Gazetted on Sept 10 and enforced on Sept 13, the CIDB (Amendment of Fourth Schedule) Order 2021 has updated the list of products and construction materials contained in the schedule to ensure they are in accordance with the latest standards.
These products include scaffolding, and the amendment will ensure that any scaffolding system used for either access of people or to support formwork for concrete is correctly tested and certified.
Each component would be marked with these details, checked when they arrive on a project site, and further tested and checked on an annual basis.
Bumiputera Contractors Association of Malaysia (PKBM) secretary-general Ahmed Zaharani Yusof Omar said that apart from boosting safety on construction sites, the scaffolding will be easier to install, dismantle and store.
“Industry players will have their grievances, but with the proper training and adaptation, this is the proper way forward,” he told FMT.
“When people see the benefit of new methods of doing things in time to come, like the industrialised building system (IBS), they will be more inclined to follow them, especially as they know they can save costs and increase their margins.”
The amendment is expected to benefit companies like Dscaff Industrial Services, an established industry player which has exported its scaffolding systems to Australia, South Africa, Indonesia and Ghana.
Dscaff director N Sunderaj explained that the quality and load bearing capacity of the frame scaffolding commonly seen on commercial construction sites vary because of differences in the grade and thickness of the steel used to manufacture them.
He said engineers cannot determine their safe working capacity, which has caused a “large number” of accidents over the years.
Dscaff produces scaffolding for the petroleum and industrial business sectors, and Sunderaj said the amendment will give the company the opportunity to take part in the commercial building sector as well.
“There are many types of scaffolding systems, and when correctly designed, manufactured, tested and maintained, will provide good service for many years,” he said.