Review of 5 newspaper articles

1. Brake failure triggered rig accident, says SembMarine

The article is about an oil rig accident that happened at Jurong island due to a brake failure. The accident left 89 workers injured. I was astonished when I read the article mainly because such industrial accident rarely happens in Singapore. I personally feel that the company should have taken more safety precautions to prevent such failure from happening and more emergency exits/ gangways should have been available for the workers to exit. In addition, company should always practice emergency evacuation drill to ensure that workers know how to react in case of emergency. Even though there was no death in this industrial accident, but many workers jumped into sea to seek for survival. Consequences could be dire for those who do not know how to swim. Companies should look into this issue and built more emergency exit according to the number of workers working at the site and prevent their employees from jumping down the building/site. I wish companies could take this industrial accident as a reminder and always ensure that the workplace is safe for the workers. They should also always remember that accident can always happen and not to take it for granted. 

2. NY cop’s kind act on cold night warms hearts

The article is about a police officer Charles Dickens, who dug into his own pocket to put boots on a barefoot panhandler on a freezing city sidewalk. His action had received praises from the public. It is heart-warming to read about police officer relent his help to a stranger. Such kind act is rarely seen in the society nowadays. From this article, I understand that there are many ways to help the poor. Instead of just giving money/making donation to the poor, we can buy or give them things which have more sincerity. His kind act is remarkable especially since many people ignored the guy or just give him a few cent. His kindness deserved to be complimented and be learnt by many.

3. Furore over photo of NY subway death

The article is about a man named Han Ki-Suck who was pushed onto the subway track during a fight on Monday with a deranged man in the Manhanttan subway station. Mr Han tried to climb onto the platform but he did not make it and was stuck by a south-bound R train. The incident had caused a furore online as public disses the bystanders and the photographer who take several pictures but did not help the poor man who was struggling till his last breath to save his life. I had a mixture of emotion while reading the article. I was shocked and disappointed. It is insane to read that Mr Han was thrown onto the subway track but it was even heartbreaking to know that no one present then bothered to help the poor guy.  Even though many people nowadays show their empathy towards those unfortunate by liking a picture on Facebook or tweeting, however nobody help to save the poor guy whom life was at stake. He could have chance to survive if the bystanders helped him. I want to spread this article to everyone and hope that they can understand that helping directly is better than giving encouraging words through social networking sites.

4. Faculty equipment a ‘possible cause’ of RSN accident

The article writes about the possible causes and former naval officers opinion on weapons systems supervisor, Jason Chee Weng Fai accident. Jason was caught between a motorized and one of the berthing ropes while he was carrying out a routine check on RSS Endearour’s berthing ropes in the ship’s quarterdeck. This unfortunate accident costs Jason both legs and an arm. He is still in a critical condition.  It is sad to know that a civil servant to suffer severe injuries at the workplace. I feel that such accident could have been prevented if MINDEF had taken much more safety precaution. In the article, some former naval officers stated that the place of the accident is one of the most dangerous and riskiest areas on board especially monsoon season. In such situation, instead of one person, two or more supervisors or officers could help to check the area to prevent such tragic to happen. I think that it is important to ensure that military is a safe workplace as it has many dangerous weapons.  I hope that this unfortunate and costly accident is a reminder for MINDEF and even other companies to look into the unsafe and risky areas in the workplace and set up new regulations to prevent such tragedies to happen again.

5. HEROES: School staff who sacrificed their lives to save others.

The article described the teachers that sacrificed their lives for the children. One of them is Ms Victoria Soto, who ushered her pupils into a tiny closet and died shielding them from bullets. The other two are the principal Dawn Hochsprung and psychologist, Mrs Mary Sherlach who died from confronting the gunman.  Although it is heart breaking to learn the death of these school staffs, but their selfless sacrifices impress the public. I am proud of their action as they did not hesitate to save the life of the innocent children. This is a tragedy that no one wants to happen but I hope this could be a reminder to the government to step up their measures in protecting their people and strength their firearms laws. Nevertheless, the selfless sacrifices made by the school staffs are inspirational and I hope that their kindness and nobility can be spread worldwide and prompt more people to help the unfortunate. From this massacre, I learnt that peace can never be taken for granted. We should always be vigilant and always be prepared for any emergency.