An Office Assignment

I had fun writing this up. It's nothing much. I just hope my boss approves of it to be circulated, Something about a recent collapse of a building nearby the office.

Of Gravity And Falling Concrete

Getting hit by a fan while frying ‘koay teow’ is not something that happens every day. Neither is fleeing a crumbling building while dodging falling debris. It was a piece of Hollywood here at Jalan Tong Shing on the 27th February 2008 when an eatery – Crowded Planet, caved in on its own weight. Luckily enough, nobody got killed, although some got warded for minor injuries.

Trudging through the rubble the day after, you would deem it a miracle that everyone got out alive. They might have tried their luck with the lottery soon after the event. Some of the hawkers were there collecting what’s left of their belongings. Workers were seen clearing out kitchen supplies and equipment and there were 2 men seated under an awning answering questions to curious onlookers, such as myself. It could have been worse. Imagine a worst-case scenario, an LPG tank could have been ruptured in the collapse. There could have been a series of explosion and fire. The spillover damage could have extended to the surrounding buildings. It could have been disasterous.

Apparently, the incident occurred when contractors were working on renovating the building. Business went on as usual although there was extensive work being done to the structure. The premises was recently bought over by a businessman who intended to expand the capacity of the business by removing the walls to create extra space for higher occupancy. The contractors began whacking away. The near fatal flaw was this, that it was a load bearing wall. Continuous removal of the wall slowly increased the pressure on the supporting pillar that eventually, upon reaching its limit, gave way to an avalanche of debris.

Another important factor to note is that the building was a pre-war constructed structure. Its walls were not reinforced. There were no metal rods incorporated into the wall. That apparently made the task of removing the wall a lot easier. What would have been a joyfully easy job was short-lived when the pillar decided that it just simply would not hold anymore.

It is uncertain as to whether the contractors really knew about what they were doing. Did they take into account that it was a load bearing wall and the age of the building? Or they did know and feigned ignorance. Why was business kept going despite extensive renovation works? In the aftermath of an event such as this, it leaves lingering questions in the minds of many. After all, not everything is as simple as a ‘Boleh-Lah’.

In regards to the insurance industry, caution is to be exercised with risks involving pre-war constructs. A healthy assessment of the nature of trade and structural conditions will be able to give us valuable information to aid us in the process of accepting a risk of this nature.

“Restoran Crowded Planet’ – it became overcrowded.