The second External Review Panel on SAF Safety (ERPSS), comprising relevant experts from the government, industry and professional sectors, was inaugurated in July 2017 for three years to continue reviewing the SAF's safety systems.

The new Panel made its first field visit today to the Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC). Chairman ERPSS, Mr Heng Chiang Gnee, who is also the Chairman of Singapore's Workplace Safety and Health Council, said that the visit had provided the Panel with useful insights into the safety governance, processes and culture in BMTC. "It is clear that the Army has put in much effort to ensure that young recruits are properly looked after as they transition from civilian to military life", said Mr Heng.

The Ministry of Defence's Director of Safety and Systems Review, Brigadier-General (Ret) Wong Huat Sern, said that such visits were necessary to give the Panel a first-hand view of how safety is managed on the ground. "I am confident that the Panel, which includes several leading workplace safety and health experts, will provide us many useful ideas on how to improve our safety practices," he said.

ERPSS' will next visit the Armour Formation, the SAF Medical Corps and the Air Force Training Command over the next 12 months.

The first ERPSS, which stepped down earlier this year, was convened in October 2013. The Panel conducted 14 visits to SAF formations, units and exercises, observing and recommending numerous improvements to the SAF's safety management systems during its three-year tenure.