subject arrives at site without any tools, then contemplates the heaps.
subject has shovel ready, but avoids back ache at all costs
subject realizes that some light exercise could be healthy
| Nederlands | Men at Work in Belgium |
| Energy Level 0
subject arrives at site without any tools, then contemplates the heaps. |
Energy Level 1
subject has shovel ready, but avoids back ache at all costs |
Energy Level 2
subject realizes that some light exercise could be healthy |
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| Energy Level 3
subject really working prefers the safe top-down method. |
Energy Level 4
subject really digging, vigorously attacks the heap |
Energy Level 5
Expected to exist on reasons of symmetry |
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We expect similarities with the Egyptian work-man |
| Steenkerke, 1993 | Gent, 1993 | Gent, 2001 | ||
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| The official Belgian road side worker.
The man is nothing less than omnipresent.
He works on clogs.
Thanks to the queues which are more common every day, we have all the time to enjoy the fine detail in the panels. (below) |
The helmet is the most sought after
Belgian road worker. When one of our restless team members reported
this one for the first time, she recorded only disbelief.
Afterwards we were lucky to spot this workman with hard hat three more times.
Notice the elegant shoes and how he tackles the heap using a bottom-up strategy. Probably a fore-man fresh from a training course and eager to apply new techniques. |
1830 - The founders of Belgium showed William with all his
Dutchmen the door.
2001 - Orange in more than one sneaky way step by step recovers the goods. This fresh import from The Netherlands means disaster for the diverse Belgian work-force (and for road-sign collectors). Our samples show very nice designs, but soon enough the flat icon will overrule our sweet clogged grand-pa. If there is a choice, people always choose for face-less mediocrity. What will go next? Belgian beer? |
| Steenkerke, 1993 | Gent, 1993 | Gent, 1994 | ||
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| Herentals, XII.2005; pict. B. Hoeyberghs | Hoboken, II.2007; pict. B. Hoeyberghs | |||
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| Our latest samples seem to indicate that the Belgian worker's population is in full swing. Unfamiliar workmen cross our path regularly and we're therefore forced too keep our spotters on the move. | The find from Herentals is peculiar because the warning triangle is integrated
in a rectangle. Though it is common in several other countries (e.g. Jordan, Turkey),
I've never seen this before in Belgium.
The man comes straight from Denmark. He's drawn a trifle more shoddy certainly in the upper parts. |
The man from Hoboken suffers from burn-out.
Because we have another case documented in China,
it could be a global problem (everything is nowadays).
But should we always think the worst? He's perhaps only looking down because something in the heap — or a smudge on his shoe — caught his attention. |
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| Drongen, VII.1998 | Waregem, 25.X.2007; pict. M.Tailly | |||
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| Most common sign and its mirror found together at one spot. The mirrored panel is very rarely seen. | Contrary to what I hoped for after the finds from Hoboken and Herentals the situation in Belgium is next to disastrous. First we had to tackle the Dutch invasion (2001) and now we have to swallow the Germans. The German worker was already mentioned from Luxembourg. What will be the next country to fall? |
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| More road signs from Belgium: Children crossing - Falling rocks |