Large Concrete Slab Allegedly Dropped from Ceiling in HDB Flat Toilet

Imagine you’re just going about your day, about to wash the toilet, when all of a sudden, a huge chunk of the ceiling just breaks off and smashes into the toilet bowl.

You might think that it’s something that will only happen in the movies because of how unbelievable it is, but unfortunately for this family, this really happened, and the domestic worker who was about to clean the toilet could have been injured real bad.

The Ceiling Just Cracks & Smashes Into The Toilet Bowl

Mr Alan Fu is a 55-year-old IT manager, and his 90-year-old father lives in a three-room Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat located in the east of Toa Payoh town.

On Wednesday, Mr Fu received a text message from his domestic helper at around 5pm, and what he read made him panic.

At that time, he was at the foot of the public housing block, and immediately rushed to his father’s home to see what the situation was.

He said, “She sent me the photos… I came up and I took a look at it. It was terrible.”

What photo, you ask.

This.

Upon seeing this sight, he could only guess that the slab weighed at least 10kg, and it measured about 50cm in length.

And look at the amount of debris around the toilet bowl. It definitely would have been so dangerous if his domestic helper had already started cleaning the toilet bowl.

Mr Fu is currently working together with HDB to fix the ceiling, and this will be paid for by both parties.

However, seeing as to how this happened, it made him question how many flat owners actually knew that they had the responsibility to ensure that these kinds of things don’t happen – they’re supposed to check on spalling concrete by themselves?

According to HDB’s official website, they have actually cited spalling concrete as a common issue especially for older buildings.

It is said that “it is largely caused by carbonation, a natural deterioration process. This causes the steel bars embedded in the ceiling slab to corrode, which in turn causes the concrete cover to crack and bulge. As the owner, you are responsible for the repair of any spalling concrete in your flat.”

Uhh… Do you actually know about this? 

While it is true that all owners should take responsibility over something in their own flat and ensuring that it is safe to live in, Mr Fu said that if the owner is old like his father, they may not be able to carry out the checks themselves or may not even be aware of such a thing.

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Mr Fu also added that he does not live with his father, and only his 30-year-old nephew does, but he was at work when the incident happened.

Talked To Town Council & HDB

After the incident, Mr Fu immediately called the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council for assistance, but they referred him to HDB instead.

A Member of Parliament for the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency (GRC), Mr Chong Kee Hiong, explained the reason why Mr Fu was referred to HDB.

Since the incident happened in a resident’s home, it is by default under HDB’s charge. Only areas outside the flat like common areas are under the town council’s charge.

He said, “Even though (such cases) are not under the town council’s purview, what we usually do is activate and liaise with HDB for the resident to make sure HDB follows up.”

Mr Fu revealed that a team from the town council’s Essential Maintenance Service Unit (EMSU) came to the house to inspect the damage at around 8pm instead of HDB because they were unable to make it. HDB staff members came the next day at 10am instead.

He also added that arrangements for the repair have already been made, and he was offered a “goodwill” price in which he will only have to pay for half of the repairs while HDB pays for the rest.

As of now, he still does not know how much he has to pay exactly, but he believes that it will be “a few hundred” dollars.

Using Public Toilet

According to Mr Fu, no one in the three-room flat will be moving out during the time when the repairs are being done. He believes that the repairs will be done within three days.

Thankfully, the flat’s bathroom is in a separate cubicle. This means that the family will have no issues with showering, however, they would have to use a public toilet nearby for the time being.

When asked to comment further about the incident, Mr Fu described it as “worrying and scary”, and that he initially wasn’t sure whose responsibility it was to fix the ceiling.

He said, “I wasn’t aware of it… How many other households may face this problem?”

Spalling Concrete

According to HDB’s official website, they list spalling concrete as a surface maintenance problem that happens in reinforced concrete structures. It is also noted that the structural integrity of the building will not have any impacts if the spalling concrete is attended to immediately.

So if you’re wondering how to prevent spalling concrete, here are some tips that HDB offered.

• Paint your ceilings regularly because paint helps to protect your ceiling and prevent carbonation.
• Check and seal holes or cracks in your ceilings properly and regularly. Doing so immediately helps ensure that there will not be any moisture and carbon dioxide entering the concrete.
• Ensure that there is enough ventilation because this will slow down carbonation.

In other words, take good care of your house lah.