8/27/09
what's going on!
Hey, whats going on with the Jaya site? I don't see ANY progress at all! I hope that the people doing the investigations are working on it...sure, these things take time, but there must be some outcome from this.
8/7/09
Demolition best practices in M'sia - long post!
I recently spoke to a demolition academic here in M'sia. I wont name him just yet but my mystery man has been active lately, and has even been featured in the papers! if you've been paying attention you will know who he is.
anyway I asked him a few Q's on demolition in M'sia. He is equally concerned as I am at the standard of demolition in this country. We are very good at erecting buildings but lacking when it comes to taking them down; this has a lot to do with the fact that urban developments in M'sia is still at the 'initial build' stage, uinlike say Hong Kong where they have gone into the 'redevelopment' phase. They need to tear down old buildings to make way for new developments - we havent reach that stage just yet.
Anyway, my mystery man had this to say (verbatim):
For demolition works conducted and awarded by means of public tender, normally the owner / developer will engage a consultant to carry out the tender process. In this tender process the contractors will have to submit a simplified Method of Statement and Work Program. The Contractor will be called upon to submit a detailed version if shortlisted or invited for a tender interview. In practice the demolition contractor take their own initiatives to prepare the method statement to perform the safest demolition job in their perspective. This method statement with several others information i.e. (Letter of Award for demolition work by Owner or Main Contractor, Location Plan, Photos of the building to be demolished, Insurance coverage and third party liabilities, location of dump site and approval), then submitted to local authority for them to issue a letter (allowing demolition works to be carried out) saying that they do not have any obstacle/impediment for the contractor to carry out the work. For the demolition work which exceeding 6 weeks or 20 Million Ringgit, the demolition contractor’s safety officer (Green Book Holder) have to fill up the JKJ 103 form (for registering the demolition site) and submit it to the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH). DOSH then will issue another letter (allowing demolition works to be carried out) saying that they do not have any obstacle/impediment for the contractor to carry out the work.
From my understanding and discussion with the demolition practitioners in Malaysia, there were several issues to be highlighted based on the demolition practice in Malaysia:-
1. There was lack of proper procedures or guideline on how to conduct a safe demolition job in Malaysia. For instance, there is no written procedures or guideline that require the demolition contractor to prepare a method statement. Otherwise in other country, to ensure a safe demolition job, they have a proper guidelines to refer, for examples:-
a. Code of Practice for Demolition, British Standard Institute (BSI). BS 6187: 1982;
b. Code of Practice for Demolition, British Standard Institute (BSI). BS 6187: 2000;
c. Building Department Hong Kong (1998), Code of Practice for Demolition of Buildings, Building Department Hong Kong;
d. AS 2601: 2000 (2000), The Demolition of Structures, Standards Australia International;
e. Department of Labour New Zealand (1994), Approved Code of Practice for Demolition, Department of Labour New Zealand; and
f. Demolition Safety Manual (National Demolition Association US)
2. At this time of writing, there isn’t a local governing body that regulates and reviews the demolition Method Statement, however there are some consultants engaged by the Owner / Developers or the Owner’s in-house Engineers does review and follow-up on the actual demolition work to be executed. Otherwise, in other country such as UK, US, Australia, and Hong Kong there is a guideline saying that the client or the demolition contractor need to appoint a demolition consultant who is technically capable to analyze or prepare a method statement in term of the techniques to be used, demolition sequence, risk assessment and safety aspects.
3. The local authorities may be lacking the dedicated department in the related field at this time to regulate the demolition methods submitted by the Demolition Contractors.
4. Most of the contract title for a new development project will be i.e. “Kerja-Kerja Meroboh dan Membina …” or “Demolition and Construction “ in one contract. The main contractor who received the job has to engage a specialist demolition contractor as their sub contractor to do the demolition work. This might affect the budget given to the sub contractor in term of safety aspects and time to do the job. In addition, most of the time the Main Contractor did not engage a demolition contractor to submit their methods and cost instead ‘suggested prices’ were submitted in the tender stage along with the building tender thus impairing the available budget to carry out a proper and safe demolition. Furthermore, some Main Contractors / Owners will specify a high SALVAGE VALUE in ‘salvage cum demolition’ related projects to set off their own operation cost. In these instances, the HIGHEST SALVAGE VALUE gets the demolition project and not the demolition contractor’s track record or safety standards.
anyway I asked him a few Q's on demolition in M'sia. He is equally concerned as I am at the standard of demolition in this country. We are very good at erecting buildings but lacking when it comes to taking them down; this has a lot to do with the fact that urban developments in M'sia is still at the 'initial build' stage, uinlike say Hong Kong where they have gone into the 'redevelopment' phase. They need to tear down old buildings to make way for new developments - we havent reach that stage just yet.
Anyway, my mystery man had this to say (verbatim):
For demolition works conducted and awarded by means of public tender, normally the owner / developer will engage a consultant to carry out the tender process. In this tender process the contractors will have to submit a simplified Method of Statement and Work Program. The Contractor will be called upon to submit a detailed version if shortlisted or invited for a tender interview. In practice the demolition contractor take their own initiatives to prepare the method statement to perform the safest demolition job in their perspective. This method statement with several others information i.e. (Letter of Award for demolition work by Owner or Main Contractor, Location Plan, Photos of the building to be demolished, Insurance coverage and third party liabilities, location of dump site and approval), then submitted to local authority for them to issue a letter (allowing demolition works to be carried out) saying that they do not have any obstacle/impediment for the contractor to carry out the work. For the demolition work which exceeding 6 weeks or 20 Million Ringgit, the demolition contractor’s safety officer (Green Book Holder) have to fill up the JKJ 103 form (for registering the demolition site) and submit it to the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH). DOSH then will issue another letter (allowing demolition works to be carried out) saying that they do not have any obstacle/impediment for the contractor to carry out the work.
From my understanding and discussion with the demolition practitioners in Malaysia, there were several issues to be highlighted based on the demolition practice in Malaysia:-
1. There was lack of proper procedures or guideline on how to conduct a safe demolition job in Malaysia. For instance, there is no written procedures or guideline that require the demolition contractor to prepare a method statement. Otherwise in other country, to ensure a safe demolition job, they have a proper guidelines to refer, for examples:-
a. Code of Practice for Demolition, British Standard Institute (BSI). BS 6187: 1982;
b. Code of Practice for Demolition, British Standard Institute (BSI). BS 6187: 2000;
c. Building Department Hong Kong (1998), Code of Practice for Demolition of Buildings, Building Department Hong Kong;
d. AS 2601: 2000 (2000), The Demolition of Structures, Standards Australia International;
e. Department of Labour New Zealand (1994), Approved Code of Practice for Demolition, Department of Labour New Zealand; and
f. Demolition Safety Manual (National Demolition Association US)
2. At this time of writing, there isn’t a local governing body that regulates and reviews the demolition Method Statement, however there are some consultants engaged by the Owner / Developers or the Owner’s in-house Engineers does review and follow-up on the actual demolition work to be executed. Otherwise, in other country such as UK, US, Australia, and Hong Kong there is a guideline saying that the client or the demolition contractor need to appoint a demolition consultant who is technically capable to analyze or prepare a method statement in term of the techniques to be used, demolition sequence, risk assessment and safety aspects.
3. The local authorities may be lacking the dedicated department in the related field at this time to regulate the demolition methods submitted by the Demolition Contractors.
4. Most of the contract title for a new development project will be i.e. “Kerja-Kerja Meroboh dan Membina …” or “Demolition and Construction “ in one contract. The main contractor who received the job has to engage a specialist demolition contractor as their sub contractor to do the demolition work. This might affect the budget given to the sub contractor in term of safety aspects and time to do the job. In addition, most of the time the Main Contractor did not engage a demolition contractor to submit their methods and cost instead ‘suggested prices’ were submitted in the tender stage along with the building tender thus impairing the available budget to carry out a proper and safe demolition. Furthermore, some Main Contractors / Owners will specify a high SALVAGE VALUE in ‘salvage cum demolition’ related projects to set off their own operation cost. In these instances, the HIGHEST SALVAGE VALUE gets the demolition project and not the demolition contractor’s track record or safety standards.
8/5/09
Report submitted
Good 2 see in today's Star that the report has been submitted by the 'PCT'. Looks like things are moving! Also looks like they're taking this very seriously, flying in engineers from Singapore and all. This is indeed good news and hopefully the development of jaya will start soon.
8/2/09
What is structural load - continue!
Dead load
The dead load is the weight of the structure acting with gravity on the foundations below. Snow load is the weight of the dead load and the imposed load but also the weight of the snow on top which could cause damage to the roof.
Live loads
Live loads, or imposed loads, are temporary, of short duration, or moving. Examples include snow, wind, earthquake, traffic, movements, water pressures in tanks, and occupancy loads. For certain specialized structures, vibro-acoustic loads may be considered.
Environmental loads
Temperature changes leading to thermal expansion cause thermal loads
Loads caused by humidity or moisture induced expansion
Ice movements
Water waves
Shrinkage
Static loads
These are loads that build up gradually over time, or with negligible dynamic effects. Since structual analysis for static loads is much simpler than for dynamic loads, design codes usually specify statically-equivalent loads for dynamic loads caused by wind, traffic or earthquake.
Dynamic loads
These are loads that display significant dynamic effects. Examples include impact loads, waves, wind gusts and strong earthquakes. Because of the complexity of analysis, dynamic loads are normally treated using statically equivalent loads for routine design of common structures. dynamic loads are also caused by aforce other than gravity
Load combination
A load combination results when more than one load type acts on the structure. Design codes usually specify a variety of load combinations together with weighting factors for each load type in order to ensure the safety of the structure under different probable loading scenarios.
8/1/09
What is structural load?
After reading the article in the Star on the press conference given by the Jaya Project Consultants, I am intrigued further by the causes of the Jaya collapse. Coffee shop pundits have been bouncing around the idea that structural failure was somehow involved. Well, it is better to speak from an informed standpoint than to be an 'armchair expert', so for all you kopi tiam experts, here is a brief explanation of structural load:
Structural loads are forces applied to a component of a structure or to the structure as a unit.
In structural design, assumed loads are specified in national and local design codes for types of structures, geographic locations, and usage. In addition to the load magnitude, its frequency of occurrence, distribution, and nature (static or dynamic) are important factors in design. Loads cause stresses, deformation and displacements in structures. Assessment of their effects is carried out by the methods of structural analysis. Excess load or overloading may cause structural failure, and hence such possibility should be either considered in the design or strictly controlled.
In the Eurocodes, the term actions has a similar meaning to loads, but encompasses applied deformations as well as forces.
The following lists the common loading types primarily for civil infrastructure and land machinery. Structures for aerospace (e.g. aircraft, satellites, rockets, space stations, etc...) and marine environments (e.g. boats, submarines, etc.) have their own particular design loads and consideratio includes dead loads but also includes forces set up by irreversible changes in a structure's constraints - for example, loads due to settlement, the secondary effects of prestress or due to shrinkage and creep in concrete.
Structural loads are forces applied to a component of a structure or to the structure as a unit.
In structural design, assumed loads are specified in national and local design codes for types of structures, geographic locations, and usage. In addition to the load magnitude, its frequency of occurrence, distribution, and nature (static or dynamic) are important factors in design. Loads cause stresses, deformation and displacements in structures. Assessment of their effects is carried out by the methods of structural analysis. Excess load or overloading may cause structural failure, and hence such possibility should be either considered in the design or strictly controlled.
In the Eurocodes, the term actions has a similar meaning to loads, but encompasses applied deformations as well as forces.
The following lists the common loading types primarily for civil infrastructure and land machinery. Structures for aerospace (e.g. aircraft, satellites, rockets, space stations, etc...) and marine environments (e.g. boats, submarines, etc.) have their own particular design loads and consideratio includes dead loads but also includes forces set up by irreversible changes in a structure's constraints - for example, loads due to settlement, the secondary effects of prestress or due to shrinkage and creep in concrete.
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