SINGAPORE - The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will
strengthen training safety in the light of lapses leading to the
deaths of two full-time national servicemen this year.
In both cases, the respective Committees of Inquiry
(COIs) uncovered breaches of training safety regulations in the
events leading to their deaths, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in
Parliament yesterday.
Private Dominique Sarron Lee, 21, died on April 17
after he experienced breathing difficulties during a training
exercise at the Murai Urban Training Facility in Lim Chu Kang. On
May 11, Third Sergeant (3SG) Tan Mou Sheng, 20, died after the jeep
he was in overturned in the Marsiling training area.
"These two deaths could have been avoided if safety
instructions had been followed," Dr Ng said.
Seven servicemen - including a training school's
commanding officer - have been relieved of their duties over their
involvement in the incidents. They have been redeployed to
assignments where they will not supervise soldiers in training or
operations, and may face general courts martial as well as
prosecution in the civil courts, Dr Ng added.
He announced that the SAF will make "three key
systemic changes" across the whole organisation: First, more safety
officers will be deployed on the ground. Their primary role will be
to ensure that safety measures are followed.
Second, an Army Safety Review Board chaired by a
senior civil servant has been set up outside of the Ministry of
Defence. It will review the army's overall safety structure,
processes and culture.
Third, an SAF Inspectorate will be set up to oversee
the entire SAF. It will promulgate best practices and ensure that
safety-related policies are sound and up to date. The Inspectorate
will report directly to the Chief of Defence Force.
Citing inquiry findings, Dr Ng said Pte Lee had an
"acute allergic reaction" after inhaling fumes from zinc chloride,
a primary component used in smoke grenades.
He said the zinc-chloride smoke grenades have been
used by the SAF since the 1970s, and Pte Lee's death - due directly
to zinc-chloride inhalation - was the first in SAF's
records.
Dr Ng said SAF has suspended the use of all smoke
grenades with zinc chloride in training, and is looking for
alternatives.
In 3SG Tan's case, the COI found that the jeep
driver, 3SG Cavin Tan, was not licensed to drive the vehicle. The
deceased, along with another rear passenger, were not wearing
helmets or lap belts at the time of the accident. SAF has since
made it mandatory for drivers to display their licences on the
dashboards of vehicles.
The Combat Intelligence School, where the deceased
was an instructor, was found to have a weak safety culture, with
previous cases of unlicensed driving. The school's
vehicular-management system has been tightened and SAF has checked
other units as well, he said.
Source:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20121115-383471.html
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Some of my friends have boyfriends/husbands in the
army. And I quote one of their saying, "Dear SAF, we sent our
boys to you and you once again place their lives in
danger."
Am I wrong to not have much feelings when I saw news
reports of our soldiers dead when they are on duty? But in my
opinion, I find that there will always be a certain level of risk
in any job taken. Perhaps it's because I do not have my own
children yet.
However, I do believe should *touchwood* situations
happen, we as direct family members, should and definitely must
receive some form of compensation. To me, the SAF must not be
unfeeling or unmoved at all. And of course, they should do their
best at ensuring the safety level. There should not be tardy job
done at this.