Reader Response Draft 3.


In the article “Use Of Cladding In Buildings Here Have Grown In Recent Times” (Mokhtar, 2017),  the use of cladding to increase the sustainability of buildings has increased over the years. The article refers to the use of ‘cladding’ as a cover for buildings to prevent sunlight from reaching the exterior walls. It also elaborates on its benefits which include the improvement of energy efficiency of the building and protection from noise and rain.


However, the use of cladding has been under scrutiny, as reports show that they may be a cause of deadly fires. 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 composite panels used did not meet the fire code requirement, which states that only class ‘0’ panels are allowed as they are fire-resistant. The Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) 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.

While there are benefits of using cladding as listed in the article, the materials should be thoroughly inspected before usage.Stricter punishments can be meted out to owners who fail to comply with the standard.Building fire safety inspections should also be carried out more often to ensure that the highly popular material is safely used.

Firstly, the materials in cladding should be approved by the SCDF before any use.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 they will be removed. However, investigations found that there was a mixture of class ‘1’ and class ‘0’ cladding which breaches the fire safety recommendations in where. SCDF could have restricted the market from allowing such 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 fail to comply with the fire safety standard. According to the article “Takes Immediate Actions to Ensure Fire Safety of Buildings,” SCDF conducted a comprehensive on-site fire safety assessment of 40 buildings and concluded that all buildings remain fit and safe for occupancy due to their existing fire safety regulations. As for the 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 conducted annually and is a requirement for buildings in order to obtain a fire certificate. The certificate is valid for 12 months and subsequently, the building owners must a recertification. Buildings would be much safer with regular tests as owners will maintain high safety standards. Random checks on building owners could also be conducted by SCDF to ensure they comply with the requirements.

In conclusion, much more could be done by the SCDF. This includes restricting the market from cladding purchases, meting out stricter punishments and conducting random checks to prevent further accidents from happening again and also ensure the safety of using cladding. Stricter safety standards could be enforced so that building owners to would practice proper care and caution in their building developments.

Edited 13 October
References:

References:
Fire Safety - Acts, code, and regulation (2017). Retrieved from 17 August 2017. https://www.scdf.gov.sg/content/scdf_internet/en/fire-safety/acts-codes-regulations.html
SCDF Takes Immediate Actions Ensure Fire Safety Buildings (2017).Retrieved from 24 August 2017. https://www.scdf.gov.sg/general/news/news-releases/2017/scdf-takes-immediate-actions-ensure-fire-safety-buidlings
Fire Safety Buildings Improper Use Cladding (2017).Retrieved from 29 September 2017.
Fire Safety – Fire Certificate (2017).Retrieved from 23 May 2017.
Faris Mokhtar. (2017). Cladding for 36 buildings may pose fire risk. Retrieved from 24 August 2017
Faris Mokhtar.(2017). Use of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent times. Retrieved from 17 June 2017.http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/use-cladding-buildings-here-have-grown-recent-times-experts
About cladding and checks. (2017).Retrieved from 25 August 2017.
Ng Jun Sen.(2017). How did cladding woes happen despite layer of checks.Retrieved from 25 August 2017
Loh Chuan Juan.(2017). 36 Buildings may have combustible cladding that doesn’t meet safety standards; police investigating. Retrieved from 24 August 2017










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