Singapore Armed Forces to enforce safety practices.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will set up an Inspector-General’s Office to ensure “command emphasis on safety is consistently applied” across all units, said the Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General (LG) Melvyn Ong on 31 January, as reported on YahooNewsSingapore.

Terrex AV-82 ICV of the Singapore Armd Forces  (Picture source: mothership.sg)

The office will have the full authority to scrutinise and enforce safety processes and practices at all levels of the SAF, Lt.Gen. Melvyn Ong added, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defence (Mindef). Ong was speaking at a “command call” held at Pasir Laba Camp on 31 January, where he met with 750 active and operationally-ready National Service (NS) commanders to share plans on how to make training safer for servicemen.

Speaking to the media after the command call, Maj.Gen. Goh also shared that the army will expand the number of safety inspection teams and full-time safety officers to conduct checks and audits on the safety systems across the units. This will be part of the army’s efforts to strengthen safety management structures on the ground, he said. A safety time-out that was put in place after the death of Corporal First Class (National Service) and late actor Aloysius Pang will be lifted progressively after next Thursday, Maj.Gen. Goh added.

In the Mindef-issued statement, Lt.Gen. Ong called for all servicemen to adopt a “zero accident” mindset, and to go about their daily tasks with alertness and mindfulness to “do things right the first time, every time”. “Safety is a command responsibility. Commanders answer for the training and safety of their men. To do so, commanders have to be fully committed and personally and intimately involved in their unit’s training, operations, and safety,” said Lt.Gen. Ong.