How do you best inform the public about general safety precautions and the dangers of work place injuries? The Dutch combined two essential cultural traits: Dutch directness and pragmatism, et voila: very creepy (and now hilarious) Dutch Safety Posters! Maybe they should bring these back for modern disorders: e.g. bad spelling mistakes in emails; overusing of LOL; sharing hoax stories and cat photos on Facebook…etc. Wouldn’t the world be a better place? 😉
Old Dutch Safety Signs That Will Make You Scared To Leave Your House!
1. (1946) “Treat the smallest wound quickly and your body will stay healthy and whole”
2. (1939) “Carbon monoxide! Ensure proper ventilation”
3. (1925) “Beware: There are monsters lurking on power lines!”
4. (1927) “Being distracted leads to accidents”
[sdpl-ad5]
5. (1941) “No spitting”
6. (1926) “Alcohol consumption increases the likelihood of accidents”
7. (1940) “This can cost you your foot”
8. (1925) “Open doors and windows before you start your engine”
9. (1945) “A safety belt could have saved him”
[sdpl-ad4]
10. (1950) “Don’t wear a ring during work”
11. (1925) “Life threatening and therefore prohibited”
Prachtig! Heeft de Veiligsheid Museum wat posters te koop?
Choqueren maakt opmerkzaam. Deze zijn ook nog erg mooi en heel Nederlands. Die voet met spijker is nog heel lang gebruikt.
See? These signs work.
Had to laugh very loud when I read your introduction. You are so right. 1) I am Dutch and I do use LOL far too much, 2) I do share hoax stories but only because I don’t know they are not real. (Is that something the Dutch do more than people from other countries? Weird.) And yes I do share cat photos on Facebook.
I have to visit your site more often, for this mirror….
Greetje
And I have To do the LOL
Well I think they say what they need to say. Dutch directness has a place! Safety posters need to be clear!
I remember the British ads to warn about HIV infection (not 100% on that) which was done with an iceberg…I have no idea what it was they were saying and as you can tell I am not even sure if it was about that or something else.
So funny! While we are on the direct Dutch path: I think number nine should be translated as would have saved him, not could.