Keeping his workers safe around the clock

By showing care beyond the wharf, this senior operations executive has won his team's trust to join him in keeping port operations safe

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After dinner with his family, Mr Rasid Misnati occasionally heads back to Pasir Panjang Terminal to carry out surprise safety inspections.

The senior operations executive at Call Lade Enterprises, which provides manpower solutions such as container lashing services to PSA Singapore, does not mind these after-hours visits.

To him, safety is a 24/7 commitment. There are no second chances when working near deep waters and towering stacks of containers — some as high as a seven-storey building.

Other risks come from prime movers and trucks loading and unloading cargo along the busy wharf.

Instead of dreading the unannounced checks, his team appreciates them.

They see Mr Rasid not as an enforcer, but as a friend who cares deeply.

Quips the 49-year-old: “They don’t hide from me during my night inspections!”

Things were different in his early days as a supervisor. At first, he kept his distance, drawing a line between himself and the workers.