Use of Steel Supplied by Company that Falsified Data
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Chong Kee Hiong’s inquiry into whether materials from Kobe Steel were used in local infrastructure projects following the company's data-falsification admission and the subsequent safety rectifications. Second Minister for National Development Mr Desmond Lee stated that investigations confirmed no structural steel from Kobe Steel has been imported into Singapore to date. He explained that all structural steel must comply with building standards, requiring materials to be tested by accredited laboratories for properties like tensile strength and weld quality. Qualified Persons and site supervisors are responsible for ensuring materials meet design specifications and keeping test certificates available for Building and Construction Authority (BCA) audits. Finally, BCA remains vigilant by conducting site audits to ensure that all building regulations are strictly adhered to by the involved parties.
Transcript
18 Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked the Minister for National Development regarding our infrastructural projects under construction (a) whether any of the materials used in our infrastructure projects have been sourced from Kobe Steel which had admitted to data-falsification; and (b) if so, what rectifications are being made to ensure the safety of these projects.
The Second Minister for National Development (Mr Desmond Lee) (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, of the products that Kobe Steel supplies, only structural steel is an important construction material for infrastructure projects. BCA has checked with the major steel stockists and fabricators in Singapore and determined that no structural steel from Kobe Steel was imported into Singapore to date. But BCA will continue to remain vigilant and to carry out checks.
Structural steel used by projects in Singapore has to comply with the requirements in our building standards. This includes having project parties carry out tests to ensure that the structural steel conforms to standards.
For instance, during the construction phase, Qualified Persons (QPs) and site supervisors must ensure that building materials used, like structural steel and concrete used for structural elements, have been tested by accredited laboratories and meet required standards and design specifications.
For example, steel bars used in reinforced concrete are tested for tensile strength and tests are carried out to assess the weld quality of steel connections. QPs are required to maintain the test certificates for audits by BCA. BCA also conducts site audits of projects under construction to check that building regulations are adhered to and that all parties carry out their duties as required.