Safety videos are representative of the use of visual technology in educating people
about safety implications and are meant for conveying a social message towards the creation of a healthier and safer society.
There was a time when instructions pertaining to safety used to be taught through the medium of books as well as pictures to the affect that the retention of knowledge was limited only to theoretical knowledge. This was replaced by motion picture wherein a video clip graphically demonstrating safety instructions as well as their repercussions on being neglected was more effective in creating awareness. Due to their impact, safety videos began to be made to encompass a wide variety of topics and were made available through the internet as well for easy and widespread accessibility. Hence, all that the viewer was required to do was to click on the relevant topic and then assimilate all the instructions and safety tips enumerated in it.
However, it was only a period of time before this technique lost its charm as well and began to be considered by people as being mundane and boring with safety training sessions being regarded as times when one could take a nap in-between work. Since then, efforts have been on to find a more innovative approach to making safety videos more interesting and one of the solutions which have emerged is humor. Humor is one of the few emotions which enjoy a universal language and not only does it provide one with the much needed laugh but also promotes a deeper understanding and better perspective of the situation.
Incorporation of humor in the safety video not only conveys the message without being too instructional, overbearing or serious but also ensures that the message is retained by the audience long after they have watched the video. A generous as well as crafty use of animations when combined with a dosage of humorous scenes is a perfect recipe for conveying safety instructions in an unassuming manner so that the workers, apart from remembering them, are more likely to practice then unconsciously in their daily routine as well.