KUALA LUMPUR: The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) warned that the fire that broke out in a housing area in Bangsar yesterday was a serious matter even though no lives were lost.
In a statement today, IEM president, Professor Dr Norlida Buniyamin said that the cause of the fire was suspected to be electrical wiring issues.
"IEM would like to strongly remind competent persons involved in the design of domestic electrical installations to strictly comply with MS 1979 (Electrical Installation of Buildings - Code of Practice) and MS IEC 60364 (International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) international standard on electrical installations of buildings).
"MS 1979 is a home-grown code of practice which stipulates the guides to design electrical installations in domestic buildings.
"IEM is currently actively involved in spearheading the project of revising and updating MS 1979 to maintain its relevance, taking into consideration the latest development in the electrical installations sector," read the statement.
Norlida said that MS IEC 60364 on the other hand was a national adoption of the IEC 60364 which is an international standard that specifies the rules for the design, erection, and verification of electrical installations including domestic installations.
She stressed that periodic inspection of the wiring system of a home was necessary to avoid any unwanted incidents.
"IEM also advocates for periodic inspection of the wiring system in the house to minimise the risk of hazards which may arise due to faulty wiring.
"In addition, the public is strongly encouraged to only purchase electrical equipment which are approved by Suruhanjaya Tenaga and the list can be accessible here: https://edik.st.gov.my/publicenquiry/search.aspx."
Norlida stressed that it was important to only purchase and use electrical equipment which complied with the specified minimum requirements risk of accidents such as fire and electric shock, which in turn could result in injuries or deaths to humans and or damage to properties.
"IEM will continue to work closely with various other stakeholders such as the Energy Commission (EC), the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), The Electrical and Electronics Association of Malaysia (TEEAM) and Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (Redha) to ensure that public safety is always prioritised.
"IEM reiterates that it is the duty of an engineer to hold paramount the safety, health and interest of the public at all times."