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SINGAPORE: There were 49 cases of fallen windows in Singapore between January and November this year, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a joint press release with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) on Friday (December 11). ).
Thirty-two of these involved casement windows, or windows with one side that is hinged to a frame.
Sixteen cases were of fallen sliding windows, while the remaining incident involved louvered windows or those with horizontal panels.
No injuries were reported from these incidents, the agencies said.
The number of cases reported in the first 11 months of this year is not far from 51 incidents in all of 2019.
“In recent years, the number of fallen showcases that we see annually has remained at around 50 boxes. While there has been no increase in the number, there has not been any improvement either, “said BCA’s director of façade engineering and technology department, Lee Chee Weye.
BCA said key causes of casement window sagging include corrosion of aluminum rivets in casement window fittings. “Corrosion compromises the strength of the rivets, making it unable to firmly hold the casement window panes in place,” the agency said.
Since 2004, a modernization order issued by BCA requires owners to replace all aluminum rivets on casement windows with stainless steel ones.
In the case of the fallen sliding windows, investigations showed there was a lack of safety plugs and adequate angle slats to keep the panels within the tracks.
“Sliding window panes without these safety features in place were dislodged and dropped when owners applied excessive outward force when opening or closing the windows,” added BCA.
Homeowners can face a fine of up to S $ 5,000 and / or jail time of up to six months for failing to replace all aluminum casement window rivets with stainless steel ones.
In cases of windows falling due to lack of maintenance, homeowners can face a fine of up to S $ 10,000 and / or a jail term of up to one year.
Since 2006, 378 people have been fined and 92 people prosecuted for falling windows, authorities said.
“The risk of injury from falling windows is high and not a trivial matter,” the agencies said, adding that homeowners and occupants should check and maintain their windows regularly.
