Horrific Construction Association PSA - Eye Shrapnel 1985

[rustmidas]

Jesus, he got the short end of the stick, working on some BS project in an abandoned house...he was probably gonna get fired anyway!

[indyfan22k]

Ontario > better than all other Canuck provencial parcels !

you crazy Canucks !!

[SnowbirdFlock]

When closeups of women's eyes are shown, it's to inflate women's egos. When closeups of men's eyes are shown, it's to make men feel bad or scared

[RetroCalgary]

This is why "protection glasses" are now mandatory on construction sites.

[RetroCaptain]

Good day

WELL,...I CAN say that this PSA was etched in my memory!

I asked my Dad (back then) why did the chisel break? (he was in I.B.E.W) "He let the head "mushroom". You must grind the head to prevent it." It does break".

I have worked with chisels often for 20 some odd yrs now.....I ALWAYS grind the heads,..& when I borrow a customers "mushroom head chisel" I grind it back....

& yes always wear safety glasses, cause the new or ground down old tools can shatter as well!!

[guycab]

This scared the living he'll out of me as a child.

[Rebelrider24601]

Wow! This is now gonna give me flashbacks. Why in the hell did they air this during the day time back then? I vividly remember these PSA's playing during commercial breaks for The Smurfs for god's sake! Over 25 years later and I still see that metal fragment flying towards me every time I use a chisel.

[TNTITAN]

I would love to know why these were just ads on during the day? I mean I could understand if this was part of a "safety training" in the constuction workplace. But these were ads that were shown at any time on ontario Tv stations? Was there an assumtion that if you lived in Ontario you were going into the construction industry at some point in your life?

[Retrontario]

@TNTITAN Because they were classed as PSAs, I imagine they were shown generously whenever there was a hole in the commercial schedule. They certainly aired during the afterschool zone in the early 80s, which is why so many of us remember them!

[TNTITAN]

@Retrontario I not familiar with Canadian Broadcast rules of the 80's, but wouldn't there be enough "don't smoke" "don't do drugs" and of course "I can put my arm back arm and you can't" ads already. How many PSA did one have to schedule in a 30/60 minute block anyway?

[orchidtender]

@Retrontario They also ran in Italian during certain time-slots (usually on CFMT-47 and on CFTO on weekend mornings) because so many construction labourers in Ontario at the time were first-gen immigrants from Italy.

[LonelyVagabond]

Love the sound effects

[unprophesy]

It hurts more to be a construction safety and health officer.. No one ever listen to you until incident happens..

[OofusTwillip]

Today, they're mainstream, but at the time, only wussies wore safety glasses while hammering nails. Hence the need for this PSA.

Now, if we could just find the Binkley & Doinkel PSAs for the Hazardous Products Symbols... Scary synthesizer "music", creepy-looking puppets, and those frightening symbols themselves! They aired on most CTV stations in the late '70s-early '80s, but even the government and Noreen Young herself don't have these PSAs, as far as they know.

[sasukeluver345]

oooo thats gotta hurt man!

[TNTITAN]

The lesson of these PSAs was very clear. Don't go into the constuction industry ever.

[simon726]

this public information film (PSA) is really creepy! I wasn't even born when this was aired (I was born in 1986)..........

[Love4SK]

ah, here it is, truly the best. now just find that caramilk commercial w/ the devil and i'll give u my first born.

[Retrontario]

lol... its #1 on my list for most wanted... I swear it gets requested almost every day... but no one can pinpoint what year it was (83? 84?).

[sasukeluver345]

@Retrontario wat commercial was that for...?

[CelesteK]

@sasukeluver345 The Construction Safety Association of Ontario.

[Mrthumps]

Great find. this freaked me out as a kid as well.

Wasn't there also one with a guy cutting his hand off with a table saw or something?

[chameleonday]

When I get something in my eye now, all I hear is cheezy synth noises.

[chameleonday]

Anyone remember the PSA about the guy drowning in the cement and I think getting run over by the cement truck?

[datarataca]

They sure like to scare people, those safety regulators. Check this out: /watch?v=NWmWmdERcrQ

[budgetcity]

terrifying. i'm wearing safety glasses everywhere.

[strangerathome]

Damn I remember this one too. Thanks again for posting such great stuff, RETRO. I'm sure to have nightmares tonight :)

[HBKanedge818]

Very informative & cool!.

[KevinIanBryan]

YOU DA MAN!!! I've been looking FOREVER for this PSA!  Forget Friday the 13th - THIS scared me more than anything else as a child bar NONE!

By the time this PSA was done with me, I thought it was a 50/50 chance I would be blinded on a construction site from nail shrapnel. Either that or drown in quicksand. Gotta love the early 80's. :)

[r655321]

Finally is right Retro! RIGHT ON! Bravo! This is it! This whine sound effect would scare kids even today! Keep 'em coming! (applause)

[Supageeksupafreek]

My!!! Eye!!!!!

[Kenster1025]

That would be pretty nightmarish. That is why i wear goggles even when I dremel.