Developers and house owners may soon be required to submit a list of building materials to the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) for new construction projects, upgrading works and renovations, according to councillor Derek Fernandez.

This is among the proposals mooted by the council following the Feb 13 incident, which saw parts of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) building in Petaling Jaya engulfed in flames.

"The planning and development committee met last week and proposed an additional condition to any new application for building plans.

"In the future, they need to enclose a detailed list of building materials.

"The proposal will be discussed and decided at the MBPJ full board meeting slated for next Monday," Fernandez (photo) told Malaysiakini.

Under the existing Law 144(1) of the Uniform Building By-laws 1984, Fernandez said the council only issues building plans when materials comply with fire safety standards set by the Fire and Rescue Department.

At present, developers and house owners are only required to submit a general list of building materials.

The council’s proposal will entail a more detailed list of materials for any construction, renovation and upgrading works, handed in by the principal submitting person – commonly an engineer or architect involved with the project.

"This is to ensure they follow the fire safety standards and allow us to double check the materials," Fernandez explained.

Silent killer

The Fire and Rescue Department had blamed the quick spreading fire at EPF building on the use of polyfoam or polyethylene as a cladding material.

Fernandez noted that many commercial buildings and residential units in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur were using cladding for aesthetic reasons.

"The Petaling Jaya mayor informed me that MBPJ will work with the Malaysian Institute of Architects to issue advisory notices to member architects and building owners to check whether any cladding used meets fire safety standards," he said.

He called upon owners to ensure they used fire-rated cladding in their homes, even if the replacement of existing cladding constitutes a “big job.”

Fernandez also stated that he was alerted to the risk non-fire-rated cladding after the June 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London, which claimed 71 lives and caused more than 70 injuries.

An inquiry subsequently found that the Grenfell Tower fire was accelerated by the building's exterior cladding.

Fernandez brought up the incident in a meeting, to alert the council of the potential hazards of polyfoam cladding.

EPF, meanwhile, said that it was awaiting a full report from the Fire Department before deciding when the PJ branch can be reopened.

"We are awaiting a full report from the Fire Department on our PJ branch's status.

"I won't comment further, but rest assured that EPF members can go to any other branches for any transaction," an EPF officer told Malaysiakini.