Shanghai launches tall building safety inspections ahead of typhoon season

As typhoon season approaches, Shanghai has launched a citywide inspection on the potential peril of falling objects. As of Wednesday, the city had completed inspections in 9,151 communities involving about 223,000 buildings, said the Shanghai Municipal Housing and Construction Committee.

Although the exact number of "falling object" injuries in the city or across the country is difficult to determine, objects falling from above and striking people below have become an increasing cause of injuries and fatalities in cities where high-rise buildings are prevalent.

Shanghai is a peculiar example, home to more than 47,500 buildings taller than eight stories, among which more than 1,700 are over 30 stories. The city also is home to more than 330,000 elevated outdoor billboards. The installation of air conditioners, clotheslines and poles usually attached to buildings' exteriors also poses a serious peril as they can come loose and fall.

The municipal government has launched a day-to-day inspection mechanism to detect such hidden dangers across the city and set up an emergency instruction center on property management and related apps to oversee the issue.

The city's housing construction and management authority has required property management companies to make daily inspections of the properties they manage. Daily inspection ranges from the exterior walls of houses, glass walls, windows, air conditioners, clotheslines and poles, and any other elevated objects found outside buildings.

A three-year plan has been formulated for the rectification of additional facilities. Shanghai also will build a falling object emergency response system to clarify responsibility of any stake holders and strive to eliminate potential safety hazards from the source.

Chen Yiqun contributed to this story.