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SINGAPORE – There has been a sharp increase in the number of reports of near misses, unsafe practices and hazards in the Singapore Armed Forces, but that is a good sign as it indicates a greater likelihood of better safety outcomes, said a senior official that reviews security in the army.
Between 2018 and last year, the number of these reports increased by 49 percent, the Defense Ministry (Mindef) said on Thursday (November 5).
These reports, which number in the thousands, were made through avenues such as a security hotline, designated security defenders in the units, or through the chain of command to superiors.
Heng Chiang Gnee, chairman of the second SAF External Review Panel on Safety (ERPSS), told reporters at a military event on Thursday: “I’ve seen the statistics, a 49% year-on-year increase is really good. So these are for me the main indicators. “
Such indicators could be actions or programs to be carried out and monitor how often they are being carried out, he said, adding that they are an alternative to looking only at safety results.
“For such metrics, the more you do it, the greater the likelihood of a better result. So these are things that we’ve tried to get the SAF to drive further.”
Among the recommendations of the first ERPSS, formed in 2013, were better open reporting avenues to validate security practices in the SAF and determine if they match best practices from industries and other armed forces.
Mr. Heng, a non-executive director of MMA Offshore oil and gas company with long experience in the health and safety field, was also a member of the first ERPSS. “We discovered then that more could be done in that area. So the SAF has taken this into account and promoted it with very good results.”
He was speaking with reporters during a visit to the Island Defense Training Institute at Camp Clementi to observe the training of national military personnel (NSmen) ready to operate for national security operations.
SAF training safety came into the spotlight last year, when NSman and actor Aloysius Pang died after being wounded while conducting a live shooting exercise in New Zealand.
Among the steps taken to improve security since then was the creation of the high-level Office of the Inspector General in February last year to review security practices at all levels.
The office, which reports to the Permanent Secretary of Mindef and the Chief of the Defense Force, draws on the experience of external security professionals, such as those on the panel headed by Heng.
He described health and safety management as “a move and a journey,” in which the more gaps that are identified, the more likely that improvements will be made more quickly.
He said that from his observations, the fundamentals are established in terms of ownership of this topic at the top level.
“The challenge for the military is to see what is the best way to carry that property down to the last man,” he said, adding that he has seen a lot of effort in the last three years.
Thursday’s visit is the ninth the panel has made to SAF units and exercises since it was convened in 2017.
Its functions include evaluating the SAF’s security management systems and providing feedback on best practices in the civil sector.
During the visit, they were informed about the SAF’s measures to improve the safety of training and strengthen the safety culture, as well as the improvements observed.
The third ERPSS will be convened in January next year.
The panel had nine members in 2017, but three more were added in 2018 after the role of the panel was expanded to participate and review the results of the Investigation Committees.
When asked for her observations on the SAF security system, panel member Kala Anandarajah said she now has a deep insight into how seriously the military takes security.
“Sometimes for a member of the public, for a parent, everything in and around SAF is shrouded in secrecy,” said law firm partner Rajah and Tann.
“But having been able to get in, what surprises me is that this is not an unsafe place. It is not going to be a risky environment where we send our children.”
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