How did cladding woes happen despite layers of checks?
25 Aug 2017
The Straits Times Online, 25 Aug 2017 - Article mentioned that the sole Singapore distributor of the cladding material found in the 41 affected buildings had mixed together two different models at its warehouse. The two Alubond models sold by Chip Soon Aluminium, FRB1 and FRB2, carry different fire ratings. The SCDF has said that in the light of what has happened, it will review the fire safety regulations and processes for certification relating to the use of composite panels on buildings. One possibility is to make on-site testing, also known as bench-testing, mandatory as in the United States. Mr Seet Choh San, chairman of the Singapore Standards Technical Committee for Workplace Safety and Health, cautioned against blaming the existing system of checks as this incident concerns one distributor only, even though there are a large number of buildings affected. It is more important now to solve the problem at the source.