As the Ministerial Regulation No. 47 B.E. 2540 (1997) issued by the virtue of the Building Control Act B.E. 2522 (1979) (“Ministerial Regulation No.47”) specifying the rules, procedures and conditions giving power to the local authority to order the owner or occupier of the building to alter or fix the fire safety system of the building which has been enforced for several years ago and that some provisions are not suitable under the current situation, therefore, the Ministry of Interior then proposed the draft Ministerial Regulation Prescribing Rules, Procedures and Conditions in regard to Alteration of the Building Having Conditions or Usage which May cause Danger to Health, Life, Body or Property or May not Be Safe from Fire or Cause Nuisance or Cause-Effect to the Sustainability of Environmental B.E. …. (“Draft Ministerial Regulation”) to the Cabinet for its approval.
The significant changes in the Draft Ministerial Regulation are as details below
- Some types of building such as a public assembly building, condominium and dormitory are added as one of the types of building under this Draft Ministerial Regulation which the local authority is empowered to order the owner or occupier of such types of building to alter its building in case that such building is under the condition or usage which may not be safe from fire and that cause-effect to health, life, body and assets of people.
- The local authority is empowered to order the owner or occupier of building to alter or fix its building in accordance with its types of building such as
- The building having at least 4 stories or extra-large building having at least 2 stories shall install a proper fire escape which is not in a vertical shape in addition to the main stair at every floor of the building. Before installing such fire escape, the installation plan has to be approved by the local authority.
- The high building, extra-large building and public assembly building shall install a fire alarm system in a shape specified in the Ministerial Regulation in every floor of the building.
- To install the reserved light system for being able to see walkway during the fire and install clear floor number and exit sign both inside and outside fire exit door in every floor.
- The owner and occupier of the old building have to file a result of inspection of the building’s fire safety system under the conditions specified in the Draft Ministerial Regulation. In case that the result of such inspection of the building not in line according to the Draft Ministerial Regulation, such building will be considered as unsafe building from fire. Therefore, such building has to be altered under the approved plan and such alteration has to be finished within 1 year from the effective date of this Draft Ministerial Regulation.
The Draft Ministerial Regulation was approved in principle by the Cabinet on 28 August 2018 and will be then submitted to the Office of Council of State for consideration and revision. Then, such Draft Ministerial Regulation will be returned to the Cabinet for its final approval and published in the Government Gazette for its enforcement.
Author: Panisa Suwanmatajarn and Onnicha Khongthon