Contributed by Connor Gaston, Environmental Scientist, PPM Consultants
Pointing and calling is a safety practice that originated in Japan’s railway industry, where train operators would physically point to signals, gauges, and indicators while verbally confirming their status. The practice was developed to reduce human error and improve situational awareness, and it has since been adopted in many high-reliability industries around the world. It involves physically pointing at a task, object, or condition and verbally confirming what you see or what action you are taking. Instead of relying on memory or habit, the process deliberately engages your eyes, hands, and voice at the same time. This added level of awareness helps prevent the kinds of mistakes that can occur when we are distracted, rushed, or performing routine tasks. By actively verifying each critical step, we slow down just enough to ensure that what we think we did matches what we actually did.
Most people have already used a form of pointing and calling in everyday life without realizing it. Have you ever left home and wondered whether you locked the front door? If you point to the lock and say, “Door locked,” you create a mental confirmation that is far stronger than simply thinking about it. The same principle applies when preparing to tow a trailer. Taking a moment to visually inspect the hitch, safety chains, electrical connector, and trailer jack while pointing to each item and verbally confirming that it is secure can help prevent serious problems once you’re on the road. These simple actions reduce uncertainty and help prevent mistakes that could have costly consequences.
The effectiveness of pointing and calling is one reason similar practices are used in high-reliability industries such as aviation. Before takeoff, pilots work through detailed checklists, often pointing to gauges, switches, and instruments while verbally confirming their status with the other pilot. By physically identifying an instrument and speaking its condition out loud, pilots create an additional layer of verification that helps reduce the risk of overlooking a critical item. This process improves situational awareness, minimizes errors, and helps ensure that important steps are completed correctly before a flight ever leaves the ground.
Another everyday example is taking medication. Many people have experienced the moment of uncertainty when they wonder, “Did I take my medicine this morning?” By pointing to the pill bottle, reading the label aloud, and verbally confirming the dosage before taking it, a person creates a stronger mental record that the task was completed. This simple habit can help prevent missed doses or accidental double-dosing, demonstrating how a few seconds of deliberate verification can reduce mistakes and increase confidence in routine activities.
The same concept applies to the environmental work we do each day at PPM Consultants, Inc. (PPM). Whether we are collecting groundwater samples, recording field measurements, inspecting remediation equipment, or performing maintenance, attention to detail is critical. For example, after rebuilding a pump, pointing to each fitting, clamp, and connection while verbally confirming that it is installed and tightened properly can help prevent startup issues and equipment failures. Likewise, before closing a control panel, taking a moment to point to each switch and call out its position can help verify that the system is configured correctly and ready for operation. These small verification steps can prevent equipment downtime, rework, safety incidents, and data quality issues.
Another example is groundwater sampling and field data collection. Before collecting a sample, a technician can point to the monitoring well identification tag and verbally confirm the well number, sample container, and preservative requirements. Before recording measurements, they can point to the instrument display and call out the reading to verify that it is being logged correctly. These simple verification steps help prevent sample mix-ups, transcription errors, and documentation mistakes that can affect data quality and regulatory compliance. By taking a few seconds to point, call, and confirm, we can increase confidence that the right sample is being collected from the right location and that the information recorded in the field is accurate.
A few extra seconds spent pointing and calling can help us catch mistakes before they become problems. It improves situational awareness, reduces human error, and helps ensure that critical tasks are completed correctly the first time. Just as it gives us confidence that the door is locked when we leave home, it can give us confidence that our equipment is assembled properly, our systems are configured correctly, and our environmental work is being performed safely and accurately.
One of the best ways to make this practice second nature in the field is to incorporate it into your daily life. Point to the front door and say, “Door locked.” Point to the hitch and confirm it is secured before towing a trailer. Verify that the stove is off before leaving the house. These simple habits reinforce the mindset of actively checking rather than assuming. The more we practice pointing and calling at home, the more naturally it becomes part of our work routine, helping us perform every task with greater confidence, accuracy, and safety.
If you’d like to see more articles like this on a weekly basis, consider subscribing to the PPM Environmental Journal. Click HERE to subscribe.