Budget 2019 debate: New app for NSmen to report safety issues
A new app that allows National Servicemen to report workplace hazards and instantly share them with other servicemen will go on trial at naval bases from this month, said Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How on Friday (1 March).
Speaking during the Committee of Supply (COS) debate in Parliament, Heng revealed that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has been developing an app called SafeGuardian since 2018.
“So when you are in camp, and if you notice sharp wire fittings that could cause injury, you can take a photo of it using the app, and ‘SafeGuardian’ will inform relevant SAF safety officers so that action can be taken to remove the hazard,” said Heng.
“Your buddies nearby will also be informed via safety alerts to their mobile phones.”
SafeGuardian can also provide access to safety checklists on-the-go. These checklists are currently only available on terminals in camps. The app will be implemented in phases to the rest of the SAF as soon as possible.
Stressing that the SAF encourages “open reporting”, Heng added, “This means that any servicemen can, at any time, report near-misses or any risky behaviour and safety breaches. They know that they can do so without fear of penalty.”
Training safety in the SAF
Training safety in the SAF has come under close scrutiny following the death of local actor Aloysius Pang during a training exercise in New Zealand in January. Pang, 28, suffered crush injuries when he was unable to avoid a descending gun barrel while servicing a Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer (SSPH) at Waiouru Training Area.
Pang’s death was the fourth training-related fatality in the SAF in 16 months.
Following his death, top SAF commanders called for an army-wide safety timeout as well as a reduction in training tempo across the army, navy and the air force. They also announced the formation of an Inspector-General’s Office (IGO), which will have the power to conduct inspections and audits of safety processes and practices across the SAF.
A five-man Committee of Inquiry (COI) was also convened on 25 January to investigate the circumstances leading to Pang’s death.
Delivering a Ministerial Statement on Pang’s death earlier this month, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said, “We owe it to CFC (NS) Pang and his family, indeed to all Singaporeans, to get to the bottom of what happened, and make things right, to ensure the safety of the NS training system as a whole.”
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