Thursday 28 January 2010

1970's Escalator Safety Public Information Film

1970's Escalator Safety Public Information Film



In this PIF, mostly aimed at children about the dangers of automated escalators, showing how dangerous it can be, to stand near the edge of a moving and functioning Escalator step at the side, warned by yellow lines, and the groove at the back. A very good slogan here, of "Stand Still, Stand Steady, Stand Clear". In a quite scary way, it shows how an escalator can chomp a kid's wellington boot, in bone-crunching fashion. These retro escalators now look pretty scary themselves, looking fairly jagged at the top, where your suppoesed to stand!

It's funny how back in 70's and 80's were so PIF-mad, nitpicking at the smallest of dangers, in which these days, the Government can't be bothered to educate, despite the fact it's an on-going process of new generation after new generation being born, now clueless how to act on the monstrous obstacle of escalators. I don't see the yellow lines at the sides much now either. Populism and sensationalism has reached PIF's now, where it's only the bigger issues that come screaming and kicking out of headline news. You don't hear of people getting killed on escalators on the news, so it don't matter.

Escalators have been in some form since the 19th century, firstly modelled by American Nathan Ames in 1859, however it didn't work. The first working escalator, developed by Jesse W. Reno, and it was first installed along the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island, New York in 1896. Since then, escalators, especially for elder people, have made life easier in airports, shopping centres and so on. Just make sure your laces are tied well. Accidents are rarer now, but people have died by exploding and collapsing escalators, strangled by their own clothes as loose thread gets stuck in the machinery, as well as a nice haircut right down to the scalp. Careful now, yeah?

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