The recent SMRT lapse involving the falsification of records, and the fact that it had gone undetected for such a long time, show not only poor corporate culture but also, most importantly, the lack of measures to prevent such lapses.

I am baffled by the fact that in this day and age, the SMRT management has chosen to rely solely on paper to record submissions by its workers for work that has to be carried out - in particular, work in critical areas such as those controlling flood water.

The least that SMRT could have done was to install closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras in these areas so that workers can be monitored.

CCTV cameras would also help to detect illegal intrusions into important areas.

I agree that even organisations with the best corporate culture would not be able to completely eliminate the damage that can be caused by workers with low morale, poor attitude or complacency.

To prevent incidents such as the falsification of records by workers, the management needs always to stay one step ahead of the game.

Seah Yam Meng