window hdb rules

SINGAPORE: There has been a 35 per cent reduction in the number of windows falling from high-rise flats and apartments this year.

According to statistics issued by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), there were 43 cases in the first 11 months of this year, compared to 66 cases in the same period last year.

Close to half -- or 18 -- of the cases this year involved casement windows.

In a joint statement, HDB and BCA said despite the mandatory requirement to replace aluminium rivets in casement windows with stainless steel ones, some homeowners have not done so.

Twenty homeowners were fined for failing to comply with the window retrofitting order that was implemented in 2005 in audit inspections conducted by the BCA this year.

One of them was a private apartment homeowner who was fined S$6,000 for a fallen casement window.

The aluminium rivets found on the window had corroded, causing it to dislodge and fall from the fourth-storey apartment.

No one was injured in the incident.

The statement said homeowners or tenants could face a maximum fine of S$10,000 and jailed for up to a year if a window falls due to lack of maintenance

They may face an additional penalty of up to S$5,000 and jailed for up to six months if any fallen casement window is found with aluminium rivets.