More reports of hazards, near misses, unsafe practices in SAF
But sharp increase shows greater likelihood of better safety outcomes, says review panel head
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Operationally ready national servicemen from the 906th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment, undergoing baton drills training at Clementi Camp yesterday to prepare for homeland security operations. The External Review Panel on SAF Safety visited the camp on the same day to observe training.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
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There has been a sharp rise in the number of reports of near misses, unsafe practices and hazards in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), but that is a good sign as it indicates a greater likelihood of better safety outcomes, said a top official who reviews safety in the military.
Between 2018 and last year, the number of these reports went up by 49 per cent, said the Ministry of Defence yesterday.
These reports, which number in the thousands, were made through such avenues as a safety hotline, appointed safety advocates in units and through the chain of command to superiors.
Mr Heng Chiang Gnee, chairman of the second External Review Panel on SAF Safety (ERPSS), told reporters at a military event yesterday: "I have seen the statistics, an increase year on year of 49 per cent is really good. So these are to me leading indicators."
Such indicators could be actions or programmes that ought to be done, and monitored on the frequency with which they are taking place, he said, adding that they are an alternative to looking at safety outcomes alone.
"For such indicators, the more you do it, the greater likelihood of a better outcome. So these are things that we have tried to get the SAF to push more."
Better open reporting avenues were among the recommendations of the first ERPSS, formed in 2013 to validate safety practices in the SAF and to determine if they match up with best practices of industries and other armed forces.
Mr Heng, a non-executive director at oil and gas company MMA Offshore with long experience in the field of health and safety, was also a member of the first ERPSS. "We found then that more could be done in that area. So the SAF has taken it on board, and has pushed that with very good outcomes."
He was speaking to reporters during a visit to the Island Defence Training Institute in Clementi Camp to observe operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) training for homeland security operations.
Training safety in the SAF came under the spotlight last year, when NSman and actor Aloysius Pang died after being injured while on a live firing exercise in New Zealand.
The measures taken since to boost safety include setting up the high-level Inspector-General's Office in February last year to scrutinise safety practices at all levels.
The office taps the expertise of external safety professionals, like those on the panel Mr Heng heads.
He described health and safety management as "a movement and a journey", in which the more gaps are identified, the more likely improvements can be made faster.
He said that from his observations, the fundamentals are in place, in terms of ownership of this issue at the top level.
"The challenge for the army is to see how best they can bring that ownership right down to the last man," he said, adding that a lot of effort has been put in over the last three years.
Yesterday's visit is the ninth the panel has made to SAF units and exercises since it was convened in 2017. Among its roles is to assess the SAF's safety management systems and give feedback on best practices from the civilian sector.
The third ERPSS will be convened in January.
Asked for her views, panel member Kala Anandarajah said she now has deep insight into how seriously the army takes safety.
"What strikes me is that this is not an unsafe place. This is not going to be a risky environment that we send our sons to."
