Recently, I came across a young woman working on a piece of cross-stitch embroidery inside an SMRT train.
She sat forward with a gap between her and the back of her seat, perhaps to facilitate the flow of her needlework movements.
The embroidery floss running through the needle was about 45cm long.
I suggested to the woman that it could be dangerous to sew inside the confines of a moving MRT train. She replied that she had been sewing while riding in MRT trains for a long time and returned to her task. There were commuters seated on both sides of her.
While the train was relatively empty during the off-peak hour, sewing is not a safe activity to pursue inside a train that is travelling.
At times, MRT trains lurch when moving or halting. If the woman is pulling the needle in an upward movement and is caught unexpectedly by a sudden staggering of the train, an involuntary jerk of the hand holding the needle may cause the needle to jab at a fellow commuter sitting or standing close by.
There will be very serious consequences if the needle impales an eye or other body part of a nearby commuter who could not move away in time. How can the injured commuter seek recourse?
If the SMRT's regulations do not permit sewing inside MRT trains in operation, what is the appropriate action that a concerned fellow commuter can take in such a situation?
By the way, what circumstances warrant an activation of the emergency communication button?
Tan Lay Hoon (Ms)
So ST wanted to know from readers if there are other activities that might be dangerous to do on the train. Let's work our way up to dangerous.
Let's start with disgusting.
1) clipping your fingernails.
2) clipping your toenails.
3) Picking your nose
4) shaking or combing out your dandruff
5) exfoliating with an emery board or pumice stone
6) picking at and removing scabs, blackheads, bursting pimples, etc.
Moving onto dangerous (in rising order of hazard)
1) performing minor surgery like removing a wart or a mole under local anesthetic
2) Performing Major surgery (appendectomy, or vasectomy) under GA.
3) Conducting a symphony orchestra (baton may poke someone in the eye).
4) Playing the trombone (obvious, really)
5) Practicing your wushu routine involving sword, sabre, (Chinese) Halberd, spear, or 3-section staff.
6) Practising your Kendama tricks.
7) Putting on your contacts (you will definitely poke someone - yourself - in the eye)
8) Bungee jumping
9) BASE jumping
10) Parkour
11) Breakdancing
12) Listening to music at an excessively loud volume such that other people on the train can hear the music coming from your headphones.
13) Wearing your backpack instead of putting it down.
14) Wearing a T-Shirt with the words, "I'm Fucking Special"
15) Falling asleep while seated in the priority seats
16) Being an ang mo and saying in a loud voice, "I can't believe I'm riding the train with all these POOR people!"
17) Farting loudly then saying, "I'm a member of ISIS and I've just released Poison Gas!"
18) Staring intently into your smartphone, oblivious to the woman knitting next to you with her knitting needles less than one metre from your eyes.
19) Eyes glued to your smartphone, your ears deafened by your headphones, carrying an oversized backpack, oblivious to all the people you knocked down when you turned, wearing a T-shirt declaring your "specialness", while you sing along off-key to the music from your headphones. Loudly.
Let's start with disgusting.
1) clipping your fingernails.
2) clipping your toenails.
3) Picking your nose
4) shaking or combing out your dandruff
5) exfoliating with an emery board or pumice stone
6) picking at and removing scabs, blackheads, bursting pimples, etc.
Moving onto dangerous (in rising order of hazard)
1) performing minor surgery like removing a wart or a mole under local anesthetic
2) Performing Major surgery (appendectomy, or vasectomy) under GA.
3) Conducting a symphony orchestra (baton may poke someone in the eye).
4) Playing the trombone (obvious, really)
5) Practicing your wushu routine involving sword, sabre, (Chinese) Halberd, spear, or 3-section staff.
6) Practising your Kendama tricks.
7) Putting on your contacts (you will definitely poke someone - yourself - in the eye)
8) Bungee jumping
9) BASE jumping
10) Parkour
11) Breakdancing
12) Listening to music at an excessively loud volume such that other people on the train can hear the music coming from your headphones.
13) Wearing your backpack instead of putting it down.
14) Wearing a T-Shirt with the words, "I'm Fucking Special"
15) Falling asleep while seated in the priority seats
16) Being an ang mo and saying in a loud voice, "I can't believe I'm riding the train with all these POOR people!"
17) Farting loudly then saying, "I'm a member of ISIS and I've just released Poison Gas!"
18) Staring intently into your smartphone, oblivious to the woman knitting next to you with her knitting needles less than one metre from your eyes.
19) Eyes glued to your smartphone, your ears deafened by your headphones, carrying an oversized backpack, oblivious to all the people you knocked down when you turned, wearing a T-shirt declaring your "specialness", while you sing along off-key to the music from your headphones. Loudly.
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