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A total of 43 cases of fallen windows were recorded across Singapore from January to November 2021.

But no one was injured in this 11 months of the year, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Housing and Development Board said on Dec. 11.

Breakdown of cases

Out of these 43 cases, 22 involved casement windows, 16 were sliding windows, and five involved other types, such as louvre.

There were 49 cases during the same time frame in 2020.

12 cases prevented

During the first 11 months of 2021, BCA was also alerted to 12 cases involving windows that were not well-maintained and on the verge of becoming dislodged.

It worked with the HDB in engaging home owners to rectify the situation.

Causes

One of the main causes of fallen casement and sliding windows was corroded aluminium rivets that were unable to hold the casement window panels in place.

Sliding window panels can detach and fall when excessive force is used to open or close them.

In such cases, there could be a lack of safety features, such as safety stoppers and angle strips, to keep the windows within the tracks.

BCA has been issuing retrofitting orders since 2004 requiring home owners to replace aluminium rivets in casement windows with stainless steel ones.

Since 2006, 388 people have been fined and 92 people have been prosecuted for fallen windows.

Penalties

For failing to replace all aluminium rivets in casement windows with stainless steel ones, home owners can be fined up to S$5,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

If a window falls due to lack of maintenance, homeowners can be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to one year, or both.

Top photos via super-window.com & expresswindows.com.sg

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