Regular safety checks and studies on buildings needed, say engineers

Ttremors...... Government Servants gather outside the SUK building in Shah Alam as they are evacuated following an earthquake in Sumatra island on Friday (Feb 25).- K.K. SHAM/The Star

SAFETY checks should be conducted on buildings in Malaysia regularly – and not just after events like tremors from distant earthquakes, say experts.

The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) lauded the decision by the Melaka government to check structures after the earthquake in Indonesia last Friday, calling it good engineering practice.

But certain structures, especially medium to high rise buildings, should be regularly inspected for structural integrity, regardless of such incidents.

“Vulnerability studies on all important buildings should be carried out.

“If necessary, they should be strengthened to improve their ability when subjected to incidents like earthquakes,” says IEM honorary secretary Dr David Chuah Joon Huang.

However, he points out this may not be easy since not every building has detailed structural drawings.

On Feb 25, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Sumatra in Indonesia, sending tremors to various parts of Malaysia, with some high rise buildings evacuated temporarily.

Hairline cracks were reportedly found in two buildings in Negri Sembilan, while the Melaka government ordered checks to be conducted on government buildings in the state following the quake.

Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali said in reports that new cracks appeared from level one to level eight of the Inland Revenue Board building in the state due to the tremors.

He ordered operations to be temporarily halted until it was declared safe by the relevant authorities, especially the state Public Works Department (JKR).

Assoc Prof Chuah says earthquakes are always a threat to building structures.

“In general, Malaysia is classified under low to medium seismicity.

“In other words, there is a risk of structural damages due to earthquakes,” he says.

Chuah says some buildings, especially high-rise buildings on the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia will be affected by side sways and cracks in concrete surfaces from the quake.

“This is due to the fact that the earthquake factor was not taken into consideration in these buildings,” he says.

The IEM suggests more seismic monitoring stations in Malaysia be set up to measure the seismic response of buildings and understand the ground movement generated by distant quakes

“We also hope that current engineering design, construction standards and practices can be reviewed in line with local and international research,” he says, adding that the IEM has a Civil and Structural Engineering Technical Division which promotes professional practices in the industry.

“Further training for engineers will also be needed since most in Malaysia have no exposure to and training in seismic engineering.

“The syllabus of universities should also be amended to cover dynamic and seismic engineering,” Chuah says.

Engineer Wong Chee Fui of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman says it is the responsibility of building owners to carry out periodic inspections upon receiving notice by the local authorities, according to existing laws.

Any buildings which are five storeys and above and exceeding 10 years old, are required to be inspected by a professional engineer, according to Section 85A of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1994.

“Such a requirement should be enforced strictly by the local authorities to ensure building safety,” he says.