The Army Safety Hotline has received just 13 calls since its February launch, and safety inspectors say that's a good sign
By David Boey
THE Army Safety Hotline has hardly been used since it was launched in February - only 13 soldiers have dialled in so far - but it has made an impact on troops, who are comforted that one phone call is all it takes to alert senior commanders to safety hazards.
The "load bearing" vest, for soldiers to carry items such as ammunition and hand grenades, is designed to be worn under the bullet-resistant vest. Both were displayed at the Army Safety Exhibition. The small number of calls is also good news for the army's safety inspectors, who say this indicates there are no alarming safety issues worrying soldiers.
The responses to the 24-hour hotline came from safety inspectors at the Ministry of Defence's General Staff Inspectorate (GSI).
The hotline was started as part of a concerted push to boost safety awareness in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) following three training-related deaths last year.
In addition to the main hotline, 15 army formations, which include combat arms such as Armour, Combat Engineers and Infantry, have introduced their own hotlines.
These hotlines, manned 24 hours a day, give soldiers direct access to their respective Formation Safety Officers.
Soldiers can use them to report safety breaches, bad practices that can lead to loss of life of injury, or hazards they encounter during training.
Once a call is made, a swift chain of events is kicked off. First, an investigation is launched, and this has to be reported to the unit's commanding officer and training officer within 24 hours.
Within three days of making his call, the soldier is told what action has or will be taken. Senior commanders in the unit are also notified of the report.
Army inspectors are also included in the loop so the safety information gleaned from investigations can be sent to other army units.
Lieutenant-Colonel Anson Lim, the GSI head, said the bulk of the 13 calls made so far to the army hotline came from soldiers who had safety enquiries. He did not give details of the calls.
The hotlines were one aspect of safety in the SAF showcased at an exhibition which opened yesterday.
The three-day event also highlighted other measures which resulted from a wide-ranging army audit conducted after three soldiers died during training last year.
The scope of the audit was huge. Investigators pored over 20,000 lesson plans and training safety regulations to re-assess safety aspects.
Some 80 per cent of the recommendations made after the audit have been adopted, and the rest will be implemented by September.
The GSI has also been beefed up with more safety inspectors, allowing it to conduct surprise safety checks twice a year, up from one surprise check a year.
The GSI will also audit every army unit about four times a year for operational issues.
Speaking at the launch of the Army Safety Exhibition yesterday, the Chief of Army, Major-General Desmond Kuek, reminded commanders of their responsibility to soldiers under their charge.
He also underscored the need for soldiers to 'nurture a culture of openness and receptivity towards training safety'.
Outlining why an open reporting culture is vital, Maj-Gen Kuek said: 'Professionalism means doing the right things and doing things right. It also means making clear what is right and wrong, instead of turning a blind eye or letting the matter pass to avoid undue attention or confrontation, or simply because of a lack of moral courage to point out what is not right.'
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BULLET-RESISTANT VEST ON TRIAL
NEW bullet-resistant vests, like the one shown above, will soon be standard issue for Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers.
They are designed to protect the chest, back and neck of soldiers from small-arms fire and shell fragments, and are now being tried out by several army units.
SAF personnel were first spotted using them in March when hundreds of soldiers were deployed to Pulau Tekong to round up three armed robbers who had fled to the island from Johor.
The vest was displayed yesterday at the Army Safety Exhibition, along with another that is supposed to be 'load bearing'.
This second one has numerous pockets, like the vests worn by photographers to carry their lenses and film, for soldiers to carry items such as ammunition for their guns and hand grenades.
The vest, which is supposed to be worn beneath the bullet-resistant one, will allow the army to phase out the belts, pouches and straps soldiers now use to tote their equipment.
The Singapore Army said yesterday that the vests are part of wider efforts to improve safety in the field.
