Lee: 2,845 high-rise buildings do not have fire certificate
KUALA LUMPUR: Urgent action must be taken against individuals or quarters using premises for commercial purposes without obtaining a fire certificate (FC) as required under the Fire Services Act 1988.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said 2,845 premises of more than 10-storey high in the country had no FC.
Lee said they included hotels, houses, offices and shopping malls.
“Among the reasons they did not get FC is the failure to meet technical safety specifications, such as a lack of fire exits and firefighting equipment,” he said yesterday.
He urged the authorities and owners of the premises to conduct periodic safety audits, which involved inspection of electrical wiring in buildings and facilities.
He said an annual audit must be carried out on buildings of more than 20 years old.
“The authorities need to identify the level of safety, including fire hazards, which might be caused by old wiring and flammable building materials.
“The audit must identify safety weaknesses of buildings and facilities.
“This will enable owners of the buildings and facilities to improve safety on the premises.”
Lee said wiring and electricity problems topped the list of causes of fire, with more than 5,300 cases recorded from 2014 to 2016.
He said statistics by the Fire and Rescue Department showed that 877 similar cases were reported in the first seven months of last year.
“Our subsidiary, Niosh Certification Sdn Bhd, can carry out security audits.”