Aesthetically, glass is great for homes and offices, and Cairns Local Glass are increasingly fitting floor-to-ceiling windows, conservatories, glass doors, side panels, sliding glass patio doors and glass shower cubicles to homes.

Cairns Local Glass have been servicing the Far North Queensland region for over four decades and we have a list of information to assist you with the types of glass products in your home, plus any warnings to inform your family or team members about.

Collisions and cuts
Many accidents are down to children running into glass or your glass is so clean that adults can walk into them, simply because they haven't spotted it (visiting children are prime candidates), or because you may need to install some glass stickers on your door because your streak free windows are spotless.

Ordinary glass (float or annealed glass)
Synonymous in the old-style Queenslander-home that are yet to be renovated, ordinary glass can be extremely dangerous because it breaks into jagged pieces that cause serious injuries. Safety glass is a legal requirement in new buildings, so if your property is older, consider replacing glass doors and panels with safety glass manufactured to Australian and New Zealand standard AS/NZS 2208:1996.

Categories of safety glass
Toughened Glass - this type of glass is toughened by a heat treatment. It disintegrates into small, granular pieces, which are not sharp, and reduces the risk of injury. Small pieces will still be dangerous to children so ensure they are kept away in the event of breakage.

Laminated glass
Two or more sheets of ordinary glass attached together by a plastic interlayer. On impact any broken glass will remain attached to the plastic, reducing the risk of injury.

Safety glass locations
Safety glass must be installed in areas that include showers screens and doors, glass panelled doors (internal and external) and panels beside doors, low level windows, mirrored door panels, windows in stair wells and wet areas, glass panelled balustrades.

Safety glass must be installed, particularly in floor-to-ceiling windows in family rooms and high traffic areas. Since 1989, most states have made it compulsory to install safety glass in new doors and side panels. If your home was built before 1989 and you’ve not upgraded your glass since then, we’d recommend a home glass audit.

Shower screens and shower doors must comply with Australian and New Zealand standard AS/NZS 2208:1996 and be made of toughened glass, laminated or wired glass.

The AS 1288–2021, Glass in Buildings – Selection and Installation is the Australian Standard that provides procedures for selecting and installing glass in buildings to ensure safety, particularly under conditions like wind loading and human impact. Cairns Local Glass glaziers work to these standards when working with glass in commercial buildings.