The “Dead Tired” Safety Poster
In 1980, there was a safety poster that made the rounds in the school system before being pulled for being too controversial. The poster was that of a close up of a hand with a cigarette in it and the tip of the cigarette was burning a hole into what appeared to be a mattress as flames started to spark from the mattress. This safety poster prominently featured the words “Dead Tired” on it.
A fairly grim image, but it was also an effective image. As safety posters go, this particular safety poster went to an ominous length to drive its message home. It was succinct and stressed the fact that if you fall asleep while smoking, you may not wake up. Note how times have changed, since the poster didn’t make any references to the health hazards of smoking.
Is This Necessary?
This brings up a serious question: does a safety poster need to be shocking in order to make its point properly? That is hard to say, since “need” is a fairly strong word and only the person looking at the safety poster will be the effective judge of what the poster needs in order to be effective. There will be, however, a fairly standard consensus as to whether or not a poster is using shock in order to get its point across. There will not be a consensus, however, if a safety poster that uses shock value to get it message across is appropriate in the school system.
Twenty-six years ago, the school boards on the East Coast opted to remove the “Dead Tired” posters out of high schools and grade schools, feeling that it went too far and the message of smoking safety could be better served with a slightly less severe of a message. This poster was designed for adults who smoked and was totally out of place in schools.
In all the years that have passed, safety posters have become less shocking and more informative. The safety posters of old were simply an offshoot of the old mental hygiene 16mm safety films and were just a bit too over the top. There are a number of safety posters these days that use creativity as opposed to shock to sell their message and seem to do their job quite well. It would be wise to check them out.