Cladding risk for buildings

A highrise apartment installed with an ESE lightning rod.

THE fire at the EPF building in Petaling Jaya recently shows how dangerous unapproved cladding panels can be when the insulating foam catches fire. It was reported that the fire was initiated by sparks that occurred during maintenance work on the building. On TV later that night, a fire department official said that dozens of buildings had been identified as using similar flammable cladding panels.

If that is the case, the cladding on these buildings are at high risk of catching fire if the building is struck by lightning. The average lightning stroke in Malaysia carries more than 30,000 amperes, or several thousand times more current than a welding machine used at construction sites.