Your ability to prevent error relies on personal competencies. Ideally, you will be supported by an external system. Both personal and organisational safety systems have limited effect and reach. Red Flag's purpose is to overcome those defects. This aim can only be realised if:

• The nature of the "holes in the cheese" (the Reason model is described in The Tools) is understood.
  • That is, potential failure points have been diagnosed by reviewing real world experience.
• The antidote designed for each identified problem is capable of dealing with it.
  • That is, design of defences conforms to established principles of self-evident merit.

Red Flag's design reflects critical principles. It is the difference between yet another published scheme – good looking but ineffective – and truly viable error-prevention forces.

Key Principle – Personal Responsibility
You should undertake Red Flag training in your own time. (That’s not to exclude the possibility that an enlightened employer will set aside work time for Red Flag activities.) Treat it the same as your physical fitness routines.

Other examples of the expected-to-bring-to-work package include your own education and training attainments.

Just as a poor state in any vital professional competency will (if detected*) be to your disadvantage, stronger-than-average ability in safety critical skills should be a plus. And when you are fully confident that all of your essential skills are in a fit state you will happily agree to have them tested.

Employees who voluntarily and diligently engage in such a disciplined personal fitness regime can expect favourable recognition.

Training
Red Flag is a basic safety regime that focuses on accident prevention. Basic doesn’t mean simple in this usage. It signifies that it operates at the lowest level of the chain of accident causation – where a single human is the last line of defence against catastrophe.

It is a do-it-yourself program, an all-encompassing personal system, of which training is the central error preventive force. All necessary references can be accessed on the website and through the User Guide.

As with any course of training, there is an Introductory phase followed by continuous skill maintenance.

When alone, your Virtual Crew is activated. You play both roles; challenger and respondent. Virtual Crew function is an exercise in self-monitoring. And it works best when the words are spoken aloud.

Modular design is also intended to ensure that Red Flag’s active elements plug seamlessly into any other safety program, training course or system of safety management. Red Flag has the power to act as a catalyst energising and augmenting existing safety measures. (It’s especially useful in re-energising good-but-dormant safety systems.) See: Applications.

Unlike many modular systems there is no particular order of assembly. (A modern jet engine, for example is modular. When building it, it’s sort of necessary to start with the Core.) The main reason for that lies in training principles. That is:

• Diagnose first - measure current fitness states.
• And only after that, apply training prescriptions to areas of need.

Many aspects of Red Flag will already be deeply ingrained into your lifestyle. For example, you routinely apply a formal Risk Management procedure before a hazardous activity such as crossing a road - perhaps only occasionally.

• Self-diagnosis will permit you to note those areas where no or little action is needed.
• You can focus on the other areas to build the complete array defences.

Your ability to self-diagnose will be aided by descriptions of the essential skills and skill sets in The Tools.

One raison d’etre for Red Flag is that legislative provisions provide imperfect sets of defences. We know that from experience – the accidents keep happening. Red Flag fills the gaps, so to speak. However, it will work best when it is merged with other systems. Indeed, all separate components will work better when integration is complete and effective.

The key differences, of course, are:

• Red Flag is activated within the individual, and,
• Aims at the underlying causes left untouched by other safety systems.

In other words, Red Flag will act as a catalyst enhancing the effect of other systems. That catalytic effect is at its most potent when all systems blend into one seamless approach to overall safety.

• Error originates in decision - activiated by the action imperative .
• All acts of choice are made more reliable by a formal decision procedure.
• The Checklist is the primary decision aid.
  • It should be carried at all duty times.
  • For that reason it is printed on plastic for durability.
• The Checklist’s function is to raise awareness at the point of decision.
  • After some usage, just touching it will have that effect.
  • However, formal practices are needed to prevent adaptation.
• Notes within the Checklist cover brief reminders of how the error-preventive tools work and the main arguments andRed Flag design principles.
• There is more detail in the User Guide. Reading these sections serves as a continuous "wake up" stimulus to higher safety alertness.

Competency-Based
Further support toRed Flag credibility lies in the competency-based design.

• Key competencies are identified, as are measures to ensure they are exercised continuously to a fit state.
• Appraisal provides evidence of the ability to perform the competencies – under stress.

Recognition of Current Competency
In offering the opportunity to enhance Personal Error-Prevention (PEP) skills, Red Flag ensures that the start point is recognition of existing safety competencies.

• Everyone possesses these attributes, at greater or lesser levels of fitness.
• Objective testing establishes the starting baseline (an accurate measurement of PEP fitness).
  • You’ll know which of the critical skills are in good shape.
• As well, the first test provides the benchmark against which subsequent attainment can be monitored.

Value
The Basic Program can be accessed for free. Value-adding options are relatively inexpensive.

The price of Professional subscription is value for money. It funds participation by a multi-discipline Team.

Corporate discounts are possible in recognition that some mutual support functions are carried out within the company. However, EMSA's responsibility for monitoring is such that the potential for discounting is small.

• A relatively small percentage of people cause most accidents.
  • One of their (endearing?) characteristics is they avoid disciplined systems and rigorous training.
• Indeed, as diagnosis is an essential feature of this genre of training, the people who most need it tend to exhibit, powerfully, a preference to avoid confronting – and acknowledging – their problem.
• By undertaking demanding training within a structured system, and by sticking with it, you define yourself as amongst the less error-prone.
• Red Flag validates PEP* skill fitness through objective appraisal - beyond doubt.
  • That is, you can prove you are not one of the accident-causing types.
    
    

  Regardless, everyone who undertakes and continues with Red Flag training will improve his or her PEP skills. It'll be an exclusive and worthy club. * PEP = Personal Error Prevention.

Evolution
Red Flag 2006 is the first outing for this safety system.

• Feedback from participants – especially through the medium of Incident Reports (routine reports are an important component of the Program) – will ensure the system develops.
• This is especially applicable to applications within specialised occupations. The general system will progressively become more specific.

Credibility
The Tools sets out the arguments that bestow credibility upon the underlying design criteria and principles.

• That will ensure that those who diligently engage in a Red Flag Program will possess the persuasive proof they need to secure a benefit in recognition of their lower potential for error.

Attenuation of Effect
Humans are incapable of maintaining anxiety and alertness states.

• We don’t like the discomfort it produces so we detune the receiver antenna.
  • The effect of even the best-managed safety systems insidiously wears off.
• It’s especially the case when there are few incidents/accidents.
  • Perversely, the better we get at safety – the harder it is to maintain awareness of hazard.
• You must continuously work on your own version of Red Flag to ensure it remains effective.
  • Example: Focus on the habit-pattern-interruption mechanism (speed bumps).

Proof of Fitness
Red Flag's fitness testing regime is at three levels: daily, weekly and monthly . That may seem a lot. However, the tests have several purposes.

• The obvious one is an ongoing display of commitment to fitness.
• As well as re-assuring you that your exercise program is having positive effects, it assists you in your never-ending re-dedication to the challenges of remaining alert when you need to be (defeating system atrophy).

Perhaps more important is that continuously displaying a willingness to be tested also gives evidence of the sort of open mind you will bring to Risk Management processes and safety awareness in general.

• For example, you will readily accept a policy of routine – not random – drug/alcohol testing.) It marks you as the sort of decent person others respect and value.

Beat Safety System Entropy
Red Flag focuses on personal skills and attributes – within a managed system.

• The key personal components are clearly identified, as are the means for maintaining their fitness.
• Potential advantage linked to PEP fitness state should sufficiently encourage continual exercise.
• That motivating factor is supported by a back-up: an alert is flashed to the benefit provider, that could be the trigger for withdrawal of privilege, if fitness diminishes.
• As with all back-up systems, you pray it’ll never be needed.

Unlike many safety-training programs, Red Flag includes a continuation regime. It involves daily, weekly and monthly activities, all of which are recorded and assessed. In addition, fitness testing is continual.

Rationale
Inspections and audits of some of the very best safety systems continually reveal a significant failing – waning (or completely dead) enthusiasm for safety measures. It’s a lack-of-signs-of-achievement problem. Success in business is measured by returns. Safety systems inhibit incidents and accidents – and suffer from the opposite effect – an apparent nil return on the investment. Cut the budget. Don’t try so hard. Not enough time. There are work things to do with obvious outcomes. Generate revenue. Not another meeting. And so on.

Dedication
Individuals find it tough going as well as systems.

• They leave safety training events vibrant with motivation … but find it hard to keep it up.
• Having learned protective actions against abnormal situations, when such things don’t happen there’s no chance to reinforce the learning through practice.
• When the challenges never eventuate, the sense of cause to keep practising to beat them wanes.

Beating Adaptation
As noted earlier, you might call the above effect safety system entropy.

• The solution lies in continually energising both the safety system and the skills it relies on.
• Skills are individual attributes. It’s the same as remaining in good condition for sport.
• Train hard, test yourself against benchmarks, never stop.
• And you won’t get people to do that unless they are committed.