About This Career

Installs glass in windows, skylights, store fronts, and display cases, or on surfaces, such as building fronts, interior walls, ceilings, and tabletops.

This career is part of the Architecture and Construction cluster Construction pathway.

A person in this career:

• Fabricates or installs metal sashes or moldings for glass installation, using aluminum or steel framing.
• Determines plumb of walls or ceilings, using plumb lines and levels.
• Fastens glass panes into wood sashes or frames with clips, points, or moldings, adding weather seals or putty around pane edges to seal joints.
• Prepares glass for cutting by resting it on rack edges or against cutting tables and brushing thin layer of oil along cutting lines or dipping cutting tools in oil.
• Measures and marks outlines or patterns on glass to indicate cutting lines.
• Grinds or polishes glass, smoothing edges when necessary.
• Cuts, fits, installs, repairs, or replaces glass or glass substitutes, such as plastic or aluminum, in building interiors or exteriors or in furniture or other products.
• Sets glass doors into frames and bolts metal hinges, handles, locks, or other hardware to attach doors to frames and walls.
• Installs pre-assembled metal or wood frameworks for windows or doors to be fitted with glass panels, using hand tools.
• Reads and interprets blueprints or specifications to determine size, shape, color, type, or thickness of glass, location of framing, installation procedures, or staging or scaffolding materials required.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work at heights above 8 feet more than once a month on structures such as ladders, poles, scaffolding, and catwalks

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel