other adjacent glass panel and door appear undamaged, but we have not been able to conduct a thorough inspection.

   Model

   SGCC 2983 3/8 UA

   Bought from

   Art Stass, Inc., Illinois

   Bought

   Jan 15, 2018, about then

   Where

   Chicago, Illinois: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 36, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   made or sold by Quality Glass & Mirror Corp

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources