Pointing and calling
railway safety technique
Pointing and calling is a method in occupational safety for avoiding mistakes by pointing at important indicators and verbally calling out their status. It is especially common on Japanese railways, where it is referred to as shisa kanko (指差喚呼), shisa kakunin kanko (指差確認喚呼) or yubisashi koshō (指差呼称); in Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese railways, where it is called 指差呼唤; 指差確認 (zhǐchā hūhuàn; zhǐchā quèrèn); and in Indonesian railways, where it is known as tunjuk-sebut. Gesturing at and verbalizing these indicators helps with focus. The method was first used by train drivers and is now commonly used in Japanese industry. It is recommended by the Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association (JISHA, 中央労働災害防止協会), and a part of railway management regulations in China. It is not common outside of Asia, though it is used in the New York City Subway system, Toronto's subway and GO Transit, and many systems built to Chinese standards, such as the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway.
History
The method originated in Japan in the early 1900s, when steam locomotives predominated. Drivers and boilermen would both look out for signals and call out their status to each other. The pointing was added a few decades later.
Asia
The method is widely used in Asian countries, especially in dangerous works such as elevator maintenance and railway operations.
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