Firms must ensure new foreign hires are properly trained

Letter from Yee Jenn Jong

It brought to my mind another dangerous incident I encountered last month while on a family day trip to Sentosa organised by my university alumni.

The bus arrived late and the driver did not know how to turn on the air-conditioning (he only managed to figure it out midway through the journey).

He asked if anyone knew how to get to Sentosa. The driver spoke only Mandarin, with a mainland Chinese accent. He said he has only just started driving bus.

Once on Sentosa, while he was going around a sloped bend, the bus stalled. He could not control the clutch. We had to direct cars behind the bus to move away as it slid dangerously several times.

I have never seen such poor handling of a bus. There had been some 50 people on board, including young children.

In our haste to fill positions with foreign workers, companies must ensure they are properly trained, especially when handling vehicles and equipment. I hope all companies take such matters seriously to avoid tragedies from happening. MORE