Ingenieur Vol 78 ingenieur 2019 apr (2) | Page 41

Construction site of a new property development roof trusses failed in a shophouse project in Kulim. WG recommends the following: a) A declaration from both the Boards that any drawing submitted to the Local Authority with structural element would be the responsibility of any of the Submitting Person concerned unless the note of ‘to engineering details’ is stated by the architect. b) The two Boards review the three appendixes (Joint BEM/LAM Memorandum List) on the authority to submit building plans. Action Plan Taking cognisance of the various prevailing policies, legislation, guidelines and individual agency’s action plans, the above recommendations would require consensus and engagement from all stakeholders to ensure success in the implementation stage. Feedback from the construction industry practising at the ground level is equally important to gauge the effectiveness of the proposed recommendations. Conclusion The local construction industry fraternity is recovering from bad publicity due to the recent spate of building failures that are of equal concern to the public and Government. There is therefore an urgent call to beef up the professional standing of our stakeholders in order to regain the confidence of the public and potential customers. In the light of the liberalisation of engineering services, it is even more urgent to improve the professional standing of local stakeholders responsible for the safety of local property development. 39