Reader Response Draft 2

In the article “Use Of Cladding In Buildings Here Have Grown In Recent Times” by (Mokhtar, 2017),  the use of cladding to make buildings more sustainable has increased over the years. The term 'cladding' refers to a cover for buildings as they prevent the sun from shining on the exterior walls.The benefits of this are it can help improve the energy efficiency of the building as the air-conditioning unit do not need to work as hard. Additionally, claddings are also used for noise and rain protection.


However, the use of cladding has been under scrutiny, as reports show that they may be a factor of deadly fires. As mentioned in the article “36 buildings may have combustible cladding that doesn’t meet safety standards; police investigating” by (Loh,2017) a recent incident at 30 Toh Guan Road involving cladding, causes a 54-year-old woman to lose her life in a deadly fire. According to another article “ Cladding for 36 buildings may pose fire risk,” (Mokhtar,2017), investigations carried out on the building found that the panels used did not meet the fire code requirements. The fire code states only class ‘0’ panels are allowed, as they are fire-resistant. The Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) has also conducted assessments for 40 other buildings which have cladding installed. Out of the 40 buildings, 14 were found to have non-class “0” panels on their external walls.


Overall, while the article mentions the benefits of using cladding, materials should also be inspected before being implemented into buildings, and building fire safety inspections should be carried out more often to ensure the safety of using the highly popular material.
Firstly, the materials used for cladding can be approved by the SCDF before implementation. From the article on SCDF’s website “SCDF Takes Immediate Actions to Ensure Fire Safety of Buildings,” all cladding used in Singapore must adhere to the fire code or else they will be removed. Investigations found that there was a mixture of class ‘1’ and class ‘0’ cladding which has breached the fire safety recommendations.SCDF could have restricted the market for cladding purchases. They should analyze the different companies that produce claddings for buildings and display the list of approved companies on their website so that building owners will know which companies are approved, and can hence learn from or model after them.
Also, stricter punishments should be given to building owners who failed to comply with the fire safety standard. On the SCDF website, under the article “Takes Immediate Actions to Ensure Fire Safety of Buildings,” SCDF also conducted a comprehensive on-site fire safety assessment of 40 buildings and have concluded that all buildings remain fit and safe for occupancy due to their existing fire safety regulations. As for those building owners who initially passed the assessment, but failed upon further examination after the Toh Guan Road incident, SCDF has notified them and is working with them to test the cladding. Building owners whose cladding is not class ‘0’ must remove them as they are deemed as fire safety hazards. SCDF is also working with the relevant authorities to make sure that building owners comply with the stipulated requirements. Overall, stricter punishments such as fines or temporary closure for major breaches should be given to the building owners that do not follow the fire safety standard.

Moreover, safety checks should be carried out more often. According to the SCDF Website under the article of “Fire Certificate,” fire safety inspection for buildings is done annually and is a requirement for buildings to fulfill to obtain a fire certificate. The certificate will be valid for 12 months and after that, the building owner will need to get a recertification. Buildings would be a lot safer if they are tested more regularly as the owners will need to maintain high safety standards throughout the entire year and even after a recertification is done. SCDF should also conduct random checks on building owners to make sure they comply with the requirements.

In conclusion, a lot more could be done by the Singapore Civil Defense Force. This includes restricting the market for cladding purchases, stricter punishments and conducting random checks so as to prevent such an incident from happening again and to ensure the safety of using cladding. Stricter standards can be enforced to push building owners to cause them to be more careful as well as to further implement good practices to make buildings safe.

 Edited 1 October 2017 
Edited 2 October 2017

References:

Acts, code, and regulation, 17 August 2017 Retrieved from https://www.scdf.gov.sg/content/scdf_internet/en/fire-safety/acts-codes-regulations.html

SCDF Takes Immediate Actions Ensure Fire Safety Buildings, 24 August 2017 Retrieved from https://www.scdf.gov.sg/general/news/news-releases/2017/scdf-takes-immediate-actions-ensure-fire-safety-buidlings

Fire Safety Buildings Improper Use Cladding,  29 September 2017 Retrieved from
https://www.scdf.gov.sg/fire-safety-buildings-improper-use-cladding

Fire Safety – Fire Certificate, 23 May 2017, Retrieved from
https://www.scdf.gov.sg/content/scdf_internet/en/building-professionals/fire-safety-permit-and-certification/fire-certificate.html


Faris Mokhtar (24 August 2017) Cladding for 36 buildings may pose fire risk, retrieved from
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/police-investigating-unapproved-cladding-40-buildings-singapore

Faris Mokhtar (17 June 2017) Use of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent times, retrieved from
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/use-cladding-buildings-here-have-grown-recent-times-experts

About cladding and checks (25 August 2017) Retrieved from
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/about-cladding-and-checks

Ng Jun Sen ( 25 August 2017)How did cladding woes happen despite layer of checks Retrieved from
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/distributor-placed-two-models-of-cladding-in-one-stock

Loh Chuan Juan (24 August 2017) 36 Buildings may have combustible cladding that doesn’t meet safety standards; police investigating Retrieved from
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/36-buildings-may-have-combustible-cladding-that-doesn-t-meet-9153588

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