Bathroom glass door shattered in Singapore: Mum shares how toilet door exploded

A Singaporean mum was recently horrified to see her bathroom glass door crack and shatter by itself!

Mummy Oniatta Effendi recently put up a Facebook post about her experience and appealed for help in fixing the problem (The post has since then been taken down).

Oniatta (who for the info, is married to noted socio-political commentator Nizam Ismail, former director of the Association of Malay Professionals) wrote, “I need help. My toilet door that is made of glass suddenly exploded today.”

“I was seated on my bed and I saw it starting to crack.”

She did contact her contractor for some help, but, “Stupid contractor laughed when I called for help and I have asked the Reno company for help but they tell me they are stuck and have no one to come resolve this.”

The worried mum was especially anxious about her kids, “Can someone PLEASE send me some help now? If this falls on me or the kids, I am gonna so gonna sue the damn company!!!”

Thankfully, in a later update, she mentioned that she had finally found a contractor who removed the bathroom door completely.

Unfortunately, this is hardly the first time such a problem has been reported in Singapore. 

In 2014, a young girl suffered numerous cuts after the glass bathroom door in her home shattered while she was nearby. 

And again in 2015, a mum had just finished bathing her 10-month old daughter, when her glass bathroom door shattered for no reason, leaving glass shards all over the floor.

PHOTO: SCREENGRAB REDWIRE

In the same year, analyst Kevin Fong was shocked to enter his bathroom one day to find his glass shower cubicle in pieces all over the floor.

There are regulations for types of glass that can be used for the exterior of a building (windows, balconies etc). The type of glass used within the home however, is up to the home owner.

When it comes to using glass inside homes here are some things you should know:

• There are 2 main types of “safety glass”: tempered glass and laminated glass.
• Don’t go for cheaper glass: Normal untreated glass may be cheaper, but when it breaks, it breaks into shards with extremely sharp edges that can be dangerous.

When tempered glass breaks, however, it shatters into smaller pieces with ‘softer’ edges. Even if you get cut, injuries will be less severe.

Do note that laminated and tempered glass can cost up to 50 % more than untreated glass.

• According to experts, there’s a common misconception that any glass becomes ‘safety glass’ just because safety film has been applied on it.

(A safety film is a large piece of sticky tape pasted over glass to hold the shards together in case it breaks).

However, if the glass has not been treated properly, it can still cut through the film and hurt someone badly.

• You can check for the type of glass installed by checking the corner of the glass panel for the manufacturer’s mark.

Also READ: Is your home safe for your kids?

(Source: The Independent, The New Paper, Featured Image: Screengrab The Independent)