SMRT held the fourth edition of its SMRT Contractors’ Safety Forum at Orchid Country Club today. This is its marquee safety forum to continually strengthen the organisation’s safety culture and uplift safety standards, not only within its network but also across the public transport ecosystem.

First held in 2023, the SMRT Contractors’ Safety Forum serves as a platform for SMRT, industry leaders, and contractor partners to share best practices and address key safety issues and challenges. This year’s forum centred on building an AI-empowered and future-ready workforce, equipping employees and partners with digital tools to strengthen safety outcomes and support safer operations.

As a pioneer Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Advocate appointed by WSH Council and building on its role as a Queen Bee company under its partnership with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU), SMRT is supporting small and medium-sized enterprise contractors and workers across the public transport ecosystem. Its efforts focus on driving digital integration, building capabilities, and accelerating the adoption of safety technologies and equipment among its contractor partners. One such initiative is the WorkSAFE app, which was unveiled at the forum today.

The WorkSAFE app is a new AI-enabled safety application that will be available to all SMRT employees, and can also be used by the Group’s contractors, partners and vendors. The app was developed by STRIDES Digital, SMRT’s business and digital arm.

Before the WorkSAFE app, safety reporting and information were spread across multiple systems. Users had to navigate different platforms and applications. The WorkSAFE app brings these functions together on a single platform, allowing users to submit and share reports easily.

Users can submit incident reports using voice input. AI automatically then classifies each report and sends it to the relevant teams for follow-up and action. The app also provides live dashboards that track key safety trends and performance indicators. These insights help supervisors and staff identify risks early and prevent safety lapses. In addition, users can conveniently access instant safety tips aligned with Work Safety Manuals and regulatory requirements through an AI-powered chatbot, as well as upload risk assessments to the AI engine for an instant review.

The app can be customised for contractors and partners to meet the needs of different operating environments. They can draw on the expertise of SMRT and STRIDES to adopt digital solutions that support better safety outcomes for their workforce.

Through the NTUC-NTWU-SMRT partnership, SMRT is also supporting its SME partners under the NTUC Company Training Committee Grant. Using a cluster-based approach, SMRT will work with industry partners to accelerate AI adoption, strengthen workforce capabilities and raise productivity. Participating companies may receive co-funding of up to 70 per cent of qualifying costs for projects or training tied to the transformation.

Mr Ngien Hoon Ping, Group Chief Executive Officer of SMRT said, “Safety is, and will always be, SMRT's top priority. The strong safety culture we have built together is based on collective responsibility. Each employee, contractor and partner has a part to play in ensuring that everyone goes home safe every day. As AI becomes more widely used in the workplace, we are equipping our people and partners with the practical tools and skills to work more safely, confidently and productively.”

SMRT’s strong commitment to workplace safety is reflected in the achievements of its contractor partners. All of them have attained bizSAFE Level 3 certification or higher from the Workplace Safety and Health Council. In 2025, SMRT and its contractor partners also recorded a perfect score of zero-fatalities and zero major injuries across their operations.

At this year’s Safety Forum, SMRT presented its inaugural Safety Excellence Awards, its highest safety accolade for contractor partners, to Efficient Networks International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. and TNT Surveillance Pte. Ltd.

The award recognises organisations with a sustained record of safety excellence. Both recipients have progressed from the Safety Award to the Safety Merit Award before qualifying for the highest tier, distinguished by zero major workplace injuries across all worksites in the past year, lower minor injury rates, strong safety ownership, and continuous improvement through innovation and technology.

This year’s forum, themed “AI-Ready Workforce, Safe and Strong”, gathered over 250 attendees. Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Executive Secretary of National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU), attended the event as the Guest-of-Honour and presented the awards to the

recipients.

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