During the Committee of Supply Debate 2013, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced that a Safety and Systems Review Directorate (SSRD) would be formed to oversee the conduct of safety and systems reviews for MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Since then, SSRD has set up its first external review panel, the External Review Panel on SAF Safety (ERPSS), to review various aspects of SAF safety over its three-year tenure. The review will include a series of visits to Army, Navy and Air Force units to assess the SAF’s safety practices and recommend improvements.

ERPSS made its first working visit today, to the Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC). The Panel includes experts from the government, industry and professional sectors. Director SSRD Brigadier-General (Ret) Wong Huat Sern said that such visits would allow the Panel to get a first-hand view how safety is managed on the ground and is confident that they will have many useful ideas on how the SAF can improve its safety practices.

After the visit, CEO Singapore Press Holdings Ltd and ERPSS Chairman, Mr Alan Chan, said that the SAF had already in place, a robust safety system and that the visit had provided the Panel with useful insights into the safety governance, processes and culture in BMTC. "We were particularly pleased to be able to speak directly to the recruits after watching them participate in a live grenade-throwing exercise. This helped us gain a better appreciation of what they were going through and how they viewed safety", said Mr Chan.

ERPSS' next visit will be to the Officer Cadet School in January 2014.