14/11/2021

Spate of facade cladding falling off

Update 26 Sep 2023: Stomper covered in dust after temporary hoarding collapses at Great World

Great World is investigating an incident where a temporary hoarding for a retail store in the shopping mall detached and collapsed on Sunday afternoon (Sept 24).

A Stomper alerted Stomp to the incident and said she was covered in dust after the hoarding fell. "I was standing outside Watsons because there were so many people passing by," she said.

"Then, I moved back and stood a bit inside the store. "When the wall collapsed, there was no way behind me due to the shelves and the steel almost hit my head.

related:


'No home to return to': Mum after 100kg false ceiling collapses in master bedroom

The false ceiling of the master bedroom in a Dawson Road flat collapsed, falling onto a king-size bed and a single bed on Wednesday evening (June 8).

The 100kg structure also narrowly missed a crib.

Fortunately, no one was on the beds at the time of the incident. Madam Wendy Liu and her husband, Mr Vincent Chang, had gone out with their three sons, aged one, two and eight.


Section of false ceiling near Golden Mile Complex entrance collapses

Part of the false ceiling near the entrance of Golden Mile Complex in Beach Road collapsed on Friday evening (April 23).

A large section of ceiling boards affixed to a wooden frame, nails exposed and other debris were seen strewn across a section of the stairs near the taxi stand, but no injuries were reported. An eyewitness told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Wanbao that she had heard the sound of something breaking shortly before the ceiling area collapsed.

Electrical wires were seen exposed in the gap of the ceiling, according to photos shared by passers-by. A video of the incident circulating online showed large pieces of the ceiling falling suddenly.


False ceiling collapses at Northpoint City, restaurant closed for repair works

The false ceiling of an eatery at Northpoint City collapsed on Saturday (Mar 6).

Stompers Rosedaya and Boon Nee alerted Stomp to the incident and shared photos of a hole in the ceiling at Kueh & Mee, which opened last month. In the photos, panels are seen dangling from the ceiling, exposing electrical wires.

In response to a Stomp query, a spokesman from Northpoint City said: "At around 11am on Saturday, 6 March, part of the false ceiling gave way at one of the restaurants in Northpoint City.


Ceiling panels collapse at Fusionopolis One skybridge

JTC Corporation is investigating an incident where the ceiling panels of a skybridge in Fusionopolis One collapsed on Friday (Nov 12).

Stomper Hanafi alerted Stomp to the incident and shared photos he took of debris lying along the skybridge. The area had been cordoned off.

"Heavy rain and super strong winds last night may have caused the ceiling to collapse," he speculated.


Glass panel shatters and nearly hits passers-by at MBS

Shoppers at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands were shocked when a tempered glass panel suddenly shattered on Monday evening (June 7).

A Stomper shared with Stomp a photo he took and said it happened at about 8.10pm.

He added that the glass "nearly hit" two passers-by.


3 wooden beams fall from Far East Plaza ceiling, crash onto floor mere metres away from woman

A woman in Far East Plaza had a narrow escape when three long wooden beams broke from the high ceiling and landed on the second-floor concourse on Wednesday morning (Aug 10).

She was sitting on a red bench at the edge of the concourse when the grey beams crashed onto the floor mere metres from her. An employee of a tailor shop next to the concourse said he rushed out when he heard a loud crash and saw the woman hurrying away.

She was the only person in the concourse when the incident occurred around 9.45am, said the employee who wanted to be known only as Mr Eric. "Luckily, the incident happened early in the morning. If there had been more footfall, someone could have got badly hurt," he said, adding that most shops in the Orchard mall open after 10am.

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BCA instructs Nex shopping mall to investigate cause of ceiling collapse

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has instructed the owners of Nex shopping mall to inspect the building's ceiling structures, after parts of a false ceiling collapsed in the mall's basement on Sunday (Aug 7).

In response to queries from The Straits Times, a BCA spokesman said on Thursday (Aug 11) that the authority had instructed Nex's owner to direct its professional engineer to carry out a detailed investigation into the cause of the incident.

The owner of Nex, developer Gold Ridge, had appointed a professional engineer to inspect the affected ceiling, and the affected ceiling board has since been replaced.



Parts of ceiling at Nex fall as water leaks to the floor
The collapsed ceiling was caused by a plumbing issue from a tenant's floor trap.
Screengrab/Facebook

Two years have passed since a ventilation duct collapsed at a cinema in Nex. But with this latest safety hazard at the shopping centre in Serangoon, is it a case of deja vu?

Parts of a ceiling fell in Nex on Saturday (Aug 6) and in a TikTok video shared by Luckboonluck on the same day, it showed the damage from the ceiling of Basement 1 at the mall, with debris strewn on the floor at Basement 2.

The area that contained bits of plaster was also cordoned off, according to the TikTok user. With the video garnering over 300,000 views, several netizens were concerned about the safety of shoppers at Nex, while others expressed their relief of avoiding the accident.


Concrete slab smashes through Hougang flat's canopy, nearly hitting girl
A concrete slab from a facade above came crashing through the canopy of Hou's balcony, nearly hitting his nine-year-old daughter. Zaobao/Chen Binqin

A man and his daughter were terrified after a piece of concrete smashed through the canopy of the balcony in their Hougang home on Monday (May 16).

It nearly hit the nine-year-old girl who was in the living room located next to the balcony, the man surnamed Hou told Lianhe Zaobao. The concrete slab was about 40cm long and 10cm wide.

"Fortunately, there was no one on the balcony at the time," the 43-year-old homeowner told the Chinese daily. "If it had hit anyone in the house or below us, it would've been dangerous."  It was raining heavily that evening, Hou said. He heard a loud crash from the balcony and found a piece of concrete lying among scattered soil from potted plants he had placed there.



Yet another section of external facade falls from same Bedok Reservoir Block

A part of a block's external facade fell to the ground at Bedok Reservoir on Friday afternoon (Dec 27).

Stomper Syed, a resident of the block, alerted Stomp to the incident and shared photos of debris at the foot of the Block 634 Bedok Reservoir Road and the gap left on the external wall. "A part of the facade fell again," he said.

"Last year, it was from the ninth floor of the same block. "This time it was from the fourth floor." Stomp earlier reported on a part of the external facade that had fallen from Block 634 on Nov 8, 2018.

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Part of external facade falls from Bedok Reservoir block, investigations ongoing

Residents of Block 634 Bedok Reservoir Road were shocked when a part of the building's external facade fell to the ground on Thursday afternoon (Nov 8).

Stomper Syed, a resident of the block, alerted Stomp to the incident and shared photos of the debris left at the bottom of the building. In his photos, the area had been cordoned off with tape. The Stomper told Stomp that the part of the external facade that had gotten dislodged was somewhere around the ninth floor.

"It was scary as I live in that building," said Syed, who lives on the fourth floor. "Luckily no one was around when it happened."

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Facade cladding falls off Pasir Ris HDB block

A portion of a decorative facade cladding at Block 270 Pasir Ris Street 21 fell off on Monday afternoon (June 18).

Photos of the incident were uploaded in a Facebook post by the Member of Parliament (MP) of Pasir Ris East Constituency, Mr Zainal Bin Sapari, at about 3.40pm.

The photos show metal beams and debris on the ground floor. The area was also cordoned off.

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Ceiling board fell from Yishun sheltered linkway

Nee Soon Town Council has apologised after a woman was injured by a gypsum board that fell from a sheltered linkway in Yishun.

Facebook user Ernest Tan posted about the incident that occurred near Block 272 Yishun Street 22 on Tuesday (March 1) and said his mother had been walking by when the board fell on her.

He also shared photos of his 53-year-old mother bleeding.


Hoarding board at Jurong Point store under renovation falls and injures three
Authorities are investigating the incident which happened in front of the third-floor unit, which is leased out by department store BHG. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS READER

A hoarding board outside a department store unit undergoing renovation at Jurong Point fell on Thursday (Feb 24) evening, injuring three passers-by. The authorities are investigating the incident, which happened in front of the third-floor unit, which is leased out by department store BHG.

A spokesman for Jurong Point said the incident happened at about 5.50pm. "Jurong Point's operations and security teams responded immediately to render assistance to the injured shoppers," the spokesman added on Friday in response to queries by The Straits Times.

According to Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News, the wooden hoarding board had a metal frame. A police spokesman said a 34-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman were conscious when taken to hospital.


Part of false ceiling falls from building in NTU, no injuries reported
No injuries were reported and the building remains structurally sound. PHOTO: ST READER

Part of a false ceiling on the fourth storey of a building at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) collapsed on Monday (Feb 14) night, with chunks of debris falling onto a walkway used by students.

When contacted on Friday (Feb 18) by The Straits Times after it received photos from a student of the incident, an NTU spokesman said no injuries were reported and that the building remains structurally sound.

The student said the collapse happened at around 7.40pm. The spokesman noted that the defect on the false ceiling had been detected during a routine inspection a few days prior to the incident.


False ceiling collapses at NTU, no injuries reported

A false ceiling collapsed at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) campus, falling on to a glass ceiling several levels below and causing it to shatter.

The incident, which occurred on Monday (Feb 14), happened at NTU's South Spine, between the S3 and S4 blocks.

Photos sent to CNA by a reader showed debris from the collapsed ceiling spread across various areas, including a pathway leading to tutorial rooms and a walkway at the foot of the building.


Section of false ceiling near Golden Mile Complex entrance collapses; no injuries reported
A large section of ceiling boards affixed to a wooden frame and other debris were seen strewn across a section of the stairs near the taxi stand. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO READER

Part of the false ceiling near the entrance of Golden Mile Complex in Beach Road collapsed on Friday evening (April 23).

A large section of ceiling boards affixed to a wooden frame, nails exposed and other debris were seen strewn across a section of the stairs near the taxi stand, but no injuries were reported.

An eyewitness told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Wanbao that she had heard the sound of something breaking shortly before the ceiling area collapsed.


False ceiling at Golden Mile Complex collapsed on Apr. 23, no injuries reported

A portion of a ceiling near the entrance of the Golden Mile Complex collapsed on Apr. 23.

Photos from passersby uploaded to Facebook show that part of the ceiling in the area had collapsed onto the steps leading to the entrance of the mall, right in front of shops.

Footage of the ceiling's collapse was uploaded to the Singapore Road Accidents' Facebook page.

JTC cordons off area around industrial building in Bedok after parts of concrete roof fall
Work is under way to remove some concrete pieces that are still dangling from the roof of the four-storey building. ST PHOTOS: GIN TAY

JTC Corporation has cordoned off the area around an industrial building at 3013 Bedok Industrial Park E after parts of decorative features on a concrete roof came crashing to the ground.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that it received a report and found that a block of concrete about 40m long had fallen from four storeys high on Sunday morning (Aug 22).

No one was injured. Work is under way to remove some concrete pieces that are still dangling from the roof of the four-storey building, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a statement on Sunday.



Shaw Theatres Nex closes after ventilation duct falls through ceiling during Tenet screening

Local cinemas are open to the public once again with precautionary measures taken. But hazard arrived in another form earlier today (Aug 30) for moviegoers at Shaw Theatres Nex. 

Attendees watching a screening of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet earlier this afternoon were left in a state of shock in the middle of the movie. Not by the complex exposition or the surprisingly bad audio mix though, but by the partial collapse of what seems to be the ventilation system.

A Shaw Theatres spokesman confirmed to The Straits Times that the duct in Hall 6 was dislodged at around 4.45pm. A Building and Construction Authority (BCA) engineer was sent to investigate the incident of the fallen Air-conditioning and Mechanical Ventilation (ACMV) duct at 6.30pm. 


Two injured after ventilation duct falls from cinema hall ceiling in Nex shopping mall
The cinema at Nex will be closed until further notice. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

A ventilation duct fell from the ceiling of a cinema hall at Nex shopping on Sunday (Aug 30) during a movie, injuring two people.

A Shaw Theatres spokesman said the duct in Hall 6 was dislodged at around 4.45pm.

Theatre staff tended to the injured customers until paramedics arrived, he said, adding that the two were later taken to the hospital.


Two customers taken to hospital after ceiling fan incident in Tampines coffee shop
The injured patrons are understood to be a young man and an elderly woman who were seated at the same table. PHOTOS: SINGAPORE OUR HOME/FACEBOOK

An incident involving a large ceiling fan injured two customers at a coffee shop in Tampines on Wednesday night (Oct 28).

The injured patrons are understood to be a young man and an elderly woman who were seated at the same table.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for assistance at Block 201D Tampines Street 21 at about 7.10pm on Wednesday. Two people were taken to Changi General Hospital.


JTC investigating after ceiling panels collapse at Fusionopolis One skybridge

JTC Corporation is investigating an incident where the ceiling panels of a skybridge in Fusionopolis One collapsed on Friday (Nov 12).

Stomper Hanafi alerted Stomp to the incident and shared photos he took of debris lying along the skybridge. The area had been cordoned off.

"Heavy rain and super strong winds last night may have caused the ceiling to collapse," he speculated.


False ceiling collapses at Northpoint City, restaurant closed for repair works

The false ceiling of an eatery at Northpoint City collapsed on Saturday (Mar 6).

Stompers Rosedaya and Boon Nee alerted Stomp to the incident and shared photos of a hole in the ceiling at Kueh & Mee, which opened last month. In the photos, panels are seen dangling from the ceiling, exposing electrical wires.

In response to a Stomp query, a spokesman from Northpoint City said: "At around 11am on Saturday, 6 March, part of the false ceiling gave way at one of the restaurants in Northpoint City.


Ceiling collapses at Northpoint City; no reported injuries

Shoppers in Northpoint City in Yishun were shocked after a section of a ceiling collapsed suddenly. There were no injuries reported.

Member of the public Jaya Letchumi took to Facebook on Saturday (Mar 6) to highlight that the roof area of a café named Kueh & Mee had fallen. The stall is known for its Indonesian cuisine like kueh and mee rebus.

Ms Jaya included photos of the incident showing a gaping hole on the stall’s ceiling while its menu signage had fallen to the counter.


False ceiling in Northpoint City collapses onto eatery's order counter

Indonesian cafe Kueh & Mee had opened a new outlet at Northpoint City last month, not expecting that part of the false ceiling would later collapse onto their new order counter.

The false ceiling's partial collapse occurred on Saturday (March 6) along with the Kueh & Mee signage that was attached to it.

Images taken after the incident show a gaping hole in the ceiling as well as exposed electrical wires and panels.


Junction 8 ceiling board falls on 17-year-old boy's head

A ceiling board at Junction 8 recently fell on a boy's head on Jan. 5. 
The 17-year-old was at the third level of the mall on Jan. 5 when a "chunk of the ceiling fell on his head", leaving him "shocked" and "in excruciating pain".

According to Instagram account sgfollowsall, the teen was with a few other friends, but was the only one affected by the falling ceiling board. They approached the mall management office, and a middle-aged man purportedly came out to check on the 17-year-old, asking if he was okay. The boy was also offered a drink, and subsequently sent on his way, the post said.

The 17-year-old said he thought he could "sleep it off", but woke up at 3am the next day due to an "unbearable amount of pain". He was referred to the hospital after visiting the polyclinic in the morning. At the hospital, he was given some painkillers after doing some tests, which included X-rays.


Ceiling concrete slab falls in toilet of old Toa Payoh flat, narrowly misses domestic worker
Mr Alan Fu estimated that the fallen piece of concrete in his father’s flat must have weighed around 10kg and measured about half a metre in length

A foreign domestic worker in her 20s was just about to clean the toilet of a Toa Payoh flat when a huge chunk of the ceiling broke off and smashed into the toilet bowl.

“It was a close call for her… We really have to count our blessings,” Mr Alan Fu told TODAY on Thursday (Feb 27).

On Wednesday, the 55-year-old IT manager received a phone text message from the domestic helper when he was at the foot of the public housing block and went into a bit of a panic.

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Concrete slab estimated to be 10kg collapses from a HDB flat ceiling in Toa Payoh; netizens shared their own concrete experiences

huge block of concrete collapsed from the ceiling in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat toilet at Toa Payoh when a foreign domestic helper was about to clean the toilet, TODAY reported on Thursday (27 February).

The incident occurred on Wednesday (26 February) at around 5pm.

According to TODAY, IT manager Alan Fu, 55, said the domestic helper informed him about the incident via text message when he was at the foot of the public housing block.

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Koufu-run foodcourt in HDB Hub closes for nearly 3 hours after pipe burst, false ceiling collapse

A foodcourt run by Koufu was shut for almost 3 hours on Sunday morning (Oct 7), after a burst pipe soaked parts of the basement foodcourt in water & caused a section of the premises' false ceiling to collapse.

In response to queries, Koufu group chief operating officer Choo Teck Chuan told The Straits Times that business at the Gourmet Paradise outlet in Toa Payoh HDB Hub was temporarily disrupted between 8.55am & 11.30am.

"Upon investigation, we found that the joint of the water pipe gave way. This has since been rectified and it was business as usual by noon," Mr Choo said.


4 people hurt after part of RWS casino ceiling falls
Four people hurt after part of RWS casino ceiling falls
Workers clearing up debris from the incident, in which 3 renovation workers and a security officer were injured. TNP PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

3 renovation workers and a security officer were injured after part of a ceiling board at the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino collapsed yesterday.

External contractors were carrying out enhancement works when part of the ceiling board leading to the mezzanine gaming area fell around 10am, a spokesman for RWS told The Straits Times.

"There were no guests at that area during the incident. One security staff and three external contractors sustained minor injuries," the spokesman added.


Ceiling collapses in NTU lecture theatre

The ceiling of Lecture Theatre 1, at Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) North Spine, had collapsed earlier that morning.

NTU sent an e-mail to affected students to inform them of the collapse and the change of venues for some of their lectures. No classes will be held there for at least a month.

Mr Adzizul, who is a final-year mechanical engineering student, told The New Paper that his classmates were in the theatre, sitting closer to the front. As he had not attended the lecture, he was viewing a recording that was posted online after the lecture ended.


'No sound, no warning, and it fell'

A 40m section of a viaduct on the PIE collapsed on July 14, leaving a tangled mess of bars & broken concrete at a construction site adjacent to a slip road in Upper Changi Road East. One worker was killed in the incident.ST FILE FOTO

When residents of Block 638 in Tampines looked outside their windows on the morning of July 14, they saw a scene of devastation.

A 40m section of a viaduct on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) had collapsed, leaving a tangled mess of bars & broken concrete in a construction site adjacent to a slip road in Upper Changi Road East.

The collapse occurred in the early hours of the morning, killing Chinese national Chen Yinchuan, 31, & injuring 10 other workers who had been laying cement on the structure. It was described as one of the worst worksite accidents after the Nicoll Highway tunnel collapse in 2004 that killed 4 people.

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Law passed to boost facade checks on older S’pore buildings after 90 cases of falling debris in 3 years
large piece of decorative facade became dislodged and fell nine storeys at a Pasir Ris Housing and Development Board block in June 2018

Under legislative amendments passed on Friday (March 6), the facades of older buildings will be inspected more often after about 90 incidents in the past three years when parts of facades fell off. Lifts and escalators will also be subject to stricter safer rules.

The changes to the Building Control Act also allow the Government to mandate a progressive wage model (PWM) for Singapore residents in the lift maintenance industry and require the provision of basic accessibility features for older buildings that undergo addition and alteration works. Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower said, during the second reading of the Building Control (Amendment) Bill, that Singapore has developed rapidly over the past 55 years.

Here is a summary of the key changes to the Act:
  • IMPROVING FACADE SAFETY
  • SAFER LIFTS AND ESCALATORS
  • BETTER WAGES FOR LOCAL LIFT TECHNICIANS
  • IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY FOR OLDER BUILDINGS
  • QUESTIONS ON COSTS, OLIGOPOLY AND WORK SAFETY


Ensure structural safety of HDB blocks before injury or death result

A decorative panel fell 40 storeys from an HDB block in Bendemeer Road "with a loud crash” next to a playground. And this is not the first such incident. Just days before, a part of an HDB block's decorative cladding fell off its facade at Block 270 in Pasir Ris town. A resident said that it sounded like a “very loud cluster of thunder.”

Again, HDB and the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council gave the standard non-answer that “a piece of decorative cladding had dislodged from the facade" of the block and that “the building is structurally safe.” There were several other similar incidents:
The authorities said that the cladding panels broke off due to wear and tear. But the buildings involved are relative new. Yet, pieces are breaking off and endangering public safety. HDB blocks have also been plagued with faulty lifts that have resulted in residents being injured including one death.


Concrete sunshade collapses from roof of Bedok industrial building, no one hurt

A stretch of concrete sunshade about 40m long collapsed from the roof of a four-storey industrial building in Bedok on Sunday (Aug 22).

JTC, which is the owner of the building located at Bedok Industrial Park E, has cordoned off the areas directly below the roof where the concrete sunshade was at for public safety, the Building and Construction Authority said.

The agency in charge of industrial development used equipment to remove the remaining part of the sunshade still hanging on the edge of the roof.


Bedok Industrial Building Concrete Roof Collapses, No Injuries Reported

Most of us do not expect that a building will collapse, except on rare occasions.

But accidents do happen from time to time.

On Sunday (22 Aug) morning, parts of a concrete roof at a Bedok industrial building came crashing to the ground.


JTC building, where concrete block fell off a roof, and three nearby buildings found to be structurally safe

A professional engineer has found a JTC Corporation building, where parts of decorative features on a concrete roof crashed to the ground on Sunday (Aug 22), and three surrounding buildings to be structurally safe.

Permanent rectification works are still ongoing, but cleaning of the incident area at 3013 Bedok Industrial Park E will end soon, JTC said on Monday.

A JTC spokesman said that as a safety measure, the tenants in the affected wing of the building from levels one to four are still unable to return to their units during the cleaning and rectifying process.



Roof collapses at Hilton Hotel driveway proves Orchard Road is breaking down

On Sunday, Dec. 13, part of the roof over the driveway of Hilton Singapore hotel collapsed, proving Volvo manufactures sturdy vehicles, in what has become a positive piece of news for the automobile maker and a more negative one for insurers.

Staff at the Hilton Singapore said the situation was an emergency and it was unable to comment, according to Channel News Asia.


Three hurt in JEM mall ceiling collapse
Three individuals are believed to be injured after the first-floor ceiling of Jem mall collapsed due to a burst water pipe -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN

Three individuals are believed to be injured after the first-floor ceiling of JEM mall collapsed due to a burst water pipe.

IT engineer Jackson Khoo, 30, was on the first floor when the accident happened at about 10.15pm.

"I was walking and heard a loud sound coming from behind me. When I turned around, the ceiling just fell to the floor and water gushed out," he said.


Diners flee for cover after concrete slab smashes through awning at Chai Chee eatery

Patrons of Khan Saab Prata shop in Chai Chee had their meal interrupted when a concrete slab came smashing through the eatery's awning yesterday morning (Nov 10).

In a video shared on Facebook, shattered pieces of the slab were seen strewn across the floor, while two large pieces, each roughly the size of a clenched fist, lay on the ground, just next to a chair.

The uploader included a photo of the shop's awning, pointing out where slab had left a hole.


Cement block peeled off on the 12th floor of a HDB flat and smashed through the canopy of the restaurant downstairs

The brick-sized cement block of the HDB 
peeled off from the 12th floor and smashed through the awning of the Indian restaurant downstairs. The moment it fell to the ground, it broke into pieces and shot around. Diners sitting outside the restaurant rushed in. Avoid the store.

The accident occurred at 10 o'clock in the morning yesterday (November 10) outside an Indian restaurant under the HDB Building 55 in Caishi Passage.

When a "Lianhe Evening News" reporter visited the scene this morning, the restaurant owner, who did not want to be named, described that when the incident happened, two diners were sitting in the dining area outside the restaurant, and a loud noise suddenly came from their heads. . The diners looked up and found that it was a block of cement falling from the sky. After smashing through the canvas and hitting the sidewalk, it broke into fragments and bounced around.


Concrete Slab Crashes Into Chai Chee Eatery & Misses 2 Diners, Town Council To Carry Out Repairs

Singaporeans often dine at eateries and kopitiams below HDB blocks, and it’s usually a rather uneventful way to fill our stomachs.

However, on Tuesday (10 Nov), 2 patrons enjoying their meal at a Chai Chee prata shop got a shock when a concrete slab fell from above, crashing onto the floor right next to them.

The slab shattered upon impact, and thick chunks of concrete were strewn across the floor.


Giant Fan Falls In Tampines Coffeeshop, 2 People Taken To Changi General Hospital
Malfunctioned Fan Fell On Diners In Tampines Coffeeshop

Falling fans are a potential nightmare for many, probably because of films like Final Destination. That nightmare came to life for some diners in a Tampines coffeeshop when a giant fan fell on them.

Some diners were unlucky to be right below the fan when it fell, and they were injured in the process. A few of the fan’s blades had become bent at an angle.
SCDF confirmed that 2 people were taken to hospital, although why the fan fell is a mystery at present.

The incident took place at 21 Street Eating House, located at Block 201 Tampines Street 21. At around 7pm, a giant fan fell on some diners who were sitting below it.


Diners hear loud thud as section of ceiling collapses at Asia Square Food Garden

The lunch crowd at Asia Square's Food Garden were interrupted by a loud thud when a section of the ceiling at the food court collapsed on Wednesday afternoon (Apr 3).

Stomper Bel was at the scene and alerted Stomp to the incident. "I was lunching at Asia Square when I heard a very loud thud," she said.

"When I turned around, I saw that a part of the ceiling had collapsed and there was debris lying on the floor.


10-year-old boy injured after 500g grille falls on his head at Bedok Mall restaurant

A ten-year-old boy was injured after an aircon diffuser grille dislodged from the ceiling of a restaurant in Bedok Mall and fell on his head.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, the incident occurred at Pepper Lunch restaurant on Monday (May 27), at around 2.30pm. Mr Wu Caizhong, 46, said he had dined with his son and then rested in a corner seat after their meal.

He recounted: "I was checking my emails on my phone when I suddenly heard a loud noise, though I still didn't know what had happened.


Woman, 70, almost hit by falling concrete 'the size of a mahjong table' in Marine Terrace flat
Mr Li Zhanwu holding up pieces of the ceiling which fell.PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

A 70-year-old woman who got up in the middle of the night to visit the washroom got a rude shock when parts of the kitchen ceiling "about the size of a mahjong table" crashed to the floor in front of her.

The incident happened at Block 51, Marine Terrace, on Monday (Feb 6) at about 2.30am, Shin Min Daily News reported on Tuesday (Feb 7).

Retiree Chen Xiuying told Shin Min that she had been on her way to the washroom when a large slab fell from the kitchen ceiling about 2m away from her.


Concrete slab falls in Yishun flat, cuts elderly's leg; HDB says incident does not affect building structure
An elderly man suffered scrapes and cuts after a concrete slab fell from the ceiling of his daughter's flat and landed just next to him.PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

An elderly man suffered scrapes and cuts after a concrete slab fell from the ceiling of his daughter's flat and landed just next to him.

The 80-year-old was staying over at his daughter's flat at Blk 141 in Yishun Ring Road when the incident occurred on Friday (Jan 6), Shin Min Daily News reported on Sunday (Jan 8).

It was about 9pm, and he was using the toilet attached to the master bedroom in the flat.


Boy injured by concrete that fell from ceiling of 45-year-old flat, HDB to carry out repairs
The boy had been shooting water at the ceiling when the concrete fell on his back.PHOTOS: SYASYA DANIALALISSA/FACEBOOK

A six-year-old boy was injured after getting hit by concrete that fell from his Housing Board flat's ceiling due to wear and tear on Tuesday (May 19).

Facebook user Syasha DanialAlissa described the incident in their Henderson Road home as "the worst nightmare" for her and her son, who had been shooting water at the ceiling when the concrete fell on his back.

One of the photos that Ms Syasha shared in her Facebook post shows the child with dirt, debris and blood on his back.


Syasha DanialAlissa 19 May

The worst nightmare for me and esp my son. Happily playing with water end up, this. Concrete ceiling drop on his back.


Concrete Falling Incident Was Due To Wear & Tear, HDB To Start Repair Works On 22 May

According to the spokesperson "Spalling concrete occurs when steel bars embedded in the ceiling start to corrode, due to the ingress of moisture and acidic elements. Over time, this causes the concrete ceiling cover to crack and fall off".

This is typically seen in old flats like this one, which is 45 years old, explains HDB. Though so, residents need not worry as such incidents do not affect the overall structural integrity of the building.

They have since helped the family clear up the debris and repair works are set to begin on Friday (22 May). As this is a rental flat, HDB express that they will be covering the full cost of repair.


Woman badly hurt after blow on head
Two women were injured when a large ventilation duct was dislodged from the ceiling in a cinema hall at Nex mall. One of them was badly hurt after a chunk of plaster debris hit her head, and she had to be taken to hospital. PHOTO: JULIAN TAY/MUSTSHARENEWS

The incident occurred at about 4.45pm on Sunday when the ventilation duct, which reportedly weighed at least 100kg, fell from the ceiling in Shaw Theatres' Hall 6 on the fourth level at Nex mall in Upper Serangoon.

The duct, which Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported was about 1.2 metres long, crashed into three rows of seats, sending debris flying everywhere and patrons fleeing for the exits.

But full-time national serviceman Sebastian Koo, 19, stayed behind to tend to the injured woman, who sat behind him and his four male buddies. He told The Straits Times that he was alarmed to see a large chunk of plaster debris had struck her head.

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Woman badly hurt in Nex cinema accident
One of them was badly hurt after a chunk of plaster debris hit her head, and she had to be taken to hospital. Must Share News

During an intense fight scene in the movie Tenet being screened in a Shaw Theatres hall at Nex mall, the audience could hear a strange crumbling noise coming from above.

Some of them thought it was part of the sound effects – but for two moviegoers, the reality was a painful experience. The two women were injured when a large ventilation duct was dislodged from the ceiling and landed close to them.

One of them escaped with minor bruises, but the other was badly hurt after a big chunk of plaster debris hit her head. Both women were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), where the injured woman remained warded yesterday after the other woman was discharged.

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S'pore ghost hunter baffles internet with paranormal observations of NEX cinema accident

A recent accident involving the collapse of a ventilator at Shaw Theatres at NEX shopping mall had many taken aback. The dramatic crash resulted in two injured moviegoers. As a precautionary measure, all Shaw cinemas are under inspection. Investigations are ongoing as well.

While many question if there was negligence in the maintenance of the cinema, one Master June Teo has an unorthodox explanation for the incident, since it happened during seventh lunar month. She started her Facebook post with some context of what had happened, saying that it is unknown what caused the ventilator to collapse.

Subsequent images show photos of the accident that have been circulating online. Teo drew a few circles on the photos and indicated where she claims to see ghosts and a "black shadow monster". Here's one photo where she apparently sees over 20 ghosts in one corner, as circled.

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Ceiling concrete slab falls in toilet of old Toa Payoh flat, narrowly misses domestic worker
Mr Alan Fu estimated that the fallen piece of concrete in his father’s flat must have weighed around 10kg and measured about half a metre in length

A foreign domestic worker in her 20s was just about to clean the toilet of a Toa Payoh flat when a huge chunk of the ceiling broke off and smashed into the toilet bowl.

“It was a close call for her… We really have to count our blessings,” Mr Alan Fu told TODAY on Thursday (Feb 27).

On Wednesday, the 55-year-old IT manager received a phone text message from the domestic helper when he was at the foot of the public housing block and went into a bit of a panic.

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Concrete slab estimated to be 10kg collapses from a HDB flat ceiling in Toa Payoh; netizens shared their own concrete experiences

A huge block of concrete collapsed from the ceiling in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat toilet at Toa Payoh when a foreign domestic helper was about to clean the toilet, TODAY reported on Thursday (27 February).

The incident occurred on Wednesday (26 February) at around 5pm.

According to TODAY, IT manager Alan Fu, 55, said the domestic helper informed him about the incident via text message when he was at the foot of the public housing block.

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Roof Boards of Sheltered Walkway Crash Down Twice in a Month, Yishun Residents Worried about Safety

Residents of Yishun Street 11 are concerned for their safety, after the roof boards of sheltered walkway came crashing down twice in the past month. The sheltered walkway connects Block 438 to Block 439, and is near to a market and school. While the outer roof of the walkway is tiled, the inner portion of the roof is covered with wooden boards.

A resident living in the area for the past 5 years said that in the past there were no wooden boards. However, the sheltered walkway began to leak when it rain he believes that the wooden boards were put up to stop the leak. And then, he said, the boards must have subsequently collapsed because of being exposed to moisture.

Sembawang Town Council says that it is aware of the problem and cleaners have cleared the fallen boards. The town council said that the roof of the sheltered walkway was changed in Nov 2017, and it is now looking into doing away with the wooden boards for good.

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Man suffers spinal injuries after being struck by falling concrete slabs outside Jalan Besar hotel

A man was hit by falling concrete slabs outside Wanderlust Hotel in the Jalan Besar area on Tuesday night (Nov 26).

Stomp understands that the man had been sitting on a ledge outside the hotel when the incident occurred.

He is understood to have sustained spinal injuries & is unable to move the lower part of his body.

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Falling concrete injures man outside Wanderlust Hotel in Little India
A 35-yr-old Malaysian man had been sitting on a ledge next to the walkway outside the Wanderlust hotel when he was struck by falling concrete. He suffered spinal injuries. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/LEE HWA

A 35-yr-old Malaysian man suffered spinal injuries after he was struck by falling concrete outside a boutique hotel in Little India on Tuesday night (Nov 27).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told The Straits Times that it received a call for medical assistance at Wanderlust Hotel at 2 Dickson Road at 11.40pm.

The man was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

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Yet another section of external facade falls from same Bedok Reservoir Block
A part of a block's external facade fell to the ground at Bedok Reservoir on Friday afternoon (Dec 27)

Stomper Syed, a resident of the block, alerted Stomp to the incident and shared photos of debris at the foot of the Block 634 Bedok Reservoir Road and the gap left on the external wall.

"A part of the facade fell again," he said. "Last year, it was from the ninth floor of the same block. "This time it was from the fourth floor."

Stomp earlier reported on a part of the external facade that had fallen from Block 634 on Nov 8, 2018.


Town council and HDB inspecting cracks on Ang Mo Kio HDB block after Stomper's feedback

Stomper Goh was worried when she noticed some cracks on an external wall of Block 260B Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3. She shared with Stomp a video and photos of the cracks.

Living on the 15th storey, Goh said to Stomp: "I can see the cracks when I look out my window and have noticed that they're getting worse.

"This is a relatively new building and I'm very worried about my family's safety."


Bricks fall from ninth-storey HDB external facade; AHTC working with relevant authorities
The incident occurred at Block 634 Bedok Reservoir Road at around 3pm on Nov 8, 2018. No injuries were reported. FOTO: FACEBOOK/PRITAM SINGH

The peaceful afternoon atmosphere in Bedok Reservoir Road was shattered on Thu (Nov 8), as bricks from the external facade of an HDB block dropped and fell nine storeys to the ground.

According to Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News, the incident occurred at Block 634 at around 3pm. No injuries were reported.

A resident on the 9th floor, who did not wish to be named, told The Straits Times that this was the first time such an incident had happened in the 17 yrs that she had been living there.

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Tiles dislodged from 5th-floor wall at Hougang HDB block during heavy rain

Some tiles were dislodged from a wall on the 5th-floor of Block 462 Hougang Avenue 10 at about 7.40pm on Saturday (July 7) during a heavy rain, shocking Stomper Tay & her student who were practising line dancing at the void deck.

Tay who teaches line dancing, told Stomp in a phone interview that she & her students would usually practise at the communal hall at Block 461.

However, due to the downpour yesterday, she was forced to cancel the session. Instead, she met up with a student at 7.30pm to practise at the void deck of Block 462. Ten minutes into their practice, the two suddenly heard a loud “explosion”.

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Decorative panel falls 40 storeys from HDB block in Bendemeer Road; no one hurt
The ground floor area beneath the block has been cordoned off, while checks on neighbouring blocks with similar facade features have been conducted as a precautionary measure. FOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

A decorative panel fell 40 storeys from the top of a Housing Board Block in Bendemeer Road last Saturday evening (June 23).

No one was hurt in the incident, which happened at Block 10B Bendemeer Road at about 7pm.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Housing Board & Jalan Besar Town Council said they were informed about the incident at around 10pm.

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Decorative panel falls from HDB block again, this time in Bendemeer

Don’t forget your industrial-strength umbrella when you walk home these couple of days because it’s been cloudy with a chance of falling metal in Singapore. Decorative fixtures in particular.

A panel fell 40 stories from the top of an HDB block in Bendemeer Road last Saturday evening (June 23) around 7pm, The Straits Times reported. It fell onto a grass patch near a playground, according to a witness. While no one was hurt, the ground area beneath the facade was cordoned off as a precaution. HDB and the Jalan Besar Town Council also said they plan to perform checks on nearby blocks with similar facade materials. “The panel is part of the block facade design and is non-structural,” said the Housing Board in a Tuesday statement to The Straits Times. “The building is structurally safe.”

The Bendemeer road incident comes less than a week after a remarkably similar incident at a Pasir Ris housing block.

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Panel that fell 40 storeys from HDB block is one of several incidents of pieces falling off flats and endangering the public

The Singapore Democratic Party has urged the Government to “take urgent and comprehensive action to ensure the structural safety of HDB buildings before injury or, worse, death results.” This, after a piece of decorative panel fell 40 storeys from a HDB block at Bendemeer Road and landed with a “loud crash” beside a playground, earlier this week.

Asserting that this isn’t the first incident of pieces falling off HDB blocks, the opposition party pointed to several similar incidents from 2016 onwards.

In September 2016, a concrete slab dislodged from Block 201E at Tampines while a cladding panel broke off Block 51, Circuit Road less than a month later. A month after that, a slab of plaster dropped 12 storeys down a HDB block in Hougang.

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SDP: Ensure structural safety of HDB blocks before injury or death result

A decorative panel fell 40 storeys from an HDB block in Bendemeer Road "with a loud crash” next to a playground.

Luckily, no one was injured. The mishap could have been deadly – involving children.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, HDB and the Jalan Besar Town Council (JBTC) said: “The panel is part of the block facade design and is non-structural. The building is structurally safe.”

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Ensure structural safety of HDB blocks before injury or death result

A decorative panel fell 40 storeys from an HDB block in Bendemeer Road "with a loud crash” next to a playground. And this is not the first such incident. Just days before, a part of an HDB block's decorative cladding fell off its facade at Block 270 in Pasir Ris town. A resident said that it sounded like a “very loud cluster of thunder.”

Again, HDB and the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council gave the standard non-answer that “a piece of decorative cladding had dislodged from the facade" of the block and that “the building is structurally safe.” There were several other similar incidents:
The authorities said that the cladding panels broke off due to wear and tear. But the buildings involved are relative new. Yet, pieces are breaking off and endangering public safety. HDB blocks have also been plagued with faulty lifts that have resulted in residents being injured including one death.

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Facade cladding falls off Pasir Ris HDB block
The cladding fell from a height of about eight storeys. FOTO: YE RUOSHI

She was playing with her 3-month-old baby in her 8th-storey Pasir Ris Housing Board flat when she heard a thunderous noise.

Alarmed, Madam Ye Ruoshi, 45, looked out of her living room window and saw her neighbours pointing at the next block.

She looked up and realised that a portion of the decorative cladding on the facade of the block had fallen from a height of about eight storeys, crashing and shattering on the walkway below.

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Decorative structure on HDB block in Pasir Ris falls from 8-storey height; no one injured
The decorative structure at Block 270 Pasir Ris Street 21 fell from a height of at least 8 storeys on June 18, 2018. FOTO: YE RUOSHI

A decorative structure on a Housing Board block in Pasir Ris fell from a height of at least 8 storeys on Monday morning (June 18).

The incident at Block 270 Pasir Ris Street 21 startled Ms Ye Ruoshi, who was feeding her 3-month-old daughter at around 11am when she heard a loud crash that sounded like thunder.

"At first I thought it was thunder because it was drizzling, but it was such a loud crashing sound that we thought maybe something fell," the 45-yr-old artist told The Straits Times.

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Investigations ongoing after cladding falls off HDB block in Pasir Ris
The cause of the damage is under investigation. (Fotos: Facebook / Zainal Bin Sapari)

Investigations are ongoing after part of an HDB block's decorative cladding fell off its facade.

The incident happened at Block 270 Pasir Ris Street 21, according to a FaceBook post by Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Zainal Sapari on Monday (Jun 18) at about 3pm.

"A large portion of decorative facade cladding of the block had fallen off," wrote the MP. "The incident site has been cordoned off & there is no injury involved.

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Facade cladding that falls off Pasir Ris HDB block
A portion of a decorative facade cladding at Block 270 Pasir Ris Street 21 fell off on Monday afternoon (Jun 18)

Photos of the incident were uploaded in a Facebook post by the Member of Parliament (MP) of Pasir Ris East Constituency, Mr Zainal Bin Sapari, at about 3.40pm.

The photos show metal beams & debris on the ground floor.

The area was also cordoned off.

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Cladding above top floor of Pasir Ris HDB block falls & crashes into pieces outside void deck

Pasir Ris residents got a shock when a panel of decorative cladding at the top floor of an apartment block in Pasir Ris Street 21 suddenly came off and smashed onto the floor outside its void deck.

A resident who stays in a neighbouring block uploaded photos of it to her Facebook page.

Thankfully, it’s been confirmed that no injuries were reported in the incident. Pasir Ris-Punggol Member of Parliament Zainal bin Sapari took to his Facebook page later on Monday afternoon to share his update on what happened.

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HDB blocks falling apart?

Photos of decorative facade cladding that had fallen off of a block at Pasir Ris have been going viral online.

The portion of decorative façade cladding looked to have fallen from a height of about ten storeys high and was made of metal and possibly wood.

Netizens were mostly relieved that no injuries were sustained to anyone.

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Resident posts photo of fallen facade of Pasir Ris HDB flat, MND Minister assured that HDB blocks are “safer than before”

On Monday (18 Jun), Facebook user Ye Ruoshi made a post about the facade of a HDB block falling. The incident is said to have taken place at Block 270 Pasir Ris Street 21, where the block of flats are around 20 years old.

She said in the Facebook post that the incident sounded like a “very loud cluster of thunders” and did not realise the wall covering had fallen off till her neighbours pointed to her to the fallen debris.

Ye’s infant daughter was affected by the incident and started to cry before being put to bed.

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Ye Ruoshi 20 hrs

Initially we thought it's a very loud clusters of thunder... But wait! It doesn't sound like thunder. Then our neighbours point to that direction and we look and saw this part of the wall covering fell right from the top and broke into pieces right outside the void deck...Wan-wan was startled by the sound and cry terribly. Managed to calm her down and pat her to sleep... 拍下这一幕是为了再三提醒孩子们~千万千万别在组屋楼底下窗口底下行走!!

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Zainal Bin Sapari added 2 new photos. 16 hrs
#NotFakeNews

Was updated of an incident at BLK 270 PASIR RIS ST 21 where a large portion of decorative facade cladding of the block had fallen off.. The incident site has been cordoned off and there is no injury involved. Police and the Town Council are at site. HDB technical dept is onsite as well. Cause of damage is still under investigation.

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14 Buildings In Singapore Have Unsafe Claddings

The investigation came after SCDF found that the composite panels used at an industrial building at 30 Toh Guan Road (pictured), which caught fire in May and resulted to the death of one person, were not of Class ‘0’ standard as required under the Fire Code. (Photo: Cambridge Industrial Trust)

An investigation on 40 buildings in Singapore showed that 14 of the 19 buildings tested fell short of fire safety standards, revealed the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Thursday (24 August). The investigation came after SCDF found that the composite panels used at an industrial building at 30 Toh Guan Road, which caught fire in May and resulted to the death of one person, were not of Class ‘0’ standard as required under the Fire Code.

Among the buildings that were found to have used non-Class “0” claddings include The Peak @ Cairnhill I and II condominiums, Teaching Blocks 1 to 10 of Singapore Polytechnic, JTC CleanTech Two, 321 Clementi mall and Our Tampines Hub. The other 21 buildings are yet to be tested.

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Up to 40 buildings in Singapore may have unapproved cladding; police investigating

Up to 40 buildings in Singapore may have cladding made from materials that do not meet SCDF’s fire safety requirements, said SCDF on Thurs. The matter came to light during investigations into a fatal fire at Toh Guan Road on May 4, which revealed that the cladding used on the building’s external walls were not non-combustible or certified as Class ‘0’ standard required under the SCDF Fire Code.

Extensive investigations found that 40 other buildings could potentially have used non-Class ‘0’ composite panels as cladding on their external walls. The Peak @ Cairnhill I, The Peak @ Cairnhill II, Our Tampines Hub and Singapore Polytechnic were among 11 buildings that used the non-class ‘0’ cladding, which have yet to be removed. Three buildings that have had their unapproved cladding removed are the Clementi Fire Station and the McDonald’s outlets at Yishun Ave 60 and 152 Bukit Batok St 11.

Another 21 buildings have yet to be tested, and five were tested to have the Class ‘0’ cladding. Tests showed that external walls of some of the 40 buildings contain a mixture of Alubond models FRB1 and FRB2

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Cladding for 36 buildings may pose fire risk

The external walls of 36 buildings in Singapore may have used materials that do not meet the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) fire safety requirements.

Of the 41 buildings on SCDF’s checklist, 5 have been given the all-clear, the authorities said on Thursday (Aug 24).

The discovery came after an industrial building at 30 Toh Guan Road caught fire in May, claiming the life of a 54-yr-old woman. Investigations found its external composite panels, supplied through a sole local distributor, did not meet the Fire Code’s standards.

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HDB block at Indus Road cordoned off after metal panels fall from facade
The incident happened at Block 77 Indus Road on Saturday (Apr 1) & 2 nearby blocks have also been cordoned off as a precautionary measure, says the Jalan Besar Town Council

An HDB block at Indus Road has been cordoned off after 2 aluminium panels on the buildings fell off on Saturday. There were no reports of injuries.

The incident happened at Block 77 Indus Road, said the Jalan Besar Town Council on Monday (Apr 3). “Our staff went to the site immediately to check,” said the town council's public relations manager Janet Chua. “It was found that 2 decorative aluminum panels on the facade of the block had fallen off.”

She added that blocks 78 & 79 nearby were also cordoned off as a precautionary measure as they had panels similar to the ones that fell off.

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Wall segment falls off roof of HDB block in Circuit Road

A wall segment from a Housing Board block in MacPherson fell 11 storeys with a loud crash in the early hours of Wednesday.

The incident occurred at about 6am at Block 51, Circuit Road, Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.

No one was hurt by the slab, which the newspaper understands measured roughly 4m long & 2m wide.

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Slab falls from height at Blk 449 Hougang Ave 10: Debris lands on cars parked below

Stomper Andy saw the aftermath after a slab fell from the top storey of Block 449 Hougang Avenue 10 at 11am today (Nov 27).

The Stomper saw police & town council staff cordoning off the area.

Photos and videos the Stomper sent show debris spread across a wide area at the foot of the block.

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Concrete dislodged from Clementi apartment rooftop falls 40 floors onto playground

A concrete slab fell 40 storeys from the roof of a block at the Trivelis - a Design, Build & Sell Scheme (DBSS) project by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) at Clementi Avenue 4 - onto a playground below.

Stomper G received WhatsApp messages from a friend living in the area, warning her about the incident which happened last Thursday (Nov 16).

One of the messages showed a screenshot of Facebook user Ho Guo Liang, who posted a response seemingly from the Town Council.

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70-yr-old woman almost hit by 'mahjong table'-sized concrete slab in Marine Terrace flat

A 70-yr-old woman who got up in the middle of the night to visit the washroom got a rude shock when parts of the kitchen ceiling "about the size of a mahjong table" crashed to the floor in front of her.

The incident happened at Block 51, Marine Terrace, on Monday (Feb 6) at about 2.30am, Shin Min Daily News reported on Tuesday (Feb 7).

Retiree Chen Xiuying told Shin Min that she had been on her way to the washroom when a large slab fell from the kitchen ceiling about 2m away from her.

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HDB Facades are Falling Down: This Time, its a Slab from a Hougang Block

Checks by authorities have revealed that the concrete sunshade that toppled in Tampines in September was missing reinforcement bars (those things inside you don’t see that are meant to keep the thing from collapsing).

It was the only one in the surrounding area missing those reinforcement bars, and now that BCS is investigating where this was due to the contractor breaking building regulations. This all comes after a report that was filed by a professional engineer hired to look into the incident.

Now, the worrying part is why checks were not carried out before residents were allowed to move in – it’s a missing part that caused the collapse.

related: Disbelief, Fury and Fear after Tampines Sunshade Topple

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HDB FACADE IN CIRCUIT ROAD FALLS OFF

She heard the loud crash, peered out her window and saw, to her horror, that a piece of her neighbouring block's building facade had fallen and crashed to the ground below.


"I was shocked to see a missing slab of wall on the block opposite. Luckily, it happened quite early in the morning and no one was hit.


"How can a slab of wall fall off just like that?" the resident, who wanted to be known as Madam Ng, 65, told The New Paper yesterday.


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Non-structural wall feature falls off roof of HDB block in MacPherson

A wall segment from a Housing Board block in MacPherson fell 11 storeys with a loud crash in the early hours of Wednesday.


The incident occurred at about 6am at Block 51, Circuit Road, Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.

No one was hurt by the slab, which the newspaper understands measured roughly 4m long and 2m wide.

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HDB BUILDINGS NO LONGER SAFE? CHEAP LABOUR & LOW COST MATERIALS TO BLAME?

HDB buildings appear to be no longer safe. According to Shin Min Daily News, “a slab of the roof-wall” fell from Block 51 in MacPherson Road 2 days ago.

The size of the calcium silicate board which measured about “4 metres by 2 metres” – slightly larger than 2 king size mattresses – could have caused a number of fatalities. Again, lady luck was smiling at us.

Just last month a concrete sun breaker weighing a few hundred kilos was dislodged from another HDB block in Tampines and last year, a smaller slab of concrete fell from this block (below) in Whampoa.

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HDB buildings no longer safe

The common cause of all these preventable incidents has been confirmed: PAP has been employing cheaperer labour and using lowest-cost materials to increase profitability.

After this incident, the BCA, HDB and Marine Parade Town Council sprang into …. wayang. And soon, the issue will be swept under the carpet. The party accountable for the honest mistake will not be disclosed. MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling has said that she is hoping that the authorities will consider revamping these few blocks in the near future – standard PAP fire-fighting protocol.

As our infrastructure ages, we should expect more PAP-created issues to surface. How not to when they have been focused on milking citizens and taking economic shortcuts without accountability?

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CUSTOMERS AT BUKIT MERAH COFFEE SHOP STARTLED BY FALLING CEILING BOARDS
CRASH: Ceiling boards fell at lunch time at a Bukit Merah coffee shop yesterday, leaving debris (above) that was later cleared. FOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

He was collecting money from a customer at his drinks stall when he heard a loud crash.


When Mr Zhang realised what had caused the sudden sound, he was shocked. Several ceiling boards in the coffee shop had fallen onto the floor and smashed into pieces.


"It was a very loud bang. There was a lady walking past & it nearly hit her," the drinks stall operator told The New Paper yesterday.


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External structure from-tampines block collapses

A concrete structure that gave way outside a four-storey HDB block along Tampines Street 23 has been removed, after close to seven hours. No one was hurt as a result of the incident that happened on Sunday morning (Sep 25).

The structure serves as a sun shield for a unit on the fourth storey of Block 201E. According to Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC Cheng Li Hui, an engineer and safety officer have assessed the situation.

Tampines Town Council, which is the building owner of the HDB block, was directed by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to engage a professional engineer to advise on the necessary measures to remove the dislodged sun breaker, as well as to carry out a detailed investigation and recommend permanent rectification works.

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Singapore: Falling down, broken, breakdown, falling to pieces

There have been recent incidents such as one in July last year where a plaster slab measuring 1.5 m by 0.6 m fell from a height of 18 storeys. It came off the facade of a 17-year old HDB block in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4.

In December last year, a concrete slab measuring 3 m by 1.8 m fell from a pedestrian bridge. Fortunately, no one was injured. The ST article reporting the incident was all BCA and LTA wayang: there was no mention of accountability. Overhead bridges are assets belonging to LTA and the government is also indirectly the largest employer of foreign construction workers.

Although the supply of skilled construction workers is inelastic, PAP has somehow managed to find sufficient manpower from third world countries. What is worrying – many of them could have been only general workers sent for an expedited course for certification and recruited by private construction companies. If IDA could employ Nisha with a fake master’s degree, couldn’t LTA/HDB contractors have hired unqualified workers?

related: HDB blocks falling apart?

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Concrete sunshade on exterior of Tampines HDB block gives way

Mr Choo Keat Thin, 59, was watching television yesterday when he heard a loud sound outside his living room windows on the fourth storey.

The concrete sunshade, or sun breaker, on the building exterior above the windows of his flat had become dislodged on one side and was resting on the sunshade on the 3rd storey.

“It was 10.05am, and the whole floor shook. I quickly looked out, and I saw the beam dangling (at a) 45-degree (angle),” said the businessman, who lives in Block 201E Tampines Street 23.

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Concrete feature collapses at HDB block in Tampines; building structurally safe, says HDB

A concrete feature on the exterior of a Housing & Development Board (HDB) block collapsed on Sunday (Sep 25) morning, but the authorities say no injuries were reported.


The incident occurred on the 4th floor of Block 201E, Tampines Street 23, around 10:05am.

No Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles were dispatched, The Straits Times understands. Police arrived on the scene to cordon off the area.

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HDB & TOWN COUNCIL TO INSPECT ALL SUN BREAKERS AFTER ONE BROKE IN TAMPINES

Received a call this morning and rushed over.


One side of the sun breaker broke and landed on 3rd storey breaker. We have secured the breaker with tension cords to anchor points on the rooftop, activated the crane and the engineer is doing a thorough inspection now.

We will be removing this and HDB and TC will be working together to inspect the rest of the sun breakers after this, to ensure their integrity and safety.

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Concrete facade nearly toppled on four storey Tampine HDB block, no one hurt

A concrete facade at a four-storey HDB block along Tampines Street 23 was unseated and fortunately did not drop down from the top floor. No one was hurt in the incident that happened on Sunday morning, 25 September.


The collapsed structure functions as a sun shield for a unit on the fourth floor of Block 201E.

CNA reported the owner of the HDB building block, the Tampines Town Council, has been directed by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to engage a professional engineer to advise on the necessary procedure to remove the relocated sun breaker, and to conduct an investigation and recommendation of permanently rebuilt works.


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Tampines residents worry about more sunshades collapsing

RESIDENTS of the Tampines flat where a concrete sunshade partially dislodged late last week are worried that the other sunshades might give way too, given that the area is a neighbourhood centre with a thronging thoroughfare on the ground floor.


On Sunday morning (Sept 25), a 5m-long concrete sunshade outside a fourth-floor flat at Block 201E, Tampines Street 23 dislodged partially and landed on the corner of the sunshade of the floor below.

Although no one was hurt, it gave residents quite the scare, and now residents are afraid that other sunshades – at least seven on the same facade – might follow suit.

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Plaster slab falls from 18th storey of HDB block
The broken bits from the slab of plaster that fell off the facade of Block 464, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 (above), early on Sun morning were found on the ground. FOTOS: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

A slab of plaster fell off the facade of an HDB block on Sunday, from a height of 18 storeys.


Residents of Block 464, Choa Chu Kang Ave 4, said it was fortunate no one was hurt, as the walkway below is a popular one.


The piece of plaster, which broke on impact, was about 1.5m by 0.6m, or the size of a large bath towel. The area has been cordoned off by the Chua Chu Kang Town Council.


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Slab of plaster fell 12 storeys from the top of flat in Hougang

A slab of plaster fell 12 storeys from the top of Block 449 Hougang Avenue 10 at 11am on Sunday (27 November), hit a lorry which was parked nearby and dented its roof.

Fortunately, nobody was injured during the incident.

There are only 60 executive maisonette units in this building. It was build in 1991 and it falls under the purview of Ang Mo Kio Town Council.

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Plaster slab falls from HDB block in Hougang

In the 3rd such incident in three months, a slab of plaster fell 12 storeys from the top of a Housing Board block in Hougang on Sunday morning.

No one was injured by the slab, a piece of the facade measuring 1.2m by 0.6m. The facade had been checked recently, according to the estate manager, Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC).

Resident Andy Loh, 39, heard a loud noise around 11:00 am on Sunday.

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Concrete facade nearly toppled on four storey Tampine HDB block, no one hurt

A concrete facade at a four-storey HDB block along Tampines Street 23 was unseated and fortunately did not drop down from the top floor. No one was hurt in the incident that happened on Sunday morning, 25 September.

The collapsed structure functions as a sun shield for a unit on the fourth floor of Block 201E.

CNA reported the owner of the HDB building block, the Tampines Town Council, has been directed by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to engage a professional engineer to advise on the necessary procedure to remove the relocated sun breaker, and to conduct an investigation and recommendation of permanently rebuilt works.

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Plaster falls from ceiling along first-floor corridor of Blk 933, Tampines St 91

A patch of plaster fell from the ceiling at a HDB block in Tampines at around 1.30pm on Sun. A contributor to Stomp said he was at home in his second-floor unit at Blk 933, Tampines St 91, when he heard the loud bang of the falling plaster, which hit the floor along a first-floor corridor.

A Tampines Town Council spokesman told ST that only non-structural, surface-level plaster fell off at a “specific and very localised” location. A team was despatched to repair the ceiling on Mon morning and repair works are underway. The spokesman declined to give a specific time for the completion of works, but said that the works involved included putting in a new bonding agent and replastering the ceiling. The spokesman added that the incident was caused by spalling.

Preventive measures currently in place at Tampines Town Council include teaching town council staff to look out for tell-tale signs of impending spalling. This includes rust marks, cracks and slight bulging. The spokesman also added that residents could help by looking out for such signs and informing their town council.

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Debris Danger! 16th Storey HDB Flat Wall Breaks Apart, Residents Alarmed and Worried

“What the hell” and “KNN” probably rolled off the tongues of some Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 residents yesterday morning, as they found broken-off concrete blocks littering the pathways near block 464.


Looking up, they discovered that the blocks were part of the building wall which broke off from the 16th floor! The big break likely took place in the wee hours of morning.


According to one resident, he had sent his daughter home at around 2am and didn’t find any debris on the ground, but to his horror, the concrete blocks were there at 7am when he went downstairs.


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Second concrete chunk falls off ceiling of HDB block this week-- this time at Hougang

STOMPer David was shocked to see a large chunk of plaster that fell from the 9th floor ceiling of a HDB block at Hougang Avenue. He hopes the relevant authorities can look into maintaining the building and the ones in the older estates.


This is the second of such incidents reported this week, with the first taking place at Choa Chu Kang on Sunday (Nov 11). Said STOMPer David:

"A concrete slab fell off the 9th floor ceiling of block 601, Hougang Avenue at around 10 am today (Nov 15). I did not witness the exact moment when the slab fell off. I must have missed it by 10 to 15 minutes. Thank God no one was hurt! Can the authorities look into not only our building but the ones in the older estates? It must have happened due to the rain and perhaps stagnant water accumulating on the rooftop of our flats."
Picture 1 to 6 of the gallery show the chunk of plaster that fell off the HDB ceiling at Hougang, while the other two pictures are of the incident at Choa Chu Kang.

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Collapsed false ceiling leaves Toa Payoh residents worried
Lack of action over disintegrating false ceiling irks residents of Toa Payoh block

For more than a year, residents at Block 9, Toa Payoh Lorong 7, said they have been seeing pieces of the false ceiling at the top floor falling onto the common corridor.

On March 18, after a heavy afternoon downpour, it took a turn for the worse when a chunk of the false ceiling & part of the facade fell 11 storeys down, leaving a gaping hole about 4m wide.

Fortunately no one was hurt.


Metal bars fall from Indus Road HDB block; no one injured

Two metal bars fell from a HDB block on Sat, but no one was injured. The incident happened at about 12.45pm on Sat at Blk 77, Indus Road, Lianhe Wanbao reported. The bars were about 3m long, the Chinese evening daily said.

One fell on the roof of a pavilion on the ground floor while the other fell on the pavement. “It was found that two decorative aluminium panels on the facade of the block had fallen off. We had cordoned off the other blocks with similar decorative panels as a precautionary safety measure,” The Jalan Besar Town Council said on Sun. “We were currently working with the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.”

The blocks were built more than four decades ago but have been upgraded. MP for Jalan Besar GRC Lily Neo said on Mon that HDB sent engineers to investigate. They will also “remove all other metal bars if necessary” to prevent the same incident from happening again.

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4 people hurt after part of RWS casino ceiling falls
Four people hurt after part of RWS casino ceiling falls
Workers clearing up debris from the incident, in which 3 renovation workers and a security officer were injured. TNP FOTO: ONG WEE JIN

3 renovation workers and a security officer were injured after part of a ceiling board at the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino collapsed yesterday.

External contractors were carrying out enhancement works when part of the ceiling board leading to the mezzanine gaming area fell around 10am, a spokesman for RWS told The Straits Times.

"There were no guests at that area during the incident. One security staff and three external contractors sustained minor injuries," the spokesman added.


Ceiling collapses at SMU's School of Information Systems
Parts of a ceiling falling to the ground outside a toilet in Singapore Management University's School of Information Systems on Tue (Oct 24)

A ceiling at the basement of Singapore Management University's (SMU) School of Information Systems collapsed on Tuesday (Oct 24).

The false ceiling at the recess area collapsed at 5pm, the university has confirmed.

In response to Channel NewsAsia's queries, an SMU spokesperson said preliminary findings showed that a drainage pipe above the ceiling had leaked & water had seeped through, causing the false ceiling to collapse. Some of the water entered a portion of the study area located next to the affected space, she said.


Ceiling collapses in NTU lecture theatre

The ceiling of Lecture Theatre 1, at Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) North Spine, had collapsed earlier that morning.

NTU sent an e-mail to affected students to inform them of the collapse and the change of venues for some of their lectures. No classes will be held there for at least a month.

Mr Adzizul, who is a final-year mechanical engineering student, told The New Paper that his classmates were in the theatre, sitting closer to the front. As he had not attended the lecture, he was viewing a recording that was posted online after the lecture ended.


False ceiling at Tampines void deck collapses
Imagine if someone had been entering or exiting lift

Stomper KaliDass was shocked when he saw that the false ceiling at the void deck of Block 807 Tampines Avenue 4 had collapsed, at around 1pm today afternoon (Oct 17).


Photos he sent Stomp via WhatsApp show a light dangling from the exposed ceiling and chunks of cement plaster on the ground.


KaliDass, who said he heard a loud bang when the incident happened, added in a phone interview: "The false ceiling in front of Lift A at the ground level of Block 807 Tampines Avenue 4 collapsed.


FALSE CEILING OF LIFT LANDING COLLAPSED IN TAMPINES

The false ceiling at the void deck of Block 807 Tampines Avenue 4 collapsed at around 1pm today afternoon (Oct 17). Fortunately, the ceiling did not land on anyone.


What remains of the fake ceiling is a light dangling from the now exposed ceiling. Chunks of cement plaster are on the ground.


First sun breaker, now fake ceiling. Tampines is turning into a slum!


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Section of Westgate mall ceiling collapses due to heavy rain

Heavy rain yesterday proved too much for the false ceiling at Westgate mall and caused a small section to shatter.


Shin Min Daily News reported that the incident happened around 3.30pm at the fourth floor of the shopping mall and left a 1m hole in the ceiling.


A 26-year-old shopkeeper told Shin Min Daily News that three or four men were almost hit by the ceiling fragments.


related: Shoppers report flooding in Tampines Mall after heavy downpour


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Falling concrete slab narrowly misses passers-by in Orchard

2 women escaped being injured by a slab of concrete that fell from a pedestrian bridge outside Orchard Plaza early Wednesday morning.

Just minutes before the concrete fell, the women had walked under the bridge linking Cuppage Plaza and Orchard Plaza.

A witness, who wanted to be known only as Mr David, 48, said he had stepped out of a pub in Cuppage Plaza for a smoke when he heard a loud thud across the road, about 3 minutes after the two women walked past.

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Ceiling collapses on Hilton Singapore hotel driveway, at least two sent to hospital

2 cars, one a Malaysian-registered SUV, were at the hotel's front porch when the incident happened.

A Channel NewsAsia reporter at the scene said that two police cars arrived in the first few minutes, followed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) at 4pm. SCDF told Channel NewsAsia it deployed one fire engine and one ambulance in total to Hilton hotel that day.

Officers spent about 10 minutes inspecting the wreckage, which was occupying the entire hotel front porch, our reporter said.  During the inspection, only guests were allowed through the entrance, according to a hotel representative.

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Roof collapses at Hilton Hotel driveway proves Orchard Road is breaking down

On Sunday, Dec. 13, part of the roof over the driveway of Hilton Singapore hotel collapsed, proving Volvo manufactures sturdy vehicles, in what has become a positive piece of news for the automobile maker and a more negative one for insurers

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Air-conditioner compressor fell on man

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