There Are So Many Ways Machines Can Hurt You... And There Are Warning Stickers For Them All

from the beware-of-warning-sticker dept

Wed, Apr 11th 2012 12:05am — Mike Masnick

What would you do if you found yourself at the LA Convention Center in the middle of WESTEC -- a trade show for machine manufacturers? Well, if you're my friend Jean from Notcot, you would go around and take a ton of pictures of the warning labels found on a bunch of the machines.

There's something oddly fascinating about all of these. I've included some more below, but there are a lot more in the original post. It's like a virtual museum of warning labels. Of course, it makes you wonder (or, maybe it just makes me wonder) who designs the warning labels, and how they settle in on the graphic choices. Similarly, figuring out exactly what you warn about could be a challenge. I like the one that says you have to wear goggles just to observe this machine. I suddenly have the urge to put warning labels on all my gadgets.

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Filed Under: machines, notcot, photography, warning labels, westec

21 Comments

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Torg (profile), 11 Apr 2012 @ 12:14am

I've decided the second one is advising you not to stick a plunger to the side of the machine, or it'll beat you in the face with the plunger and pee on your leg.
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Rekrul, 11 Apr 2012 @ 12:28am

First image left: Put wrench in book.

First image right: May cause hands to burst into flames.

Second image: Do not attempt to bend bar up while machine is running.

Fourth image: Do not attempt to balance broken arrows on nose.

Fifth image: Machine is not to be operated by disembodied hands.

Sixth image: No dancing.

Seventh image: No humping the machine by one-legged people.

Ninth image: 1. This machine fires spears. 2. Don not listen to radio. 3. Kidnap a duck.

Tenth image: Do not Scotch Tape hand to machine.
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Valkor (profile), 11 Apr 2012 @ 12:34am

Stick figures in peril
I love this sort of thing. It reminds me of an old website called "Stick Figures in Peril". It looks like it's now a flickr pool, but still funny.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/stickfiguresinperil/pool/
My always and forever favorite warning sign cautions against a) falling into the giant saw or b) getting bits of the first guy flung at you:
http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~tbone/warningsigns/photos/Death%20wheel.html

No, these never get old.
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Pat, 11 Apr 2012 @ 12:38am

Wow, I work in a factory and I don't think I've seen any of those. We do have one similar to the third image but it's fingers instead of the guy's whole arm.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Apr 2012 @ 12:42am

Re:
Wow, I can't stop laughing!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Apr 2012 @ 12:46am

Re: Re:
I'm Still Laughing!!!
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James, 11 Apr 2012 @ 12:56am

You wouldn't laugh if you had ever seen a lathe eat a finger. Part of the reason that the stick figures are so comical is that these things are supposed to get your attention and make you think. Humor does that, for some reason I'm not sure anyone understands. Every little bit saved on workers comp tort lawsuits is a potential bonus for the label designers.
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illuminaut, 11 Apr 2012 @ 1:57am

Re:
nobody ever changes their behavior based on what they see on warning labels. by the time someone uses a certain piece of machinery, they either have already been told about the dangers or they've made up their mind. the only reason the labels are there are for liability reasons, so if someone does something stupid the manufacturer can say 'but we warned them'.
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Mr Big Content, 11 Apr 2012 @ 2:08am

Please Take This Posting Down
You�re posting a virtual how-to recipe book of industrial terrorism here. This kind of irresponsibility cannot be tolerated.

The guy who took the photographs should have been locked up. I wonder what kind of lax security they had at the convention?

This needs to be reported to the DHS.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Apr 2012 @ 2:46am

Re: Please Take This Posting Down
And look at all the copyright theft in this article too.

Those label makers rights ar being violated!
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Mesonoxian Eve (profile), 11 Apr 2012 @ 3:20am

What you don't see on those signs is the backside:
"SEVERE WARNING: THIS SIGN IS UNDER COPYRIGHT PROTECTION. VIOLATE THIS, AND YOU'LL WISH YOUR EMPLOYEE SUFFERED THE DAMAGE DESCRIBED AS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CHEAPER TO RECTIFY!"
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Niall (profile), 11 Apr 2012 @ 4:19am

Note to self...
...do not read while having lunch!
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pr, 11 Apr 2012 @ 6:31am

Folly
The folly of trying to make anything foolproof, since fools are so clever. But not, apparently, clever enough to learn to read, since warnings now have to be in pictures.

Seriously, one can only absorb so much information. Silly warning lables warning of improbable or obvious danger crowds out real warnings that users need to be made aware of. You ever read your ladder? I gave up and went back to something easier and less depressing, like Moby Dick.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Apr 2012 @ 6:39am

Re: Re:
Glad to hear your well-informed viewpoint that nobody ever reads warning labels when operating large/dangerous pieces of machinery.

I should hope that before being asked to use dangerous equipment an employee is given training from another source, but I've seen situations where that's not the case.

And yes, I read warning labels - sometimes for the laugh, sometimes to avoid serious injuries.
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Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased) (profile), 11 Apr 2012 @ 6:42am

Re: Stick figures in peril
Plus it looks like the bits receiver has his mouth open. "Don't call for help while people parts are being flung at you at a rapid rate!"
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Liz (profile), 11 Apr 2012 @ 6:48am

Pfft. This is nothing. There are far more warnings applied to the Portal Gun.
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DogBreath, 11 Apr 2012 @ 8:44am

Re: Stick figures in peril
Takes me back to the days of Adventures of Alfredo produced in the early 80's (Episodes 1 thru 10 playlist), where no matter how hard you try to escape the machines you're doomed to fail.
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ike, 11 Apr 2012 @ 10:02am

Hyperbolic stickers
Hyperbolic Upgrade Stickers
http://store.wondermark.com/products/hyperbolic

Makes any device better!

Even your iPhone!
http://store.wondermark.com/products/iphone-atoms
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orbitalinsertion (profile), 11 Apr 2012 @ 2:41pm

Warning: Machine may throw a spanner into your works. Or your book.
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Chargone (profile), 12 Apr 2012 @ 11:21pm

Re: Re: Re:
there are plenty of people dim enough not to, sadly.

the Smart people read them on unusual/particularly hazardous looking stuff...

i don't think Anyone reads the ones on common household goods, really. (or if they do they're like my Grandmother, who's ability to use tech and not freak out about it stops and 'plug in fridge, set temp dial.' or 'plug in TV to power and antenna socket. if reception is problematic, call son to come fix'.

and even she would probably be more like 'ooh, lots of warning lables... humm, let's NOT get that one...'

so... yeah. i wouldn't say they're Useless, but i'd easily believe that the main purpose of them is liability rather than any active desire to not mangle people with the machines :)
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Anonymous Coward, 8 May 2012 @ 8:27am

haha.., thank you for posting these stickers. they trigger an idea in my mind.

jamur lingzhi
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