Safety Instruction Plate: "Do Not Stand in Line with the Saw Blade When Operating a Pendulum Saw"

This plate is a classic example of Soviet industrial safety agitation, designed to prevent injuries in woodworking shops. Such instructions were mandatory for workplace setups in factories and furniture manufacturing plants.

Material and Production Features

Unlike common paper posters, this particular exhibit is a glass plate. The use of glass ensured durability in harsh production environments where paper would quickly deteriorate due to dust, moisture, or oil. Printing on glass results in more saturated colors and turns the plate into a substantial artifact of industrial design.

Concept and Primary Safety Rule

The glass depicts a worker (machine operator) using a pendulum (cross-cut) saw. The main emphasis is placed on the danger zone—the line where the blade or wood fragments might be ejected.

The key safety rule states: It is strictly forbidden to stand in the plane of rotation of the saw blade. In the event of a jam or tool failure, flying particles move precisely along this trajectory, posing a lethal threat to the operator.

Historical and Aesthetic Value

Today, such glass plates are of particular interest to collectors and fans of industrial aesthetics. It is worth noting that this specific “Saw Blade” plate was gifted by Den Weissman, adding a personal history and unique collectible value to the item.

The concise text and stark graphics make such instructions a recognizable symbol of Soviet labor culture, where worker safety was a priority (at least at the level of visual agitation).