UPGRADED HDB FLATS (Problem with windows installed)

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UPGRADED HDB FLATS:

(Problem with windows installed):

. Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for National Development if he will state (i) the number of flats in HDB estates, except those at Circuit Road , which have been upgraded and which have problems with the windows installed; and (ii) how many of these windows need to be repaired or replaced.

The Minister for National Development (Mr Mah Bow Tan): Mr Speaker, Sir, HDB adopts the Singapore Standards, which are set by Spring Singapore, for the installation of windows in HDB flats for its building and upgrading contracts.

From 1987 to 1998, aluminium rivets were used for the installation of casement windows in HDB flats. This was based on the prevailing industry standard at that time. HDB switched to the use of more durable stainless steel rivets for casement windows from 1998. The industry standards were revised in the year 2000

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to specify the use of stainless steel rivets for casement windows.

There are to-date 20,600 flats in 22 precincts which have undergone the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP) and where aluminium rivets were used in the installation of casement windows. Between 1999 and 2001, HDB checked and replaced

damaged or defective aluminium rivets with stainless steel rivets for 10,300 upgraded flats. For the remaining 10,300 flats, HDB had found the rivets to be in good condition at the time of inspection and, hence, did not change them.

Following BCA's announcement last week on measures to enhance window safety, HDB has included the remaining 10,300 flats under a new goodwill rivet replacement programme. Under this programme, HDB will co-share half the cost of replacing the aluminium rivets with stainless steel rivets for aluminium casement windows in these flats.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Can the Minister please name the 22 precincts?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: I do not have the full list here, but I have some of the precincts which are involved in this programme.

Some of the precincts include Jalan Bahagia, Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, Taman Ho Swee, Circuit Road, Toa Payoh Lorong 1, Marine Drive and Woodlands Street 32.

Dr Teo Ho Pin (Holland-Bukit Panjang): Mr Speaker, Sir, my questions to the Minister are:

1. Will the Ministry be putting up legislation to make it compulsory for all home owners to inspect their windows?

2. Of the 43,000 flat units which are affected by falling windows, the

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replacement cost is 50-50 sharing and there is a cost involved in the inspection of these affected windows. As they need to be replaced, there is no need to inspect them to have them replaced. They just have to replace the aluminium rivets to stainless steel ones and make sure that they are safe. So, there is no need to pay for inspection. It is part of the work of the replacement. Can the Minister consider that?

3. For rental flats, can I just clarify that the HDB will pay 100% of the cost of replacing all the affected casement windows?

4. I understand that the HDB has called for tenders to replace the aluminium rivets and that the rate of replacement is about 60 units per day, which means it will take about nine months to replace all the rivets for the 43,000 flats. Can the Minister consider expediting this programme for safety reasons?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Mr Speaker, Sir, first of all, yes, BCA has been considering legislation to deal with the problem of falling windows. Let me just emphasise to the House how serious this problem is.

We live in a very densely-populated high-rise environment. Over the last few years, and particularly in the last few months, the incidence of falling windows has risen quite sharply. In the last four months of 2003, for example, we had a total of between 12 and 15 cases, ie, about three cases a week. I do not need to tell the House how serious this problem can be. I shudder at the thought of what would happen if one of these windows were to fall on somebody's head. The consequence of such an incident would be horrendous. We have been lucky so far. There have only been three reported cases of somebody being hurt by falling windows over the last few years out of a

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total of over 160 cases. One was a boy who was hurt when he was hit by some glass fragments as the window fell down; another was a woman who was actually hit on the arm, but not very seriously. In fact, it was brought to my attention that in Hong Kong, the same problem has arisen. Two people were killed in Hong Kong in January alone this year. One was a 70-year-old woman; another was an 87-year-old man.

So, this is a problem that we really need to treat very seriously. We ought to do something. BCA has been studying the problem. Essentially, the problem of falling windows is one that spans several areas of responsibility, starting from the design of the windows to the installation and, finally, of course, to the use of the windows, because it is something that residents use very frequently. So, wear and tear is also an issue. We have the upstream responsibility of designers, installers, manufacturers, and we have the downstream responsibility of residents. As a result of this problem arising recently, BCA has decided that we have to do something and it is proposing several pieces of legislation.

The first one is to legislate to have a minimum standard of safety for design and installation of windows. So far, we do not have such legislation. HDB installs windows according to the minimum safety standards. But this is entirely an initiative on HDB's part. There is nothing in the legislation to force, say, a private contractor or a private developer to do the same. We intend to change that. We intend to enact legislation to make that a minimum safety standard, and not just for the design, but also the installation. So this will take care of the so-called upstream problem.

The second aspect we are considering is whether we should mandate the retrofitting of existing windows, because while the existing windows are safe, they

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could be made safer. So, the question is whether we should make this mandatory, and this is also something that BCA is considering.

The third aspect that BCA is considering to ensure that there is a minimum standard of safety in the existing windows, is to require home owners to check their windows, and to have a periodic mandatory check. I think this is what the Member was referring to. The idea behind this really is to establish a certain minimum standard of safety for all the windows that have currently been installed.

I understand that some members of the public and also Members of this House have expressed some reservations about this, whether it is necessary to have this level of check at the downstream end. What I will do is I will ask BCA to consider whether there is another way of achieving that minimum standard of safety, say, self-checking on the part of the residents. But I want to emphasise that what we are looking for is a certain minimum standard, to allow us to have some assurance that home owners are accepting responsibility for keeping their windows in good condition. So, yes, we will relook the need for such legislation and whether there is a necessity to mandate periodic inspections of windows. We will look at various other options as well.

On the question of 50-50 cost sharing and, therefore, no need to inspect, I think there is a rationale behind doing away with the need to inspect. BCA will take this into consideration when it enacts its legislation. I will be bringing legislation to the House to allow us to enact certain laws which will enhance the safety of windows, and I welcome all views from Members when we debate it in this House.On rental flats, yes, I can confirm that as HDB is the landlord for such rental

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flats, the HDB will change the windows that need to be changed to comply with the new safety standards and will foot the cost of such retrofitting.

Lastly, on the tender. Yes, HDB is now in the process of calling for tenders for retrofitting of windows and I will see whether we can shorten the period of retrofitting and we will expedite the exercise.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, it was reported in the papers that windows from HDB flats have been falling in the last two years or so. If the HDB had noticed it, did the HDB do anything in regard to those reports, eg, asking the flat owners to better maintain their windows or to replace them? As regards self-inspection, is the HDB asking flat owners now to self-inspect their windows? For the more obvious cases, there is even a need to replace them now. It is obvious that if they are already hanging, about to fall ---

Mr Speaker: Mr Chiam, your question, please?

Mr Chiam See Tong: Yes. So, is the HDB asking the flat owners or helping them to replace the windows in such dangerous cases? As regards compulsory checks, I read in the papers that a casement window is like a sail catching the wind. So, the wind load is probably heavier for those flats that are on the upper floors. Is the HDB considering banning casement windows, say, from the 10th floor and above, and replacing them with sliding windows?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: The problem of falling windows came to the notice of HDB and to the Ministry recently when the trend was, as I said, rising at an alarming rate. There have always been cases of windows falling, but to a very minimal extent. But in 2003, the number of cases shot up quite dramatically. For example, in 2003, there were 97 cases

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for HDB and nine cases for private flats, compared to, say, 2002 when there were 39 HDB cases and nine in private flats. In 2001, there were about an average of 17 to 18 cases. So, you can see that the trend has been increasing sharply.

Last year, HDB mounted an exercise to zero in on this problem of maintenance, particularly of windows. In November 2003, the HDB launched a handbook which was distributed to all homes to educate residents on what to look out for and how to look after their windows. They also conducted roadshows at various housing estates. Unfortunately, the statistics since then show that there has been very minimal impact. After the launch of the handbook in November, there were about 15 cases in December, nine in January, and February up to now, so far there have been about three cases. After the press conference when there was massive publicity about falling windows, touch wood, so far there has been no case.

Yes, we have been aware of this and this is what we have been doing about it. I would like to say to members of the public that this is something that should be the responsibility of all of us. Residents should check their windows. They should not wait for legislation, they should not be caught up in this current debate, but they should act now, check their windows, make sure that they are safe and do not fall down and hurt somebody or, worse still, kill somebody. If they are in doubt about the safety of the windows, please call the HDB which will give them a list of the contractors who can fix the windows for them.

Finally, on whether we should replace casement windows with sliding windows, the casement windows have been installed in HDB flats for the last 20-odd years or more. Before that, there were

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also casement windows. However, they were not aluminium casement windows but mild steel casement windows. So I do not think that there is a case per se to say that casement windows are more dangerous than sliding windows, or louvred windows for that matter. In fact, our statistics show that there are sliding windows that have also fallen, although to a lesser extent. There, the problem is slightly different, but the point I want to make is that all windows, even the ones that are built according to the latest standards, are subject to wear and tear, need to be inspected, checked, maintained and, if they are not in good condition, changed.

So, there is no evidence to suggest that we should be changing all casement windows to sliding windows.