Before the recent incident of a girl
climbing over the railing and falling from the 13th floor of apartment
60B Nguyen Huy Tuong (Hanoi), Associate Professor - Dr. According to the
Ministry of Construction (Ministry of Construction), currently the
standards and regulations issued by the Ministry of Construction ensure
the ability to prevent unsafety from happening to human life, however,
at the building, the incident occurred. need to specifically consider
compliance with these standards and regulations.
In the Vietnam Construction Regulations (QCXDVN 05:2008/BXD) on housing
and public works - life safety and health, it is clear that there must
be railings to block the empty edges of floors, balconies, and loggias. ,
roofs (including skylights and other openings), and other
pedestrianized areas.
In parking garages, there must be railings where there are people
walking, but it is not mandatory on ramps used only for vehicular
traffic and in loading and unloading areas.
At the apartment building where a
3-year-old boy fell from the 12th floor, the railings of many households
are not safe Photo: HUY THANH
Along with that, the minimum height for
railings for houses, offices, schools, offices and public works for
loggias and terraces at locations from 9 floors or more is 1, 4m; steps,
ramp is 0.9m and other positions are 1.1m.
The Regulation also states that the handrail must be able to withstand
the impact of the horizontal force specified in the relevant Regulation;
Do not make the handrail wide on top to avoid people sitting or lying
down. If glass is used in the railings, it is necessary to comply with
the safety regulations on glass use specified in this Regulation.
For works used by children under 5 years old, the railing must be
structured so that it is not easy for children to climb over, that is,
cross bars should not be arranged so that children can climb over the
railing with their feet and have no holes to enter. 100mm diameter ball.
According to Mr. Tran Chung, the regulation on the railing with a
minimum height of 1.4m is taking into account the height of Vietnamese
people. Along with that, according to the promulgated regulations, it is
also clear about the detailed structures of the railing so that
children do not climb over, each railing must be poured hard so that it
cannot be bent.
Thus, compliance with these standards in the system of construction
works within the specified objects requires the assessment of functional
agencies, appraisal and supervision units and, importantly, the
voluntary compliance. of investors, construction contractors…
In fact, the railing is also a place of escape if an incident such as a
fire occurs. The additional adjustment of the height of the lanyard must
also ensure that the clearance distance is suitable for the exit plan.
Experience from families living in apartments shows that, whether or not
the family has children living in the apartment, it is advisable to add
a safety solution to the plot or window by stretching a soft mesh. This
is a thin cable that is stretched according to the distance ratio of
about 5cm, with horizontal knitting to limit buckling.
The advantage of this material over other types of iron cages such as
"tiger cages" appearing in many old apartment buildings in the past is
that it can be quickly removed in case of need to escape; limit the
flying of clothes when drying outside the loggia; creating a sense of
security for the user… The protective nets themselves, when stretched,
do not reduce aesthetics.
In Circular 21/2019/TT-BXD on National Technical Regulations on
Apartment Buildings issued by the Ministry of Construction, it is also
detailed that even windows of apartment buildings and mixed-use
apartment buildings are only be made a flip door or a sliding door with a
safety gate when opening. The position of the door opening and closing
controls must comply with the regulations in QCXDVN 05:2008/BXD.
For apartments without a balcony or loggia, at least one window must be
arranged on the outer wall of the house with a small opening hole size
(600×600 mm0 for emergency and rescue purposes.
Fences, balcony railings and loggias, including the height from the
floor to the underside of the door hole/window sill in the apartment
building, mixed-use apartment building must not be less than 1.4 m.
The system of standard documents of the Ministry of Construction on the
design and construction of apartments, high-rise buildings, safety
issues is quite complete, but in reality, there have been many tragic
incidents and accidents in recent years. especially with young children.
Thus, the safety protection from the loggias still needs the
consciousness of the people living here. In addition to the protection
by the safety net, many people believe that it is absolutely not
advisable to place and arrange objects outside the loggia, close to the
railing to avoid climbing of small children, avoiding unfortunate
accidents. /.
Thu Hang/VNA