SINGAPORE: Seventeen buildings have completed the removal of cladding that do not meet safety requirements under the Fire Code, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a press release on Friday (Dec 8).
SCDF’s update follows its announcement earlier this year that 39 buildings had used cladding that did not meet the fire safety requirements. Five of them later tested compliant.
The discovery of the use of the non-compliant combustible cladding came after an industrial building at 30 Toh Guan Road caught fire in May, which resulted in the death of a 54-year-old woman.
Investigations by the SCDF found that the Alubond composite panels used as cladding on the building’s external walls were not certified as Class 0 as required under the Fire Code.
In its statement on Friday, SCDF said that the removal of the cladding on the remaining 17 buildings are in progress.
List of buildings that have non-compliant cladding and are still undergoing cladding removal. (Table: SCDF website)
NEW NON-COMPLIANT CLADDING MODELS IDENTIFIED
SCDF also said that it has identified two more composite panel models that may not be certified Class 0 as well – Bolliya and Bolli-Core FR. Seven buildings could be affected, it said.
An additional two building projects could also be affected by other non-compliant models of composite panels. Investigations are still ongoing to determine how non-compliant materials were used for these buildings.
The buildings with public access that may be affected are listed below:
A total of six buildings with unrestricted public access may have non-compliant cladding. (Photo: Singapore Civil Defence Force)
On-site fire safety assessments to inspect ignition sources and escape routes were also conducted by the SCDF on the new buildings identified to have other non-compliant cladding models.
According to the SCDF, all affected building owners have been contacted and if non-compliant cladding is found, the building owners must work with qualified persons to remove the cladding within 60 days.
The building owners must also strengthen fire safety practices by ensuring their fire safety systems are in good order, removing fire hazards and being vigilant.
The SCDF will be working with certification bodies and qualified persons to check if there are other buildings with non-compliant cladding by having an annual audit for all current composite panels that meet the Fire Code.
Information on whether buildings meet the Fire Code requirements will also have to submitted systematically to the SCDF.
Plans to tightened fire safety regulations and certification processes are currently under review and will be announced next year.
