Serious Donald Low: SAF KPIs main contributory cause of deaths

[Confuseous]

It wasn’t the exercises that led to accidents that were appalling to Mr Low, it was the “casual and lackadaisical attitude the commanders took to the risks faced by the bikers. If one fell, the presumption was that the guy was an incompetent biker and that it was his own fault. And nobody, not even the bikers themselves, questioned this.”

The irony was that most of those who wanted to be bikers were denied the post while those who had no previous experience were given the job.
He experienced the same thing when he was a reservist soldier in the late 2000s and was asked to ride a motorbike even though he had not ridden one in almost 10 years. After trying to inform his unit of his lack of practice, they just brushed this aside and told him that he will have some orientation rides to review. Knowing that this was a common response from a SAF officer, Mr. Low arranged to be downgraded instead since he already had worn-out knees.

According to him, “it seems like the SAF would rather lose a combat fit soldier for good than excuse that person from riding a bike. But such dysfunctions are hardly uncommon in large organisations.” Hierarchy based organizations like the SAF cannot make micro-decision most of the time, but it is every soldier that make up the unit, therefore, a safety culture must still be embedded.

More here....http://theindependent.sg/donald-low...-culture-in-relation-to-aloysius-pangs-death/

 

[Leongsam]

I don't know who the commanders were in Aloysius case but if they are career officers they are just as much victims as the reservists.

During the tail end of my reservist liabilities this "safety culture" started to replace "discipline" as the guiding principle when it came to training.

Every time I organised physical activity a handful of lao peng would report sick. In the old days I would have kicked their butts and told them that if they did not go for the run they'd have to spend the weekend in camp doing area cleaning instead.

However with safety being paramount I just left it to whoever wanted to report sick to go for it.

By the end of the in camp there was hardly anyone left who wasn't attend B or worse.

I couldn't give a shit because I too was a reservist and the fact that my platoon was pretty much dysfunctional as a fighting unit had zero consequences for me,

However I would have struggled to handle this situation had I been a regular officer. I feel sorry for the regulars. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

[nayr69sg]

Yup. As the medical officer I get to see all these people reporting sick.

SAF changed its policy on report sick because there were some cases of soldiers so scared to report sick they train till die.

So they said ok no more controlling report sick. Let the MO handle.

Yeah MO handle means what ar?

The thing is we doctors are not trained to disbelieve what a patient says. We believe everything they say. To do otherwise would be unprofessional and malpractice. So all go home with MC lah.

Of course you have young doctors blur blur easy to con them make them think it is ok to disbelieve soldiers symptoms until they kena.....

Fuck SAF lah.

 

[A Singaporean]

Time fo a national conversation on abolishing NS.

 

[Leongsam]

Time fo a national conversation on abolishing NS.

I think rather than abolish NS a conversation should be started about girls doing their part too.

 

[Bacccarat]

I think rather than abolish NS a conversation should be started about girls doing their part too.

.

 

[Bacccarat]

 

[Bacccarat]

.

 

[steffychun]

Girls should also be caned in schools and for punishments as well.

 

[mojito]

I think rather than abolish NS a conversation should be started about girls doing their part too.

Our scholar generals are such big fans of Sun Tzu that training girls to hold guns should be no problem at all.

Also some pretty girl crushed into a mangled mess would really drive home the point about the importance of NS.

 

[steffychun]

Anything PAP is full of KPIs.

 

[borom]

Safety not only means machines designed to minimise accidents/procedures to prevent accidents but also choosing the right person with the right aptitude/skills for the job and enough time to train and prepare for a mission/task.
The best example would be during my NS when I was asked to be the Platoon Sgt to teach drill--when it is the part of NS I hated most. I would rather go running or even charge up a hill than to be a walking robot and yet nobody asked me whether I like the appointment.
Trainees are often tired from lack of sleep and then expected to perform certain task after just 1 lecture. Adequate time should be allocated to make sure trainees fully understand what they are taught and have sufficient practise-otherwise accidents will arise, Same thing for reservist who have forgotten about what they have learned in NS during civilian life

 

[rushifa666]

Kowtow low suddenly very vocal after he was asked to leave lol

 

[Charlie99]

Yup. As the medical officer I get to see all these people reporting sick.

SAF changed its policy on report sick because there were some cases of soldiers so scared to report sick they train till die.

So they said ok no more controlling report sick. Let the MO handle.

Yeah MO handle means what ar?

The thing is we doctors are not trained to disbelieve what a patient says. We believe everything they say. To do otherwise would be unprofessional and malpractice. So all go home with MC lah.

Of course you have young doctors blur blur easy to con them make them think it is ok to disbelieve soldiers symptoms until they kena.....

Fuck SAF lah.

During my time serving NS, more so during training at SAFTI, almost every individual dare not report sick, for fear of the punishment.
I did not report sick at all.

 

[rushifa666]

During my time serving NS, more so during training at SAFTI, almost every individual dare not report sick, for fear of the punishment.
I did not report sick at all.

I had a better guy who just was on home mc and disappeared. Smart man

 

[IndoMee]

It wasn’t the exercises that led to accidents that were appalling to Mr Low, it was the “casual and lackadaisical attitude the commanders took to the risks faced by the bikers. If one fell, the presumption was that the guy was an incompetent biker and that it was his own fault. And nobody, not even the bikers themselves, questioned this.”

The irony was that most of those who wanted to be bikers were denied the post while those who had no previous experience were given the job.
He experienced the same thing when he was a reservist soldier in the late 2000s and was asked to ride a motorbike even though he had not ridden one in almost 10 years. After trying to inform his unit of his lack of practice, they just brushed this aside and told him that he will have some orientation rides to review. Knowing that this was a common response from a SAF officer, Mr. Low arranged to be downgraded instead since he already had worn-out knees.

According to him, “it seems like the SAF would rather lose a combat fit soldier for good than excuse that person from riding a bike. But such dysfunctions are hardly uncommon in large organisations.” Hierarchy based organizations like the SAF cannot make micro-decision most of the time, but it is every soldier that make up the unit, therefore, a safety culture must still be embedded.

More here....http://theindependent.sg/donald-low...-culture-in-relation-to-aloysius-pangs-death/

I'm curious about the so called "refresher course" that Aloysius Pang was given prior to his deployment. Can a refresher course be enough to prepare a reservist soldier to maintain a complex piece of machinery during a high key live firing exercise ??