SMRT staff killed by lack of safety procedures

Rail operator SMRT said that a safety procedure to bring oncoming trains to a stop when maintenance staff are crossing the trackway did not take place, a day after two young members of its staff were hit and killed by a train at Pasir Ris MRT station, The Straits Times reported.

In a press release on the 23^rd of March, SMRT said staff who are crossing the tracks must coordinate with a signal unit at the station for oncoming trains to be brought to a stop and to ensure that no trains enter the affected sector. 

"Our records do not show that this procedure took place," SMRT said of the incident. Releasing its findings from an ongoing investigation, the rail operator said that when the train captain saw Singaporeans Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, and Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, on the track, he applied the emergency brakes but was unable to prevent the accident.

"We take responsibility and apologise for the tragic accident. We express our deepest condolences to the families of Nasrulhudin and Muhammad Asyraf in their time of grief," the statement added.

SMRT said it has established a team to immediately evaluate all workplace safety procedures and has also instituted mandatory work-team level safety reviews.