Panel to review building bylaws

The Star 09/05/2001 By V. Chandrasekaran

Gurun: The Uniform building Bylaws 1984 may be amended to enforce the optimum use of structural steel in buildings, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said yesterday.

He said a special committee, headed by his ministry's secretary- general, would be set up to review the bylaws and possible amend them for this purpose.

He said this after witnessing a full-scale fire test on locally-produced structural steel at newly built four-storey school structure at the Perwaja Steel plant here yesterday.

The test was conducted by Universiti Tecknologi Malaysia's Assoc Prof Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir.

Ong said the test would ascertain if structural steel, when used as framework in buildings, and had greater resistence to fire compared to concrete and other materials.

The study would outline recommendations on the optimum use of structural steel either with or without minimal fire protection, he said.

The special committee, Ong said, would study the recommendations and see if aspects on fire prevention under the Uniform Building By Laws should be reviewed.

Dr Siti Hamisah said data collected from the real fire test conducted yesterday, jointly organised by UTM and Fire and Rescue Department would be analysed.

The findings and recommendations would be submitted to the ministry in two months.

Dr Siti Hamisah said buildings using concrete and other materials would break faster compared to steel structures during a fire.

She said the fire test was the first of its kind in the country.

Perwaja Steel Sdn Bhd Executive Committee chairman Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohammed said it would be cheaper to put up buildings using steel structures with fire protection aspects than  using other means.