# Warning Notices are their own worst enemy. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566 "2008-04-23T17:13:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/1 "2008-04-23T17:13:42Z")
There are so many of them around now that they have become bacground ‘noise’. My IT manager today was flabbergasted that his A4 black text huge font warning signs about the blocked sink were ignored. I just went in there and worked out why… People use the kitchen so much that about 90% of their surroundings go unnoticed - they are blinkered. The warning signs are in the unnoticed areas - cupboard doors, kitchen door. People walk in and their subconscious sees the warning and dismisses it because it’s just another blacktextonwhitesquare in adition to the ones that were already there. It sometimes amazes me how many people DO pay attention to the ones on roads (I know I do). I guess _they_ must be doing something right. If you try harder to make your warning more obvious - everyone’s conscious will try harder to ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/2 "2008-04-23T18:54:49Z")
He should have hung it from the faucet. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/3 "2008-04-23T20:06:38Z")
The third brake light on cars is the same thing. When they first came out, there was a reduction in accidents. But the reduction has dissappered because people now ignore the exra light along with the regular tail braking lights. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/4 "2008-04-23T20:09:41Z")
In hindsight it has occured to me that there might be another reason the signs were ignored - they are in English. Our cleaners are Polish. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/5 "2008-04-23T21:57:02Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] Our cleaners are Polish. [/QUOTE] Polish works great on some things, like wood, but I find liquid Comet is much more useful on things like sinks for actual cleaning. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/6 "2008-04-23T22:14:33Z")
[QUOTE=Brown Eyed Girl] Polish works great on some things, like wood, but I find liquid Comet is much more useful on things like sinks for actual cleaning. [/QUOTE] \ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/7 "2008-04-24T00:50:20Z")
When I worked for an Oil & Gas company downtown, they had signs for the cleaners in about six different languages. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/8 "2008-04-24T01:17:14Z")
i’ve put “not working” or “broken” signs on copiers. on the copier, over the document handler. i’ve turned off the machine and even put a sign over the on/off switch. people just poked through the sign on the switch, lifted the lid and tried to make copies anyway. it is unreal. wet paint anyone? ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/9 "2008-04-24T14:18:56Z")
I’ve got a stack of LOUD noisy bright eye-shattering paper colors that I make signs on when necessary. They can still be ignored, but it’s harder! ---
**Author:** ![Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buckler_of_Swashing)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/10 "2008-04-24T14:19:23Z")
Once, in a store, I tripped over a big metal sign leaning angled against the counter. [QUOTE=The Sign] **TRIPPING HAZARD** [/QUOTE] If the sign wasn’t there, it wouldn’t need to be there. But since it was there, it needed to be. Woah. Deep. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-notices-are-their-own-worst-enemy/446566/11 "2008-04-24T16:51:29Z")
When I painted for theatres, I’d put tape, at eye level, with big wet paint signs, across all doors onto the stage. Doesn’t make a damn bit of difference.