SINGAPORE, 28 October 2024 – Aligned with the theme of this year’s Public Transport Workers’ Appreciation (PTWA) – Health and Mental Wellness – SMRT Corporation (SMRT) and Changi General Hospital (CGH) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) as part of their continued commitment to enhance the occupational health and safety of SMRT employees.

The collaboration will see medical professionals from CGH work with SMRT on a range of employee well-being objectives, particularly for a maturing workforce, based on CGH’s expertise in occupational medicine. This includes conducting research to identify occupational health risks and implementing intervention initiatives focused on workplace injury prevention, mental health, chronic disease management, and wellness, among other efforts.

Mr Ngien Hoon Ping, Group Chief Executive Officer of SMRT said, “This MOU formalises and further anchors SMRT’s partnership with CGH so that we can further tap into their medical expertise to improve the health of our employees. As we appreciate the hard work of our public transport workers who make daily commutes possible, we also want to support them in the best possible way. With Singapore facing a rapidly ageing population, we recognise the need to adapt our workflows and processes so that our skilful and experienced workforce can continue to contribute meaningfully and productively in SMRT.”

Clinical Professor Ng Kee Chong, Chief Executive Officer, CGH said, "This enhanced partnership with SMRT marks a significant step for CGH to contribute our expertise in occupational medicine to care for Singapore's public transport sector, and represents our shared commitment to create a safer workplace and healthier, more resilient public transport workforce. Through a holistic care approach that focuses on both physical health and mental well-being, CGH hopes to advance well-being and workplace safety, and enhance overall quality of life for SMRT's employees."

This MoU builds upon the successful project implementations last year, where maintenance workstations in Bishan Depot were redesigned and retrofitted according to a set of comprehensive health and safety recommendations by CGH. The implementations have benefited work teams in-charge of battery maintenance and line flow fan servicing for the trains that run on SMRT’s network. 

Among those initiatives, the introduction of ergonomic trolleys which raised the height of battery banks from ground to waist level has reduced the risk of muscle strains and backaches when staff perform battery servicing tasks. Other notable features included anti-fatigue mats to reduce pressure on the legs when staff work in a standing position, and additional lighting to improve the visibility of maintenance components.

Dr Robin Low Chin Howe, Head and Senior Consultant, Occupational and Aviation Medicine Service, CGH added, “We are glad that our initial pilot project helped to enhance the workplace for the health and safety of the employees at the Bishan Depot, and are excited to combine our expertise in occupational medicine with SMRT's operational knowledge on industry-specific challenges to develop innovative solutions that can be implemented for both SMRT workplaces and the broader public transport sector."

In the pipeline, CGH will work with SMRT to study bus captains’ shift roster, work conditions and health screening data before providing recommendations and conducting educational sessions tailored to them.

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