Poor upkeep the top reason for falling windows

Poor maintenance was the main reason for windows falling from buildings in the first 11 months of the year.

In a joint statement yesterday, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Housing Board said that from January to November, 48 windows have fallen, with half of them involving casement windows.

Fortunately, there were no injuries.

This year's figures are similar to 2018's full-year total of 49 cases of falling windows, where 25 of them were casement windows as well.

Corroded aluminium rivets were the most common cause of fallen casement windows.

Such rivets cannot hold the window panels firmly in place as corrosion compromises their strength.

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Since 2004, it has been a legal requirement to replace aluminium rivets with stainless steel ones.

Those who do not comply can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $5,000, or both.

SLIDING WINDOWS

Other falling window cases this year involved 19 sliding windows while the remaining five involved other window types such as louvre windows.

For sliding windows, accidents are mostly caused by improper safety stoppers and angle strips that keep the window panels attached to its tracks when sliding.

Opening and closing these window panels with excessive force can cause it to detach and fall.

The authorities have reminded all home owners to check and maintain their windows every six months.

BCA's director of the enforcement and structural inspection department Lim Beng Kwee said: "Singapore's built environment is made up of mostly high-rise buildings.

"The risk of injury from fallen windows is high if homeowners and occupants do not take the effort to regularly check and maintain their windows."

Full-year figures of falling windows were 56 in 2017, 45 in 2016 and 35 in 2015, the lowest number of cases in the past 14 years.

Numbers have dropped significantly since the 125 cases in 2005. Since 2006, a total of 352 people have been fined and 92 have been prosecuted for fallen windows.