Glass Lifting Equipment You Need to Lift Glass
Lifting glass can be a challenging thing to do. Glass can be heavy, awkward to lift, difficult to carry and hard to get a good grip on due to its shape, size and texture.
This is where glass lifting equipment comes in. Glass lifting equipment and tools have been created and specifically designed to help you hold and carry glass, so that you can complete jobs comfortably, easier and most importantly, safely.
In today’s blog post we will be going over glass lifting, what you need to do to prepare for lifting glass and some of the best tools and pieces of equipment that you need to make the job of glass lifting a much easier and safer one - so read on to find out more.
How to Lift Glass Safely
There are a few things you must do before you attempt to lift glass. Preparation will help you and will ensure that you remain safe at all times.
Some top tips to be aware and mindful of when lifting glass are as follows:
Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Take note of obstacles in your way, uneven ground, as well as people and machinery that can cross your path when lifting or carrying glass to a destination.
Have Help When Lifting
Two people are better than one when it comes to glass lifting, no matter how small and manageable you think the glass may be. Having help from at least one other person can make the job feel so much easier
Carry Glass With Two Hands
Whether you are on your own or you have help, always carry glass with two hands. Two hands ensure a safer lift and a tighter and more secure hold and grip.
Wear the Correct Safety PPE
Protect yourself with the appropriate gloves, safety goggles, steel-toe boots or hard hat if applicable - such as when working on a construction or building site.
Accidents can happen when you least expect them to, wearing the right clothing and safety gear will help protect your body, skin and eyes and keep you safe from potential injuries.
Check for Faults
Before you put on your personal protective equipment, check to see if it is worn out, damaged or faulty in any way. Damaged safety gear can mean its protective nature is void, so it is very important to check for faults before you put it on. You should get replacements if you do find an issue with your safety gear.
Be Mindful of How Fragile Glass Can Be
Even with your safe tools and PPE, glass is prone to breaking, cracking or smashing and accidents with glass can happen at any time.
From these pointers and tips on how to follow and prepare for when you come to lift glass, you are in a much better position for lifting.
You should seek the appropriate tools, equipment and machinery to help you lift. Sometimes glass is just too difficult to handle and lift on your own even with the help of others. This is when special glass lifting tools come in handy.
Glass Lifting Equipment
Here we will go over some of the top glass lifting equipment so that you can understand what it is that you need, in order to lift glass of all shapes, sizes and weights.
Suction Cups
First up we have suction cups. Professional glaziers are not without these handy devices in their kit. They come in all sizes, featuring various lifting capacities and capabilities so you can tailor the right tool for different uses.
Suction cups can essentially give glass some handles for you to hold. This means you can carry glass with ease as glass is hard to grip using just your bare hands.
Suction cups can also be used on not only glass but various other materials and objects too, think metals such as stainless steel, hard plastics like acrylic and even furniture and kitchen appliances too. For anything that has a smooth, flat and non-porous surface, suction cups can manage to lift.
These tools are worth having in your tool equipment kit if you need to lift glass, whilst they can come in handy for many other uses too.
Glass Transport
A great piece of lifting equipment used to lift and move glass. Glass transport is the way to go, especially when planning on moving glass of a large and heavy nature.
Types of glass transport, such as the Self-Locking Transport Dolly, a device that is complete with large robust tyres for the easy moving of loads and designed to take the impact of uneven and bumpy ground. Carrying heavy weight including large glass loads of up to a staggering 250kg capacity.
Having the right glass transport can ease off your manual handling and it is a safe way to manoeuvre glass from one place to another.
Vacuum Pump Suction Cups
Just like suction cups, vacuum pump suction cups are a great way to add that handle to some glass but with the help of glass vacuum lifters.
Vacuum glass lifters help to create a strong clamp onto the surface for the safest and most secure hold.
Lifting Accessories
Lifting accessories are also available to purchase, to aid you when lifting glass. This includes lifting slings made from strong polyester webbing that can withstand up to crazy 3 tons worth of weight.
Hoist or Crane
For lifting and lowering much larger loads, a hoist or crane should be your choice. Mainly used in commercial glazing projects, both a hoist and crane are accompanied by chains, ropes and cords to help them operate.
Check the Lifting Capabilities
Before you jump straight into lifting any type of glass, even with the tools listed above which help you to complete glass lifting safely, you must make sure that you are using a tool that can handle the weight you are about to lift.
Every glass lifting tool and piece of equipment will have a certain lifting weight capacity, that you must abide by. Failing to lift within the lifting capacity range can result in damage to the tool or material you are carrying as well as a risk and danger to your health.
GGR Glass
Come to GGR Glass for all your glass lifting needs. We supply an extensive array of lifting accessories and tools as well as glazing tools for you to browse through too.
Need any help? Just contact us to speak to one of our expert advisers, we can help you with everything from choosing the right tools to advice on a certain job you need to complete.
