President's Perspective

Occasionally, an advertisement will disturb the safety conscious consumer. Perhaps it grabs attention by glamorizing a risky activity or depicting a dangerous location. It might show people biking, snowboarding or driving without the proper protection.

Advertising has tremendous power, not only to sell products but to sell attitudes. It is important for advertisers to send a responsible safety message to the public

The Canada Safety Council has challenged a number of lifestyle advertisements, including some that featured people walking on railway tracks, reckless driving, and lack of a helmet or vehicle restraint.

What can you do if you see a commercial or print ad that seems to promote unsafe behavior? First, contact the advertiser with the details of your concern. Names and addresses of companies and their CEOs are available on web sites and in business directories.

If you're not satisfied with the advertiser's response, complain to Advertising Standards Canada, the self-regulating body for the industry. ASC administers the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, which has a clause on safety:

"Advertisements must not without reason, justifiable on educational or social grounds, display a disregard for safety or depict situations that might encourage unsafe or dangerous practices or acts."

In its 2000 Ad Complaints Report, ASC describes three sanctioned television commercials: a laundry detergent ad where a teenager was buried by dirt from a dump truck, then emerged unharmed; a bakery ad with workers inside a grain silo looking up as grain poured into the silo from the top; and a financial ad that showed a lantern intended only for outdoor use being used in an enclosed space.

If you have safety concerns about an ad campaign, provide the Canada Safety Council with a full description. We may support your request that the advertising be changed or withdrawn.

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