The Finnish Accident Investigation Board (OTKES) issued an accident threat notification on 21.5 May regarding cement fiber boards for balcony railings, which act as fall protection. Tests conducted by OTKES confirmed that cement fiber boards are not suitable for fall protection or to prevent falls.
The investigation is related to a fall accident that occurred on 17 September 2025 in Hietalahti, Helsinki, where a person died after falling through a cement fiberboard on the balcony railing of a residential apartment building. According to the Safety Investigation Act, the Accident Investigation Board must notify the relevant authority if defects or deficiencies are discovered during the safety investigation, which the authority must urgently correct in order to prevent further accidents.
The Finnish Accident Investigation Board has therefore issued an accident threat notification regarding the balcony slab structure to the Ministry of the Environment and the City of Helsinki (building control). The Finnish Accident Investigation Board urges the supervising authorities to take supervisory measures to promote balcony safety. In addition, the accident threat notification will be sent as a public notification to the municipal and city building control authorities and housing associations in general.
Fiber cement boards have not been used much in new construction since 2012, when the Eurocode that came into force at that time set requirements for the board's bending strength and weather resistance. In addition to the board itself, the span of the board's support structure and the method of fastening the board are also important. In terms of renovation construction, there have been projects after 2012 as well, if the fiber cement boards have been renewed with corresponding boards. In this case, attention has had to be paid to the design solution to meet the updated requirements.
The Finnish Facade Association (JSY) has made instructions for inspecting balcony railings clad with fiber cement boards, which can be found at here..
According to the guidelines, a special risk combination arises if:
- has been installing panels for over 15 years
- the panel is attached only with glazing beads
- the plate is mounted on only one side of the frame and the frame gap is large enough for a fall
- the fastener spacing is more than 300 mm
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Jani Kemppainen
Manager, Technical Regulations and Legislation and Quality
jani.kemppainen@rt.fi +358 40 541 8090Building Construction Industry Association