Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards

Singapore-From January this year to last month, Singapore recorded a total of 43 cases of falling windows. No one was injured.

On Saturday (December 11), the Bureau of Construction (BCA) and the Housing Commission stated that about half — 22 cases involved casement windows, 16 cases were sliding windows, and 5 cases involved other types such as blinds.

The total of 43 is lower than 49 in the same period last year.

During the same period this year, BCA received 12 cases involving poorly maintained windows and impending fallout. It cooperates with the Housing and Development Board to allow the owners to participate in correcting this situation.

The investigation of the case found that one of the main reasons that caused the casement windows and sliding windows to fall was that the aluminum rivets were corroded and the casement window panels could not be fixed in place.

Since 2004, BCA has been issuing renovation orders requiring owners to replace aluminum rivets on casement windows with stainless steel rivets.

Another reason is the lack of safety plugs and angle steel bars for keeping the sliding window panels in the track. Without these safety features, when excessive force is used to open or close the window, the window may fall off and fall.

BCA and HDB recommend that homeowners inspect and replace worn safety devices.

A homeowner who fails to replace all aluminum rivets on casement windows with stainless steel rivets can be fined up to $5,000, imprisoned for up to six months, or both.

If the window collapses due to lack of maintenance, it can be fined up to $10,000, imprisoned for up to one year, or both.

Since 2006, 388 people have been fined for falling windows and 92 people have been prosecuted.

It is recommended that homeowners and residents inspect and maintain windows at least once every six months, because over time, their parts may become loose or malfunction due to wear and tear, causing the windows to fall off and fall.

Thanabal Kaliannan, director of BCA's Building Resilience Team, said that due to the many high-rise buildings and dense built environment in Singapore, every dropped window could cause death or serious injury.

He added: “All homeowners and residents can reduce this risk by regularly inspecting and maintaining windows.”

A list of BCA-approved window contractors and window maintenance tips can be found on the BCA website and the HDB website.

Join ST’s Telegram channel here to get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

MCI (P) 031/10/2021, MCI (P) 032/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. The number is 202120748H. Copyright © 2021 SPH Media Limited. all rights reserved.

We have encountered some problems with subscriber login, and we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Until we resolve the issue, subscribers can access ST Digital articles without logging in. But our PDF still needs to log in.