Glass Worker Death Leads to Heightened Concern for Face and Neck Protection

The recent death of 25-year-old Edge Seal Technologies employee Dominic Jerome Childs has some in the industry concerned about how they can protect their face and neck from lacerations when carrying glass. Childs was killed in late May when a 6- by 7-foot lite of glass he was carrying shattered and cut his neck.

According to police reports, Childs and another employee had pulled the glass from a slot in the warehouse just before noon when they heard a cracking sound. The glass broke and shattered, and a piece struck the right side of Childs' neck. He was rushed by rescue workers to the hospital and pronounced dead at 1 p.m.

"We have worked very hard in the last two years at safety awareness," said Mike McHugh, Edge Seal president. "In spite of our good efforts, a good and decent person, who followed all recommended procedures, and was wearing every piece of protective gear available (steel-toed shoes, leather apron and chaps, arm and shoulder protection, wrist guards, gloves, eye protection and a hard hat) lost his life on the job. It is an event that we will never quite get over."

In support of the Childs family, Edge Seal started a fund at a local bank and will match dollar to dollar all contributions.

Since Childs' death, a concern has arisen for face and neck protection. According to Mike Burk, training manager with GED USA, while he has been unable to locate any gear for neck protection specifically, there are measures glass workers can employ to reduce the likelihood of injuries.

"Glass handlers should never carry large lites," Burk said. "There is equipment for handling large lites; [glass] should never be carried, especially above shoulder height. Too often, in order to save time, I see operators carrying large lites and inserting them into the production flow."

Burk added that those operators who are handling packs and crates of glass with overhead cranes should still wear all of the standard anti-cut gear as well as hardhats and full-face shields.