KOTA KINABALU: The Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) has issued notices to owners of old and dilapidated buildings to conduct structural tests to ensure they meet safety standards.
“Last year, DBKK issued many notices, especially to owners who did not maintain buildings, especially dilapidated buildings,” said its director general, Lifred Wong, at the Kota Kinabalu Members of Parliament Iftar event.
He was commenting on the incident where a 55-year-old Chinese National sustained a fractured leg when a concrete floor of the first floor of a four-storey shophouse at a restaurant in Segama here fell on her.
The woman, identified as Wang Way, her husband and their son were operating the two-storey Chinese Muslim halal restaurant when the incident occurred around closing time at 8pm on Friday (Mar 7).
There were no customers at the time, as most had left after breaking their fast, and her husband and son were not on the premises during the incident.
According to Wong, although the collapsed floor of the building did not exhibit any early signs of risk, precautions must still be taken.
“Building owners in Segama need to appoint a professional engineer to conduct a Structural Integrity Test. This test aims to assess the strength of the building and determine whether it is still safe to use.
“DBKK has the right to order this test to be carried out, especially for old buildings that are potentially dangerous. In terms of legal action, there is indeed a provision, but for now, we are more concerned with giving advice and persuading the owners to act,” he said.
Kota Kinabalu MP Datuk Chan Foong Hin said they are discussing with DBKK the need for mandatory structural tests to ensure the public's safety.
The Deputy Plantations and Commodities Minister noted that the buildings in Segama were built in the mid-1970s, and structural checks on all the building blocks in the area were needed to ensure safety.
Several Sabah buildings built in the late 1970s and early 1980s had to be abandoned after they were found unsafe. Sea sand used in the construction had eroded the steel reinforcements.
