Journal
Why amber bands need spoken language
Colour alone does not escalate. Pair every band with a sentence the duty manager can say out loud.
Painted amber looks decisive until a new supervisor asks what to do. We attach a one-line spoken trigger to every band: who to call, within how many hours, and what evidence to bring.
A weak trigger
“Monitor closely.” That sentence hides in a footnote and never leaves the wall.
A usable trigger
“If dock dwell crosses amber before 10:00, the duty lead calls the carrier desk and logs the reason code before lunch.” Specific, timed, and owned.
Testing on the floor
During pilot week we ask two people who were absent from design to read the band and act. If they hesitate, rewrite the sentence — do not reach for a brighter colour.