SBS Transit Hosts Inaugural Safety Symposium to Promote Workplace Safety for Public Transport Industry
About four months into the job, 34-year-old Traffic Controller Razif Bin Latif is excited to be among the first batch of employees to be trained on handling track incidents using the Mixed Reality (MR) Driving Simulator.
Designed with an immersive virtual environment, the system offers him a safe yet realistic opportunity to practise navigating various track scenarios on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT. Trained to anticipate and identify hazards on the tracks, it will importantly hone his ability to respond promptly and appropriately by applying the relevant emergency protocols. Integrated with eye-tracking technology, the simulator will also enable his instructors to provide specific feedback to develop and strengthen his competency.
Technology is also employed to help monitor fatigue in Bus Captains where it is important to be vigilant and alert while driving on the road. A fatigue monitoring system known as "Golden Eye" has the capability to detect a Bus Captain's lack of focus on the road by sending audio visual alerts to him/her in the driver's cabin. Uniquely, it sends haptic alerts, which causes the Bus Captain’s seat to vibrate to draw his or her attention. By end 2024, close to a third of our fleet will be installed with this system, up from the current 7%.
These technologies were among several innovative solutions showcased at SBS Transit's inaugural Safety Symposium aimed at promoting a safer work environment in the public transport industry (please see Annex for details of the exhibits).
Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and Ministry of Transport, graced the Symposium as the Guest-of-Honour and delivered a speech emphasising the pivotal role of technology and partnerships in fostering workplace safety. Local and international land transport operators including Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation and ComfortDelGro Australia, industry experts and stakeholders also convened to exchange knowledge and learnings towards elevating safety standards.
At the Symposium, SBS Transit forged new partnerships through the signing of Memoranda of Understanding with five organisations to jointly develop solutions or initiatives to enhance workplace safety and health:
- ST Engineering Mobility Services: Collaboration to improve road safety by developing and implementing an all-round blind spot detection system;
- KABAM Robotics: Collaboration to develop a robot with safety, security and cleaning capabilities;
- TNT Surveillance: Collaboration to develop and implement safe driving technologies and solutions for SBS Transit’s bus fleet;
- Ipsotek: Collaboration to enhance workplace safety and security through AI and video analytics technologies; and
- Workplace Safety and Health Council: Collaboration to enhance workplace safety and health among SBS Transit employees and business partners.
Mr Jeffrey Sim, Group CEO of SBS Transit said: “At SBS Transit, we take the safety and well-being of our employees, partners and passengers as key priorities. We are committed to strengthening our safety culture, exploring new technologies and innovating new programmes to further elevate safety standards at the workplace and also provide safe and delightful journeys for our passengers.”