Safety Check: The Point, Speak and Touch System to Improve Gear Checks

Safety Check
Thursday, September 18, 2025

The Point, Speak and Touch System—also known as Shisa Kanko—started in Japan’s railway system, where it proved highly effective at reducing human error in high-risk environments. The technique engages multiple senses simultaneously: Individuals physically point at, touch and verbally confirm each item they’re checking. This deliberate action pattern reinforces attention and helps override automatic behavior or assumption-based decision making.

Studies by Japan’s Railway Technical Research Institute show that combining sight, speech and motion can reduce operational errors by up to 85 percent. The system is so effective because it breaks the mental autopilot mode that often accompanies routine tasks—especially in familiar or high-tempo environments.

Skydiving presents similar challenges. The very nature of our sport involves repetitive actions in dynamic settings, where distractions are common. Think of situations like doing a gear check in a loud or crowded hangar, prepping for a big event, rushing to manifest while getting last-minute updates or trying to focus with multiple conversations happening around you. These are prime moments when expectation bias can creep in—where we assume gear is fine because “it usually is,” or because we’re juggling too many things at once.

Integrating point, speak and touch into gear checks directly combats this bias. For example: point to the 3-ring assembly, touch it and say out loud, “Fabric, metal, fabric, metal, fabric.” Touch the reserve static line and state, “RSL connected.” Touch the cutaway handle and confirm, “Cutaway secure.” Each movement reinforces the action mentally and physically, increasing awareness and reducing the likelihood that a jumper overlooks a critical step.

This technique is especially valuable for tandem instructors, students, and newer jumpers who are still building procedural memory, but it benefits everyone regardless of experience level. As distractions grow, so does the risk of error. Using point, speak and touch adds an extra layer of cognitive safety, keeping our focus where it matters most: on the gear and the jump ahead.

Angie Aragon D-30898
AFF, Tandem and Coach Examiner and USPA National Director