The Ministry of the Interior’s Construction and Planning Agency (CPA) said it is mulling amendments to the Measures Governing Buildings’ Public Security Inspection, Authorization and Application (建築物公共安全檢查簽證及申報辦法) to make inspection of ceramic tiles on a building’s exterior mandatory.
The extreme cold front over the nation last month resulted in more than 30 incidents of tiles peeling off from buildings’ exteriors in Taipei alone, the CPA said.
In March last year, a stone slab weighing 80kg peeled off from the exterior of the United Daily News building, killing 40-year-old Wang Cheng-fang (王成芳), who worked at a cram school in the building.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
The agency’s construction management division chief Kao Wen-ting (高文婷) said that older buildings across the nation often have an extra layer of tiles applied to their exteriors, but very few building management committees maintain their building’s exterior.
The changes would make tiles on buildings’ exteriors the third mandatory item to be inspected after fire safety and emergency escape facilities, as well as the maintenance of emergency facilities, the agency said.
The agency has decided that inspection of buildings’ exteriors will be mandatory, but has yet to decide what items would be inspected, the inspection methods and which buildings would be subject to the inspections.
It is possible that buildings higher than 10 stories would be subject to regular inspections, with no dates yet agreed upon, while buildings that are older than 10 years would be considered for inspection every six years, Kao said.
Buildings older than 15 years would be inspected every five years, while buildings older than 30 years would be inspected every three years, Kao said, adding that buildings that had a history of tiles falling off would be placed on a watch list and inspected every year.
If these buildings have conducted reinforcing projects for their exteriors, the year count is reset on the inspection, Kao said.
The central government is to announce the standards for companies undertaking the inspections, with said companies first undergoing governmental trials, Kao said, adding that details of inspections would be left to the local governments due to differences in local building planning regulations.
The Taipei City Government has already announced a draft act on building’s exterior inspections and management last year, which has cleared a first reading in the city council.
The city government is hoping to expedite the draft act’s approval and have it approved by the end of this month’s council sitting session.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS