49 cases of fallen windows in first 11 months of this year

There were 49 cases of fallen windows across Singapore from January to last month, but no one was injured, said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) last Friday.

The majority of them, 32 cases, involved casement windows, while 16 were fallen sliding windows, and one case of louvre windows.

"There were no injuries from the cases reported," said the BCA in a statement.

The agency said investigations showed that the key causes of fallen casement windows included windows that were found fitted with aluminium rivets which had corroded.

"Corrosion compromises the strength of the rivets, rendering them unable to hold the casement window panels firmly in place," said BCA.

Since 2004, BCA has been issuing retrofitting orders requiring home owners to replace all aluminium rivets with stainless steel ones. Home owners can be fined up to $5,000 and jailed for up to six months for failing to carry out the replacements.

For sliding windows, a key cause is the lack of proper safety stoppers and angle strips to keep the window panels within the tracks, said BCA.

"Sliding window panels without these safety features in place detached and fell when home owners applied excessive outward force in opening or closing the windows," BCA explained.

It added that home owners should ensure that the safety features are in place, and also replace any worn-out ones.

If a window falls because of lack of maintenance, home owners can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to one year, or both, said the agency.

Since 2006, 378 people have been fined and 92 people were prosecuted for fallen windows, said BCA.

BCA's facade engineering and technology department director, Mr Lee Chee Weye, said: "Over the past few years, the number of fallen window cases we see yearly remains at about 50 cases. While there has not been an increase in numbers, there has also not been any improvement.

"The risk of injury from falling windows is high and is not a trivial matter. All home owners and occupants can play a part to mitigate this risk by checking and maintaining their windows regularly. Together, we can keep our community safe."

BCA added that home owners can prevent falling windows by checking and maintaining their windows at least once every six months.

For casement windows, check that fasteners are not rusty or loose, and clean and oil the joints or moving parts.

Number of cases involving casement windows.

Number of cases involving sliding windows. There was one case involving louvre windows.

All aluminium rivets should also be changed to stainless steel ones by an approved window contractor.

For sliding windows, check that safety stoppers and angle strips are in their proper places, and change those that are worn out. The tracks also have to be cleaned so that window panels can slide smoothly.