Building Control (Inspection of Buildings) Regulations

Building Control Act

(Chapter 29, Section 49)

Rg 4

G.N. No. S 152/1989

REVISED EDITION 2000

(31st January 2000)

[1st May 1989]

Citation

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Building Control (Inspection of Buildings) Regulations.

Definitions

2.—(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —

“building” shall not include —

(a)	any temporary building; or
(b)	any detached house, semi-detached houses, terraced or linked houses which are used by the owners or occupiers thereof solely as their residence;

“owner”, in relation to a subdivided building, means —

(a)	the management corporation established under the Land Titles (Strata) Act (Cap. 158) having control of the building; or
(b)	the person receiving any rent or charge for the maintenance of the common property of the subdivided building;

“structural elements” means any part or element of a building which resists forces and moments and includes foundations, beams, columns, shear cores, slabs, roof trusses, staircases, load bearing walls and all other elements designed to resist forces and moments but excludes doors and windows;

“structural engineer” means a person who is registered as a professional engineer under the Professional Engineers Act (Cap. 253) in the civil or structural engineering disciplines.

(2) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to a building shall not include part of a building.

Appointment of structural engineer

3.—(1) The owner of a building on whom a notice under section 28(1) of the Act is served shall —

(a)	within 21 days of the date of the notice, or such longer period as the Commissioner of Building Control may specify, appoint a structural engineer to inspect the building in accordance with these Regulations; and
(b)	notify the Commissioner of Building Control of such appointment within 7 days thereof.

(2) Every notification under paragraph (1)(b) shall be accompanied by a confirmation signed by the structural engineer of his appointment to inspect the building.

Inspection of building

4. The structural engineer appointed by the owner of a building under section 28 of the Act shall carry out an inspection of the building in the following manner:

(a)

the structural engineer shall with reasonable diligence first carry out a visual inspection of the building, including a visual survey of the condition of the building, the loading on the structure of the building and any addition or alteration to the structure of the building;

(b)

if, having regard to the results of a visual inspection under paragraph (a), the structural engineer is of the opinion that there are no such signs of defect, deformation or deterioration in the structure of the building as will or will be likely to endanger or reduce the structural stability or integrity of any part of the building, he shall prepare and submit to the Commissioner of Building Control a report of the results of his visual inspection in accordance with regulation 5;

(c)

if, having regard to the results of a visual inspection under paragraph (a), the structural engineer reasonably suspects or is of the opinion that there is such defect, deformation or deterioration in the structure of the building as will or will be likely to endanger or reduce the structural stability or integrity of any part of the building, he shall prepare and submit to the Commissioner of Building Control a report of the results of his visual inspection in accordance with regulation 5 and may request approval from the Commissioner of Building Control that a full structural investigation be carried out;

(d)

if the Commissioner of Building Control so approves, the structural engineer shall then carry out a full structural investigation, including —

(i)	taking all reasonable steps in obtaining information relating to the design, construction, maintenance and history of the building;
(ii)	with reasonable diligence checking the structural plans of the building and the calculations therein or if the plans cannot be obtained reconstruct such structural plans where the Commissioner of Building Control so requires, with a view to determining any inadequacy in the structural elements of the building;
(iii)	carrying out or causing to be carried out tests on the structural elements of the building without damaging any part thereof;
(iv)	carrying out or causing to be carried out tests on the materials used in the construction of the building; and
(v)	carrying out or causing to be carried out load testing of such parts of the building as the structural engineer considers necessary;

(e)

the structural engineer shall then prepare and submit to the Commissioner of Building Control a report of the results of his full structural investigations in accordance with regulation 5.

Report of results of inspection

5. A report of the results of an inspection of a building under section 28 of the Act shall comprise —

(a)	a detailed description of the visual inspection and any full structural investigation of the building conducted by the structural engineer;
(b)	analyses of observations and every test conducted in the course of any full structural investigation of the building; and
(c)	recommendations by the structural engineer as to such building works as are necessary to ensure the structural stability or integrity of the building. [G.N. No. S 152/89]

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