Glass film designed for fire & rescue becomes a fitting solution for window installers.
24th February 2015

When taking on refurbishment and fitting jobs, fitters often deal with broken glass and glazed units, particularly when removing old glazing units. The usual method of smashing glass on to a plastic sheet for disposal is slow and potentially dangerous - the glass breaks into small fragments and shards that can easily fall off the sheets, creating a dangerous situation which can only be resolved by a time-consuming and costly clean-up process.

Wessex Windows were working in a fire station when they saw Packexe SMASH in use during extrication training. Firefighters apply SMASH to car windows to stop glass breaking over workers and passengers during rescue, which is known in the industry as time-critical glass management.

For Wessex Windows it was a ‘Eureka’ moment! They now use the unique, specially designed self-adhesive film to make glass management easy. They simply apply the roll of SMASH protection film across the glass so that it is stronger and less likely to break. If it does break the glass sticks to the film and is easily removed to safety.

Recently, Wessex Windows has been working at Mansel Park Primary School in Hampshire to refurbish all the windows and doors in the building. Because children are present on the site every day in term time, it is even more important to ensure that glass fragments are not left behind following the refurbishment, both inside the classrooms and outside in the gardens and play areas. Packexe SMASH was the ideal solution.

Wayne Wright, Supervisor on site at the primary school said, “Using Packexe SMASH is simple and fast, it means less picking up with a quick clean up on site, and gives a safe result to our customers. It’s been perfect for this job; we’re really happy with the product.”

Nigel Groves, Commercial Contract Manager, Wessex Windows explains the benefits: “Working at a primary school it is imperative that no glass shards are left behind once the job is finished. With Packexe SMASH the glass is contained, which is a huge benefit to us as it makes the job easier and faster; we are not spending valuable time picking up stray glass shards. The customer also benefits because they can be confident that the glass is fully managed and removed from site.”

Dan Pardoe, Operations Director, Wessex Windows added, “For us, safety is paramount, and Packexe SMASH really helps to improve safety on-site by reducing the risks both fitters and customers face from broken glass. From a business perspective, Packexe SMASH pays for itself by reducing our labour time, therefore reducing overall costs.”

www.packexe.co.uk