Chitchat Only a software glitch - train collision

[scroobal]

Summary:

• unprecedented ( means even god did not expect it)
• software glitch
• stalled train profiled as 6-train instead of 3-train
• second train misjudged distance ( no humans involved in the misjudgement)
• never happened before
• so nothing to do with management
• no further staff will be thrown under the bus
• there is no maintenance problem
• British signalling giant Thales to be blamed
• Khaw is also upset

Joo Koon collision: Software glitch in signalling system results in second train misjudging distance
Two SMRT employees and 26 commuters were injured in the collision.PHOTO: MELVIN LAU
PUBLISHED
2 HOURS AGO

Adrian Lim
Transport Correspondent
SINGAPORE - An unprecedented software glitch in the signalling system of the East-West Line resulted in a collision between two MRT trains at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).

This resulted in a stalled train at Joo Koon being mistakenly profiled as a three-car train instead of a six-car one in the system, operator SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) revealed.

As a result, a second train which stopped 10.7m behind the first one "misjudged the distance" between the two, resulting in a collision, and injuring 28 people.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said: "It's an awful day today. Commuters were inconvenienced, and some even injured. We are deeply sorry for that."

Sharing their preliminary findings at a press conference on Wednesday evening, SMRT and LTA said the first train departed Ulu Pandan depot with a software protection feature, but this was "inadvertently removed" when it passed a faulty signalling circuit.

When it arrived at Joo Koon at 8.18am, all passengers were detrained due to an anomaly in the train signalling system, except for one SMRT staff member on board.

At 8.19am, the second train, carrying more than 500 passengers, arrived but stopped at the correct safe stopping distance, said LTA and SMRT. However, a minute later, the second train moved towards the first train and hit it.

Among the 28 people hurt were 26 commuters, and one SMRT employee each on board the first and second trains.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that the investigation should be allowed to take its course. ST PHOTO: BENJAMIN SEETOR
Thales, the company which is supplying the new signalling system for the North-South and East-West lines, said it had not encountered a glitch similar to Wednesday's incident previously.

Said Mr Khaw after the press conference: "Thales is confident of their system, but I advised the team, let's play doubly safe, where safety is involved, that's why I want them to suspend the Tuas West Extension tomorrow, so we have a whole day to do a thorough check before we resume the Tuas West Extension."

Asked if a committee of inquiry will be convened to look into this, Mr Khaw said the investigation should be allowed to take its course.

Asked whether commuters' confidence in the MRT system had been undermined following Wednesday's accident and October's MRT tunnel flooding, Mr Khaw said: "Obviously people will be upset... I'm equally upset."

 

[pakchewcheng]

HuH???

I thot they say somejing about spilled oil or somejing like that?

Twisting and turning in their tales?

Do they ever tell the fucking truth?

I guess not as we seen and hear so much shit from them time again and again!

 

[scroobal]

Khaw only recently said that the "Bishan Flood Incident" was the turning point for SMRT. We are now looking at broken bones, dislocation and other serious injuries. The state prostitute press never revealed how bad it is. Its bad enough for a Cabinet Minister and a Minister of State to pay a hospital visit.

This is never ending tale of a lost Government.

HuH???

I thot they say somejing about spilled oil or somejing like that?

Twisting and turning in their tales?

Do they ever tell the fucking truth?

I guess not as we seen and hear so much shit from them time again and again!

 

[KuanTi01]

At the end of the day, it's not really their fault! Blame God!

 

[pakchewcheng]

It is the driver! No less than the rear train driver not rear admiral.
Must give him jiaklak jiaklak!
Rotan 100 strokes also not enuff!

Top management squeaky clean and office kopiahsoh also clean this time!
Extra bonus for CEO and his top team for catching the goat to scape so fast this time!





SMRT train collision due to 'inadvertent' removal of software protection feature

The “inadvertent” disabling of a software protection feature has been identified by the authorities as the reason for an SMRT train hitting another, stalled train at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).

By Justin Ong@JustinOngCNA
15 Nov 2017 08:00PM(Updated: 15 Nov 2017 11:54PM)
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SINGAPORE: The “inadvertent” disabling of a software protection feature has been identified by the authorities as the reason for an SMRT train hitting another, stalled train at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).

Twenty-nine people were injured after a train “moved forward unexpectedly” and “came into contact” with another stationary one in front of it, according to earlier statements from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT.

At a joint press conference held later Wednesday, LTA deputy chief executive of infrastructure and development Chua Chong Kheng said preliminary findings indicated that the first train - in front - departed Ulu Pandan with a software protection feature which was “inadvertently removed” when it passed a faulty signaling circuit.

“This train then arrived at Joo Koon station without the feature,” said Mr Chua. “This resulted in it giving off a train profile on the new signaling system of a three-car train instead of a six-car train.”

“As a result, the second train (behind) detected the first train as a three-car train and misjudged the distance between the two, causing a collision.”


Mr Chua said that as a precaution, operations from Joo Koon to Tuas Link will be suspended for the entire day on Nov 16 while assurance checks are conducted with signaling contractor Thales.


Bus bridging will be deployed for the affected stretch for the duration of the suspension.

Trains will also go through an additional layer of control measures and manual checks before they are deployed.

These include instructing drivers to be more alert and vigilant, even when their trains are in automated mode, said Mr Alvin Kek, SMRT Trains’ senior vice president of rail operations for the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL).

He said the rail operator would also increase the timed separation of trains arriving at NSEWL stations - up to between 2.5 and three minutes from the present two - until they were satisfied with findings from the ongoing investigation.




“SITUATION UNSATISFACTORY”

Expanding on his use of the word “inadvertent”, Mr Chua said there was no indication that the removal of the software protection feature was due to human action.

"The new trackside signaling circuit is still a work-in-progress and as the train passed by, we observed this (software protection) feature got removed,” he said, adding that a thorough investigation was being conducted to get to the root cause.

Mr Chua said that when the first train stalled at the station - due to an anomaly in the train signalling system - station staff boarded the train to run checks, and safety protocol at the station closed down the track to “physically protect” another train from coming in.

When the second train arrived, it “observed this stopping point” by halting 10.7m behind the first - a safe stopping distance, said Mr Chua.

Authorities were asked if the rear train driver - subsequently injured in the collision - could have overrode the signalling system and prevented his train from moving forward at an estimated speed of 16kmh.

Said Mr Kek: “10.7 metres away is relatively close, the movement before coming into contact with the first train took only 10 seconds.”

“The driver can override the system, and apply the manual brake, but he didn’t. It is now subject to the investigation.”

Meanwhile, Thales representative Peter Tawn said this was the first incident of such a nature.

“We are very confident our system is safe,” he reiterated. “The Thales system is on record one of the safest there is ... We’ve never had a collision.”

Said Mr Chua: “Obviously the situation is not satisfactory, we are concerned and will work closely with SMRT on this.

“There’s also a technical bit here and we must be clear about responsibilities. This incident involve technical aspects and we need to iron those out with Thales.”

“But ensuring the safety of our commuters remains our priority,” he insisted.

Thales is the French company which supplied the new signalling system.

3 INJURED PASSENGERS WARDED

One of the trains involved in the incident was pulled away in the direction of Tuas Link MRT station at about 3.20pm. The second train was moved out about 4.05pm.

Of the 29 injured, 23 passengers and two SMRT staff sustained "light to moderate injuries", and were taken from the scene of the incident to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and National University Hospital (NUH) in the morning.

Ng Teng Fong General Hospital received four additional walk-in patients later in the day.

Three patients remain warded for observation - two at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and one at National University Hospital.

In all, 24 patients received treatment and were discharged, one declined treatment and returned home and one is still being treated.

The last time an MRT train collision happened in Singapore was more than two decades ago. That incident - a front-to-back collision between two trains at Clementi station on Aug 5, 1993 - resulted in 156 injured commuters.

An independent inquiry panel found that the accident was caused by a 50L oil spill from a maintenance locomotive which had been carrying out maintenance work at about 5am on the day of the accident.

 

[scroobal]

Train service between Joo Koon, Tuas Link stations to be suspended on Thursday
Mr Alvin Kek, senior vice-president for rail operations at SMRT, speaking to the media during the press conference on the Joo Koon train incident.ST PHOTO: BENJAMIN SEETOR
PUBLISHED
4 HOURS AGO
FACEBOOK195TWITTER

Maria Almenoar
Assistant News Editor

SINGAPORE - Train service between Joo Koon and Tuas Link stations will be suspended on Thursday (Nov 16) so that the authorities can carry out investigations.

Bus bridging services will be provided for affected passengers.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that trains on the North-South and East-West lines will also run at slower intervals of between 2½ minutes and three minutes, compared with the current two minutes, as an interim safety precaution.

These measures come after an SMRT train collided with another train at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning, leaving at least 28 passengers injured.

Preliminary investigations found that a glitch in the new communications-based train control system wiped out a safety software feature when the first train passed a faulty circuit.

The company which provided the signalling system, Thales, said this was the first time such an incident had happened.

 

[scroobal]

Joo Koon collision: Trains are not supposed to be anywhere near each other during service hours

Christopher Tan
Senior Transport Correspondent
PUBLISHED
6 HOURS AGO
UPDATED
27 MIN AGO


SINGAPORE - The word “ponding” comes to mind. It was used by national water agency PUB to describe massive floods which hit Singapore in December 2011.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, then Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, took issue with that in Parliament the following month.

“PUB should not have used the word ‘ponding’. As far as I am concerned, I call a spade a spade. A flood is a flood,” he said, echoing public sentiment.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT described yesterday’s collision between two trains in Joo Koon station as an incident where one train had “come into contact” with another train, which conjures the imagery of a nudge.

SMRT repeated the same phrase on its Facebook page.

“This morning at 8.18am, a train heading in the direction of Tuas Link station stalled at Joo Koon station. At 8.19am, a second train stopped behind the first faulty train. At 8.20am, the second train moved forward unexpectedly, and came into contact with the first train.”

It was only at 7.42pm that an updated statement by the LTA described the incident as a “collision”.

Their earlier reluctance to call a spade a spade severely underplays the seriousness of an accident which left 29 people with injuries – with two categorised as “major emergencies”.

First and foremost, trains are not supposed to collide, or even come into contact with each other (unless one train was used to push out another disabled one, as has often been the case lately).

That is what the signalling system is for. It keeps a safe distance between trains, acting like an invisible, impenetrable barrier between locomotives.

No metro system can operate without a reliable signalling system, which is actually the eyes of the network.

This is why when trains sense there is something amiss with the signalling system, or there is some interference, they will activate their emergency brakes. It is safety protocol – to be safe first rather than sorry later.

Usually, a train cannot pull into a station when the one in front of it has not left the station. This is why trains sometimes stop in the middle of a tunnel, and passengers are left wondering why. More often than not, it is precisely because the train in front has stopped for too long. So, instead of breaching the invisible barrier, the second train has to stop too, even if it is in the middle of nowhere.

That a train has somehow managed to breach this safety barrier is worrying, to say the least. At Joo Koon, trains switch over from the old fixed block signalling system to the new moving block system.

Investigations have uncovered that the glitch that caused the collision yesterday lies with the new system.
The new signalling system has been having numerous technical issues here, but none compromising safety until yesterday.

So, it is regrettable indeed that SMRT and the LTA have chosen such a light term earlier in the day to describe the incident. Like the tunnel flooding which took place just last month, it is not trivial. A signalling failure can have grave consequences.

You do not need to have a vivid imagination to think of what might have happened if either train had more passengers. And if a “coming into contact” nudge can result in 29 people getting hurt, think of what a high-speed collision would entail.

In the 30-year history of Singapore’s MRT system, there has been only one other train collision which resulted in injury. In 1993, one train ran into another at Clementi station, resulting in more than 150 people getting hurt. The incident triggered a public inquiry, which found that an oil spill on the tracks had compromised the stopping ability of the second train. It was not a signalling issue.

SMRT and LTA have to come out with full transparency on how yesterday’s incident happened, and what concrete steps are to be taken to prevent a recurrence.

They will no doubt do so, just as they did after the Oct 7 tunnel flooding. Reams of information will be made public.
And herein lies the rub: How does seeking to minimise yesterday’s incident help reassure a public whose confidence has been shaken repeatedly since 2011 that the issues are being put right?

A sagging power-supply rail brought the North-South Line to a standstill on the evening of Dec 15 that year, and then again on the morning of Dec 17, as SMRT failed to detect and rectify the damage completely. Affecting more than 250,000 commuters, it was the biggest disruption (then).

Another public inquiry was convened, and SMRT reshuffled its top management.

A power-supply trip caused both the North-South and East-West lines to fail on July 7, 2015, affecting about half a million commuters (the highest number on record here as of now). The LTA said a salt-caked insulator near Tanjong Pagar station was the cause.

A power trip at one of the network’s substations caused the western sector of the North-South and East-West lines, parts of the Circle Line, as well as the Bukit Panjang LRT system to fail on April 25 last year. The unprecedented four-line disruption was suspected to have been caused by cable works on the East-West Line’s Tuas West extension.

On March 22 last year, two SMRT trainee technicians were killed on the tracks near Pasir Ris station. Investigators found that a slew of standard operating procedures had been breached. The Manpower Ministry said SMRT had been flouting such guidelines since 2002.

On Oct 7 this year, tunnels between Braddell and Bishan stations were flooded, with water reaching waist level at some points. While preliminary investigations found that the crew in charge of maintaining the flood-prevention system at Bishan had not been doing their job properly and had in fact falsified work logs, the various individual key components such as pumps and switches were found to be in proper working order.

Even as Singaporeans were coming to terms with the flooding, yesterday’s train collision took place.

Clearly, enough is enough.

 

[scroobal]

!!!Now it is due to human error - train driver disabled collision protection switch. Thales Signals not to blame.

SMRT train collision due to 'inadvertent' removal of software protection feature

The “inadvertent” disabling of a software protection feature has been identified by the authorities as the reason for an SMRT train hitting another, stalled train at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).


By Justin Ong @JustinOngCNA
15 Nov 2017 08:00PM (Updated: 15 Nov 2017 11:54PM)
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SINGAPORE: The “inadvertent” disabling of a software protection feature has been identified by the authorities as the reason for an SMRT train hitting another, stalled train at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).

Twenty-nine people were injured after a train “moved forward unexpectedly” and “came into contact” with another stationary one in front of it, according to earlier statements from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT.

At a joint press conference held later Wednesday, LTA deputy chief executive of infrastructure and development Chua Chong Kheng said preliminary findings indicated that the first train - in front - departed Ulu Pandan with a software protection feature which was “inadvertently removed” when it passed a faulty signaling circuit.

“This train then arrived at Joo Koon station without the feature,” said Mr Chua. “This resulted in it giving off a train profile on the new signaling system of a three-car train instead of a six-car train.”

“As a result, the second train (behind) detected the first train as a three-car train and misjudged the distance between the two, causing a collision.”

Mr Chua said that as a precaution, operations from Joo Koon to Tuas Link will be suspended for the entire day on Nov 16 while assurance checks are conducted with signaling contractor Thales.


Bus bridging will be deployed for the affected stretch for the duration of the suspension.

Trains will also go through an additional layer of control measures and manual checks before they are deployed.

These include instructing drivers to be more alert and vigilant, even when their trains are in automated mode, said Mr Alvin Kek, SMRT Trains’ senior vice president of rail operations for the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL).

He said the rail operator would also increase the timed separation of trains arriving at NSEWL stations - up to between 2.5 and three minutes from the present two - until they were satisfied with findings from the ongoing investigation.



“SITUATION UNSATISFACTORY”

Expanding on his use of the word “inadvertent”, Mr Chua said there was no indication that the removal of the software protection feature was due to human action.

"The new trackside signaling circuit is still a work-in-progress and as the train passed by, we observed this (software protection) feature got removed,” he said, adding that a thorough investigation was being conducted to get to the root cause.

Mr Chua said that when the first train stalled at the station - due to an anomaly in the train signalling system - station staff boarded the train to run checks, and safety protocol at the station closed down the track to “physically protect” another train from coming in.

When the second train arrived, it “observed this stopping point” by halting 10.7m behind the first - a safe stopping distance, said Mr Chua.

Authorities were asked if the rear train driver - subsequently injured in the collision - could have overrode the signalling system and prevented his train from moving forward at an estimated speed of 16kmh.

Said Mr Kek: “10.7 metres away is relatively close, the movement before coming into contact with the first train took only 10 seconds.”

“The driver can override the system, and apply the manual brake, but he didn’t. It is now subject to the investigation.”

Meanwhile, Thales representative Peter Tawn said this was the first incident of such a nature.

“We are very confident our system is safe,” he reiterated. “The Thales system is on record one of the safest there is ... We’ve never had a collision.”

Said Mr Chua: “Obviously the situation is not satisfactory, we are concerned and will work closely with SMRT on this.

“There’s also a technical bit here and we must be clear about responsibilities. This incident involve technical aspects and we need to iron those out with Thales.”

“But ensuring the safety of our commuters remains our priority,” he insisted.

Thales is the French company which supplied the new signalling system.



image: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imag...T/rafa-infographic-joo-koon-mrt-collision.png

3 INJURED PASSENGERS WARDED

One of the trains involved in the incident was pulled away in the direction of Tuas Link MRT station at about 3.20pm. The second train was moved out about 4.05pm.

Of the 29 injured, 23 passengers and two SMRT staff sustained "light to moderate injuries", and were taken from the scene of the incident to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and National University Hospital (NUH) in the morning.

Ng Teng Fong General Hospital received four additional walk-in patients later in the day.

Three patients remain warded for observation - two at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and one at National University Hospital.

In all, 24 patients received treatment and were discharged, one declined treatment and returned home and one is still being treated.

The last time an MRT train collision happened in Singapore was more than two decades ago. That incident - a front-to-back collision between two trains at Clementi station on Aug 5, 1993 - resulted in 156 injured commuters.

An independent inquiry panel found that the accident was caused by a 50L oil spill from a maintenance locomotive which had been carrying out maintenance work at about 5am on the day of the accident.




Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...ue-to-inadvertent-removal-of-software-9408766

 

[Bigfuck]

Everything is as fake as LHL's facebook. All fake comments, and as leader of a country, no comments or words of sympathy for those injured. And he goes around telling other people about affairs he knows nothing of.

 

[Bigfuck]

Yes. He is LHL. His demise is about to become complete.

 

[scroobal]

'Everybody flew': Passenger recounts train collision at Joo Koon station

image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==

Passengers disembarking from one of the two trains involved in the collision at Joo Koon station

By Kevin Kwang @KevinKwangCNA
15 Nov 2017 04:49PM (Updated: 15 Nov 2017 11:55PM)
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SINGAPORE: "The impact was very big ... and everybody flew," recounted a female passenger who was on board the train that hit a stationary one at Joo Koon Mrt station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).

The passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, told Channel NewsAsia in a phone interview that she got on the train at Choa Chu Kang station at 7.30am and that it was a smooth ride all the way to Boon Lay station, when the train started and stopped.

At 8.20am, she said the train stopped at Joo Koon station and there was an announcement saying there was a track fault but, five minutes later, the train suddenly moved and hit the stationary train in front.

"The train carriage was quite packed, and when the train hit the stationary train, everybody flew," she said.

"A young lady fell on me, and my left knee hit the train floor hard," the passenger said. She added that others were also affected, and noticed that one woman nearby "felt giddy and someone applied Axe (brand medical) oil for her", while an SMRT employee on the train also "injured his wrist".

A total of 29 people – including two SMRT staff – were injured in the incident, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT. Twenty-five were taken to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and National University Hospital for treatment, while another four passengers sought treatment by themselves.




image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==

An MRT train collided with a stationary train at Joo Koon station during the morning rush hour on Nov 15, 2017.


A spokesman from Ng Teng Fong Hospital said among the 10 injured at the hospital, two were assessed to have sustained injuries under the P2 category. According to the Health Ministry’s website, medical-care at emergency departments is prioritized based on four priority levels.

In this case, the category refers to a “Major Emergency Patients” who are usually unable to walk. Injuries under this category include limb fractures, joint dislocation and severe back pain. Another eight sustained minor injuries and were assessed to be under the P3 category, which includes sprains and minor head injuries.

Following the collision, the female passenger said there was no information given and it was only after 10 minutes that an emergency announcement was heard telling passengers to head to the front of the train and exit via the driver's door.

CAN I CLAIM FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT?

After passengers in the affected trains disembarked, no SMRT staff stepped forward to help, the passenger said.

"When I left the train, there was no one there to help," she replied, when asked if there were people to check on commuters' wellbeing. "I was limping all the way."

She added that there were only announcements for free bus services, and at the control station, "there was a long queue" as staff issued chits for the delay. As she did not want to wait, and had to get to work at Joo Koon, she decided to just leave. She reached office at 9.45am - more than two hours after she started her journey.



image: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imag.../wK/joo-koon-collision-interviewee-injury.jpg

However, the passenger said that her left knee is now "very swollen and cramped", but she is not sure if she can claim compensation for medical treatment, asking this reporter what her options are.

No SMRT staff asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital, the passenger reiterated, adding that her boss advised her to take photos of her injury and send it to SMRT. She plans to see a doctor after work.

"It was a very, very bad experience for me," the passenger shared. "If this happened yesterday, when there was heavy rain, I can still understand. But today ...

"I am very traumatised."

Source: CNA/kk
Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...ision-joo-koon-smrt-passenger-injured-9408348

 

[glockman]

CAN I CLAIM FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT?

Aren't sinkies a sorry lot? They got all busted up, and this is all they can think to ask. We are truly a society of sheep, with a low sense of self worth.

 

[virus]

HuH???

I thot they say somejing about spilled oil or somejing like that?

Twisting and turning in their tales?

Do they ever tell the fucking truth?

I guess not as we seen and hear so much shit from them time again and again!

Soon u will learn the stop button was never maintain n drivers never train to push it. Or there was free porn feed into the driver cabin n he having quickie with halimachik

 

[virus]

[QUOTE="scroobal, post: 2662524, member: 1288

However, the passenger said that her left knee is now "very swollen and cramped", but she is not sure if she can claim compensation for medical treatment, asking this reporter what her options are.

No SMRT staff asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital, the passenger reiterated, adding that her boss advised her to take photos of her injury and send it to SMRT. She plans to see a doctor after work.
8[/QUOTE]
She should see me, i more concern if her cheebye was swollen,, got cramped or one side of the labia is lumping at 69 degree.

 

[virus]

So sue semens Germany for sper'ing the signalling fault?

 

[tanwahtiu]

False flag. To justify buy new products or hire more ah nehs..

 

[nayr69sg]

I can't wait for the day MRT trains collide in the tunnels, causing major huge explosion bringing down high rise flats/buildings/shopping complexes etc. Singapore is ready for this with all their terrorist mass casualty training.

Except the actual event will have nothing to do with terrorists. But SMRT.

Who knows maybe ISIS has infiltrated SMRT. "inadvertent". LOL!!!!!

 

[pakchewcheng]

Aren't sinkies a sorry lot? They got all busted up, and this is all they can think to ask. We are truly a society of sheep, with a low sense of self worth.

the usual head down down and arseholes up high high to be tiewed to be kanned to be fucked by MIWs and their cronies and appointees and volunteers

 

[halsey02]

All passengers travelling on trains must be belted by end of 2018, both standing & seating. Installation of belts will commence with immediately.

Please check with SMRT if they are still using Windozed 98.

 

[Leongsam]

I have to say I've read some of the most creative excuses that any management has ever come up with.

Had I been armed with this special edition of "Excuses 101" during my MNC days I would have reached the top echelons a lot faster. Unfortunately my progress was stalled by mistakes made by my production operators which proved very costly for me.

I tried to explain to my boss that the operators came from a poor gene pool and that their culture encouraged them to relax and not take life or work too seriously but the explanation was rejected outright. I was their manager so I was to blame.

With hindsight I should have blamed the software, the equipment and the environment and I would have got away scott free. The PAP has taught me a valuable lesson which I'm not about to forget in a hurry.