Glass Top Table Dangers

When selecting furniture to suit your home's decor, safety is not generally the first consideration that pops into your head. Perhaps it should be. Broken glass table tops have caused severe injuries, disfigurement and death in both children and adults. Some glass table tops pose more of a risk than others. Before shopping for contemporary furniture that contains large glass pieces, know what to look for to protect yourself, your family and your house-guests. Does this Spark an idea?

Types of Glass Used in Table Tops

Regular glass is the same as annealed glass. When broken, it breaks into large, jagged pieces capable of causing severe harm to anyone near. Annealed glass is often, but not always, the culprit when someone falls through a table and sustains a severe injury.

Tempered or safety glass is four to five times stronger than annealed glass, because of its exposure to severe hot and cold temperatures during the manufacturing process. If it's broken, the entire piece of glass shatters into small, smooth pieces making it less dangerous.

Child-Related Glass Table Injuries

In 2009, Children's Hospital Boston's Division of Emergency Medicine conducted a study on glass table injuries. With the help of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, the researchers discovered that child-related injuries were much more frequent than formerly thought. Most physicians agreed that, had safer glass had been used, many injuries could have been avoided.

Kinds of Injuries Sustained from Glass Table Tops

According to Consumer Reports, emergency doctors treat more than 20,000 serious injuries every year due to glass furniture injuries. Those injuries include deep cuts and gashes, punctured organs, and severed veins and arteries. People have bled to death from cuts sustained from broken glass tables.

Protect Your Family

The best way to avoid glass top injuries is to avoid purchasing glass tables altogether. But if you have your heart set on contemporary furnishings that contain glass, do everything you can to ensure the glass is safe. Don't purchase older tables from garage sales or online sites. And don't take the sales associate's word that glass used in a table is safe. Ask for proof. In many cases, the table's shipping box will state whether the glass is tempered or safe. If the associate can't show you documentation regarding the glass top's safety, don't buy it. When children are old enough to understand, explain the dangers of glass and tell them never to stand or sit on glass tables. Always supervise young children around glass furniture.