Safety instructions: failure to comply with these may result in “serious injury or death”.
Do not look through them directly at the sun or you may go blind.
Do not put them in an unstable position on a high surface or they may fall on someone.
Do not swing them on the strap or you may hit someone.
Do not look through them while you are walking or you may trip over.
Each of these was illustrated with a patronising picture for the hard of thinking.
I imagine that anyone who spends a three figure sum on a pair of binoculars has almost certainly bought them for heliological purposes; is sure to put them where they might fall; is going to swing them like a poi; and will have the hand eye coordination to view something steadily at 10x magnification whilst walking along an uneven track.
What has happened to our nation’s attitudes to risk and to personal responsibility and common sense?
No doubt the instruction manual for Spitfires said, “Danger, flying this aeroplane near to enemy fighters may result in being shot down causing serious injury or death.”
If only Norman arrows had had a similar warning to keep them away from king’s eyes.
The local supermarket should get something like that printed up, and issue leaflets on how to use the travelator thing. I’ve seen a few people just stand on it quite gormlessly, and fall over at the end of it.
Unicycles should come with a manual of safety warnings.
Two years ago we had a guest who wanted to try a unicycle. She thought the unicycle was defective because it would not stay up with her on it. That is the type of person would file a lawsuit against the unicycle owner, the retailer, the manufacturer, the designer, the tire inflater, the owner of the tire pump, the cousin of the person who painted the frame, the plantation owner where the tire rubber originated … all because there is no manual of safety warnings attached to the unicycle.
That scenario has already been enacted. A girl at a local unicycling club had signed a declaration that she knew unicycling might be dangerous. She had additionally been told not to ride in flared jeans. She did, and she fell breaking a leg very badly. Took legal action against those running the club, who were then in great financial danger for many months, as the case draqged on.
There was great relief all round when the club was found NOT responsible. The stress placed on the organisers was great and until “common sense” kicks back in to replace “health and safety”, we are all at risk.
People getting killed by falling from stairs and ladders each year in Germany: Approx. 1200
People getting killed while riding a bike each year in Germany: Approx. 600
Shouldn’t we all be more careful when going up/down the stairs? Shouldn’t we have some kind of stair helmet law? Or is our perception of risk completely weird?
Disclaimer: NO, I don’t consider riding a bike or climbing stairs particulary dangerous. NO, I’m not a helmet law fan.
It’s terrible that someone would ruin everyone else’s chances to have fun and learn a new skill just because they’re too ignorant to follow simple instructions. Anyway, a broken leg heals, if she was permanently paralysed or had to have a limb amputated perhaps she’d be more entitled to compensation!
That is REALLY scary. I have gotten to where I don’t like having visitors and newcomers to club activities because I am afraid someone is going to get hurt. It is way too easy for someone to fall off a unicycle especially those who just drop by and say they want to try it.
It is way too easy for someone to fall off a unicycle especially those who just drop by and say they want to try it.