35 Cases of Fallen Windows in the first 11 months of 2023

Tuesday, 12 December 2023

For a safer living environment, homeowners and occupiers should check and maintain their windows once every six months.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) recorded 35 cases of fallen windows in the first 11 months of 2023. More than half of these, or 19 cases, involved casement windows. The remaining 15 cases were related to fallen sliding windows, withone case involving louvre windows. There were no reported injuries in any of these cases.

2        BCA’s investigations of the reported cases showed that the main causes of fallen casement and sliding windows were as follows:

a.     Corrosion and weakening of aluminum rivets in casement windows, preventing them from holding the casement window panels firmly in place. Since 2004, BCA’s has mandated homeowners to replace all aluminum rivets in casement windows with stainless steel ones.

b.     Lack of proper safety stoppers and angle strips to keep sliding window panels within the tracks to prevent dislodgements. Without these safety features in place, the windows could become detached and fall when homeowners apply excessive outward force while opening or closing them. Homeowners and occupiers are advised to check and ensure that these safety features are in place and replace any worn-out ones promptly.

3        Homeowners can face a penalty of up to S$5,000 and/or jail term of up to six months for failing to replace all aluminium rivets in casement windows with stainless steel rivets. In addition, if a window falls due to lack of maintenance, homeowners can be fined up to S$10,000, imprisoned for up to one year, or both. Since 2006, 406 individuals have been fined and 94 people have been prosecuted for fallen windows.

4        BCA Group Director (Building Resilience) and Commissioner of Building Control Er. Thanabal Kaliannan said, “Fallen windows are safety hazards as Singapore not only has a dense built environment but also many high-rise buildings. Glass shards, falling from height, can cause serious injuries and lead to other serious consequences. To mitigate these risks, we encourage homeowners and occupiers to play their part by checking and maintaining their windows regularly. Together, we can keep our community and living environment safe.”

5        All windows may detach and fall when their parts become loose or defective over time due to wear and tear. Homeowners and occupiers can do their part by checking and maintaining their windows at least once every six months:

6        A list of BCA-approved window contractors and window maintenance tips can be found at:

·       https://go.gov.sg/windowsafety/
·       http://www.hdb.gov.sg/window_safety

Download the PDF version of the Media Release here