IWCA Urges GANA to Retract Informational Bulletins

A letter sent to the Glass Association of North America (GANA) from the International Window Cleaning Association's (IWCA) Tempered Glass Quality Committee is urging GANA to retract two glass informational bulletin--Proper Procedures for Cleaning Architectural Glass Products and Heat-Treated Glass Surfaces are Different--claiming the documents represent inaccurate or misleading information. According to the letter, the IWCA's concerns come after learning that GANA had formed a task group to develop a statement that would address its position on the issue of using metal scrapers to clean glass.

For the past several years, communications have been ongoing between GANA and the IWCA about the subject of metal scrapers to clean glass. According to the letter from the IWCA, "the presence of fabricating debris on tempered and heat-strengthened glass is an easily preventable surface defect [that] presents a serious maintenance problem to the owner of the glass for the life of the glass."

During past meetings and discussions, GANA has explained that these particles cannot be eliminated completely, as they are an inherent part of the tempering process. GANA says it has also promoted the fact that there are procedures that can make the glass better, and they have worked to bring this information to the tempering industry.

In this most recent correspondence, however, the IWCA claims, "when a metal scraper is used to remove construction debris from poor quality, heat-treated glass, the scraper dislodges defects and drags them along the glass, resulting in excess scratching to the glass surface." The letter goes on to say, "This issue is a direct result of some glass fabricators not maintaining their facilities in a responsible manner, which would prevent the presence of excess fabricating debris."

Jeff Hardin from Transparent Window Cleaning, who also serves on the IWCA board of directors, spoke to USGNN.com regarding his association's souces for the information about tempered glass that was provided in the letter. Hardin says his souces are ancedotal -- through years of experience, including from members who have toured and visited different glass plants.

"It's hard to give just one source," Hardin says.

GANA is not commenting on the IWCA's letter at this time.

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