Ceiling panel collapse: Loose hooks likely cause

NST: SUNGAI PETANI: The collapsed ceiling panels at the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital might have been caused by hooks holding the aluminium supports getting dislodged.
This is one possibility being investigated to determine the reasons why more than 20 ceiling panels came crashing down in three areas at the RM450 million hospital on Saturday and Sunday.
State Works Committee chairman Datuk Nawawi Ahmad said another possible reason was that too few hooks had been used to hold the aluminium supports.
"We are still investigating the causes but these are the preliminary findings of the state Public Works Department," he said yesterday when commenting on the incidents at the hospital, which opened last December.
On Saturday, 12 ceiling panels, each measuring about 0.6m by 1.4m, fell in the men’s ward. However, no one was injured. Later that day, eight panels collapsed in the pantry of the children’s nursery and intensive care unit, slightly injuring a doctor.
On Sunday, another eight panels collapsed along the corridor near the lobby on the ground floor, but no one was injured.
Nawawi said state PWD engineers found that some of the hooks, bolted to the concrete beams, had been dislodged.
"The aluminium supports could not sustain the weight of the ceiling panels, which led to its collapse.
"We believe this incident could have been prevented if more hooks were used to hold the supports."
Nawawi said the contractor responsible had carried out repairs and was also instructed to check on all ceilings supporting structures.
"I have also instructed the contractor of the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Star to carry out similar checks before it is opened later this year."
The joint contractors of the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, Bina Darulaman Bhd and TH Universal Builders Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Tabung Haji, could not be reached for comments.