SINGAPORE — To boost safety in the military, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will implement a “think-check-do” drill before any maintenance tasks.

It will also be mandatory for all servicemen to undergo an annual safety awareness test previously meant only for commanders and trainers.

These are among the raft of safety measures to “strengthen personal ownership of safety and enhance safety” when it comes to maintenance-related training or tasks, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in Parliament on Monday (May 6).

This comes after a Committee of Inquiry (COI) found that safety breaches had resulted in the death of 28-year-old actor Aloysius Pang in January. He was crushed by a howitzer’s gun barrel during maintenance work while on an overseas reservist training. 

The safety measures were proposed by the committee as well as the External Review Panel on Singapore Armed Forces Safety (ERPSS), which was tasked to review safety procedures.

Dr Ng said as he presented the COI’s findings to the House on Monday: “We need a strong SAF that can defend Singapore, but it must and can be built up without compromising the safety and well-being of our national servicemen. 

“The SAF is committed to continue strengthening its safety systems at all levels and down to our soldiers, aircrew and sailors.”

WHAT THE MEASURES ARE

• A “think-check-do” drill will be conducted before any maintenance tasks are carried out. As part of it, technicians will plan and brief all personnel of their expected roles and tasks. There will be a dry run of team-based maintenance tasks to ensure “tight integration”. While doing the drill, servicemen will carry out emergency procedures, which include knowing the positions of emergency stop buttons.

• Bold markings will be made on platforms to remind servicemen of the safe and hazardous areas.

• There will be “safety advocates” appointed in the units to emphasise safety and conduct checks. No details were provided on who they could be and their roles.

• All soldiers will be required to take an annual safety awareness test, which commanders and trainers now undergo.

• National servicemen will be actively involved in safety reviews where they can give feedback on safety matters before, during and after each training activity.

• Medical officers will have to undergo refresher training on heli-evacuation processes before they are deployed overseas to provide medical support. New initiatives will also be explored to give them more exposure to acute trauma care.

A STRONG SAFETY CULTURE

Dr Ng said that the SAF Inspector-General’s Office, which was set up in end-February, will see to it that the measures proposed by both the COI and ERPSS will be implemented.

The Inspector-General’s Office, he noted, has identified the need for the SAF to improve in three areas: Commanders’ emphasis on safety, safety as a mission outcome and team safety culture.

“Our commanders need to build a strong culture of team safety, where soldiers take responsibility for their own safety, look out for their buddies and keep each other safe during all training and mixed crew activities,” Dr Ng said.

“These behaviours must be ingrained into every soldier, sailor and airman so that safety rules are observed all the time.”

MORE REPETITIVE REMINDERS, TRAINING 

Separately on Monday, Mr Heng Chiang Gnee, chairman of ERPSS, said in an interview that education, training and retraining will be a big challenge for the army, which has more than 250,000 soldiers in active service and also reserve service over a 10-year training cycle.

He added that unlike the commercial sector, the nature of National Service means that SAF has a “transient” workforce and it is harder to build up a new culture.

For this reason, it becomes all the more important to place an emphasis on the retention of knowledge.

Mr Heng, who was chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Council from April 2016 to March last year, said: “If there are some areas that are more complex, then more repetitive reminders or training ought to take place. This happens in the commercial sector as well.”

If these suggestions are followed, Mr Heng said that there will be improvements in SAF's safety culture. “This has been proven out there (in the commercial sector).”

Mr Heng, who is also director of marine service provider MMA Offshore, added that the army needs to look not just at safety during training but also safety during maintenance work. It also needs to consider “cross-trade” involvement during field exercises, where operators work together with technicians.

“Because of the different vocations and priorities, you may end up in a situation where things become riskier. Hence there is a need to see how best to manage cross-trades working together.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LOW YOUJIN