HULU SELANGOR: Sirim QAS International has set up Southeast Asia’s first laboratory providing fire testing services for exterior building cladding panels.
Its chairman Datuk Syed Hisham Syed Wazir said the laboratory could test the level of resistance of exterior building cladding panels during a fire.
“That means all exterior building cladding panels need to undergo this test before being approved by the Fire and Rescue Department and us for use in tall buildings.
“I hope this laboratory can help the building materials industry in fire testing to produce quality exterior building cladding panels and to reduce the risk of fires in buildings, especially high-rises,” he told a press conference at Sirim Rasa here.
He said the cost of fire testing at the laboratory is cheaper than that for similar tests conducted overseas.
“The testing services can help enforcement on the quality of exterior building cladding panel system and ensure they meet the standards required for marketing in the country,” he said.
Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department planning and research director Datuk Yusof Sidek said quality exterior building cladding panels are necessary to prevent fires from spreading.
“We feel there should be this requirement for exterior building cladding panels to be tested before being used for buildings.
“Since the fire at the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) building in Jalan Gasing early last year, the fire and rescue department has considered various aspects of exterior building cladding panels because they are inflammable and can cause fires to spread rapidly,” he said.
Yusof said they had learnt from the EPF blaze that better fire-resistant exterior building cladding panels were needed to slow the spread of fires and help save property. — Bernama
