What actions must a qualified employee take to protect work locations?

To protect work locations, it is essential for qualified employees to ensure that flagging equipment is secured. This action is crucial because it helps prevent accidents and ensures that safety measures are maintained at work sites. Properly securing flagging equipment, such as cones, signs, or barriers, reduces the risk of these items becoming hazards due to weather conditions or disturbances, ultimately maintaining a safe environment for both workers and passing trains.

While the other options may touch on aspects of safety, they do not specifically address the protection of the work location as effectively as securing flagging equipment does. For instance, tracking inspections relates more to monitoring conditions rather than actively protecting them, and notifying workers of upcoming shifts does not contribute directly to the safety measures at the site. Similarly, ensuring all employees are trained, while important for general safety and compliance, does not specifically pertain to the immediate actions required to protect a physical work location.