PETALING JAYA: Although the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 (UBBL) mandate that balcony and roof railings must be at least one metre high, several local authorities have independently raised that baseline.
Malaysian Institute of Architects Northern Chapter chairman Ooi Sze Meng highlighted Penang Island City Council (MBPP) as an example for enforcing a higher 1.2m standard to provide a critical safety buffer beyond current guidelines.
“This is more stringent compared to the current by-law. The 1.2m height applies to all balconies, corridors or window openings,” he said when contacted.
“The UBBL minimum of 1m might not be enough but at 1.2m, it reaches slightly below the armpit of an average male,” he added.
Regarding anti-climb features, Ooi said the implementation often relied on the initiative of individual architects.
“Usually, we design vertical intermediate rails with a maximum spacing of 100mm to ensure that children cannot slip through,” he said, adding that developers, architects and the broader construction team actively collaborate to prioritise railing safety.
Local councils play a crucial role to regulate and enforce these supplementary safety standards, Ooi stressed.
“Buildings must be designed in line with safety requirements under the Construction Work (Design and Management) Regulations 2024 (CDM 2024),” he said.
Penang Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (Rehda) chairman Datuk Chan Soo How said developers take child-safety risks seriously, particularly in high-rise projects.
Chan said Rehda is willing to carry out workshops with stakeholders to study possible improvements to bring potential safety hazard to a minimum.
“It is about striking a balance between cost impact and safety.”
The current height of balcony railings in Subang Jaya City Council’s administrative area is 1.2m, Subang Jaya deputy mayor Mohd Zulkurnain Che Ali said.
Based on a search, under the Building (Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur) By-Laws 1985 – enacted through the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 – Kuala Lumpur City Hall identifies clear minimum safety heights for elevated spaces to prevent accidental falls.
Klang Royal City Council Corporate Communications Department director Norfiza Mahfiz said based on the UBBL, the balcony railing height requirement was observed at 1m.
“Due to the recent cases of children falling from balconies, the matter will be brought up for discussion at the Buildings Department to increase the height to 1.5m,” she added after consulting MBDK’s building director.
Shah Alam City Council Corporate and Public Relations director Mohd Fauzi Aziz Maamor said the city council is open to reviewing proposals that could reinforce building safety standards and protect community well-being.
