system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do we board up the windows of abandoned or currently renovating buildings instead of leaving the glass?

A small apartment building near my house is being renovated and they’ve removed all the windows and doors and covered them with plywood. Presumably there wasn’t a problem with EVERY window, so why take them all out and board them up? I imagine they were intending to replace them, but why take them out as the very first step in the reno?
gpt
Doing so prevents injury risk if they break during other renovations on site.  It also mitigates against vandalism, as well as break-ins.  And, as you noted, all windows would likely be replaced anyhow.