Whose fault is it when a window breaks?

CCTV footage shows an internal window of a Chinese restaurant in Basildon inexplicably shattering, covering dozens of diners, including children, with glass. 

Stunned city workers cheat death when fragments of a pane of glass fall 17 stories narrowly missing those walking in Old Broad Street below. 

A man dies after being injured by the shopfront glass after throwing a woman through the window of a well-known high street store in the West End. 
 
These three incidences, all within a five mile radius, took place between June and August of this year. However, the danger posed by the glass in each of the instances cited above was possibly avoidable had government regulations been followed.
 
In 1992 Health, Safety and Welfare Regulation 14 came into force, requiring that “every window or other transparent or translucent surface in a wall, partition, door or gate should, where necessary for reasons of health or safety, be of a safety material or be protected against breakage of the transparent or translucent material; and be appropriately marked or incorporate features to make it apparent”.  This regulation applies to a wide range of workplaces including offices, shops, schools, hospitals, hotels and places of entertainment.  Despite this, reported incidents of glass breakage are on the rise.
 
Ian Penfold, chairman for the Applied Window Film Group, Glass and Glazing Federation, explained the scale of the problem: “The use of glass in offices, restaurants and shops is on the increase as architects seek to bring natural environmental factors into the interior of buildings by making the most of natural daylight.  This is typically achieved through the use of larger glazed areas in facades and roofs and, in some instances, through entirely glazed facades where the glass is a structural component of the building.
   
“It’s unclear how many shops and offices in our cities have taken steps to comply with Regulation 14, despite the clear guidelines stating what must be done.  Business owners and landlords who don’t comply could face significant legal consequences if their employees, customers or even passers-by are injured from broken, falling or flying glass from their properties.”
 
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