Drill Safety, Soviet Propaganda

This occupational safety poster, published by Mashinostroenie Publishing House in Moscow and printed at Moscow Typography No. 6 in July 1989, represents the continuation of Soviet industrial safety communication programs into the glasnost era. Designated as Plate 8 in a twelve-poster series addressing drilling machine safety techniques, it was developed in consultation with trade union occupational safety committees for the automobile, tractor, and agricultural machinery sectors. The artist S.I. Orlov employs a reductive graphic vocabulary to communicate the hazard of metal swarf accumulation on rotating drill bits. The composition utilizes complementary color relationships, positioning warm-toned metal chips against a saturated cyan field to maximize visual impact in industrial environments. The kinetic white lines suggesting rotational motion derive from conventions established in earlier Soviet technical illustration. The poster preserves complete bibliographic data including format specifications (60x90 1/2), print quantity (20,000 copies), and the full administrative hierarchy of Soviet state publishing. Such documentation provides valuable primary source material for scholars of Soviet industrial policy, workplace safety history, and state graphic design programs. Size: 23.0" x 17.0" Artist: S.I. Orlov Condition: Very Good, Age-appropriate wear, fading and toning. General border wear. Light horizontal rolls in upper right. Please use the photo zoom feature to get a better understanding of overall condition. *Additional photos available upon request.