The Role of the Look-out

Maritime

A lookout is the "eyes" of his ship. As a lookout you are charged with a heavy responsibility, which includes that of seeing and reporting any enemy ship or plane before he can attack, and of sighting and reporting any menace to navigation before your ship enters the danger area.

The job is to sight objects, not only before anyone else in the ship, but also in time for all hands to man battle stations before an attack develops, or for any other action that may be necessary. The ability to sight and report the enemy before he can attack may enable your ship to win an engagement with enemy surface craft, sink an enemy submarine, or shoot down attacking planes. On the other hand, inattention to your lookout duties, or carelessness in performing them, may easily cause the loss of the ship and the death of your shipmates.

Railways

For many years the role of a Lookout on Britain's railways was an important safety critical role, appointed by the Controller of Site Safety (COSS) to warn the work group of approaching trains when working on open lines.

The role involved one or more Lookouts giving warnings by use of flags, horns and whistles.

However Network Rail is accelerating plans to eliminate lookout working on the UK’s rail network following the death of a worker in London in February 2021.

Network Rail have revealed that they have asked each of its 14 routes to draw up accelerated plans to eliminate the practice of lookout working as a direct result of the tragedy.