The Best Safety Quotes to Use in the Workplace

We have compiled a list of free safety quotes for safety professionals to use in the workplace. Safety quotes and messages are a great way to further communicate values and goals with the employees throughout a company. That being said, it is vital to remember that safety messages, slogans, and sayings on their own will not make a lasting impact.

Safety Quotes Should be Used to Further Safety Training Efforts

Making a real difference in getting employees to buy into safety efforts will take more than simply slapping up a safety poster with a motivational quote on it. There are many actions management can take to get employees to want to work safely. While this post will not dive into all facets of how to improve safety in the workplace, it is important to note that using short safety quotes or slogans can assist in furthering training efforts.

There are many topics that OSHA actually requires employers to train their employees on. Safety training most frequently occurs at the time of hire and annually thereafter at many companies. All too often, these employers limit safety communication to these training sessions. Training efforts can be strengthened by utilizing ongoing communication and reminders so that safety messages stay fresh in the workers’ minds.

Safety Communication Can Help to Engage Employees

Employees are likely to forget some level of safety training if they are not reminded on a frequent basis. To remind an employee that safety is important does not require having a one-on-one conversation with every single individual. It can be as simple as sharing a safety message in a weekly meeting or posting a new safety quote in the lunchroom. Consistency in reinforcing safety messages can assist with obtaining buy-in over time. The safety and business quotes provided in this post can be utilized as a part of ongoing safety communication efforts.

Our Safety Quotes and Relevant Business Quotes

Below is a list of free safety and five relevant business quotes. The business quotes that were picked can be tied in with workplace safety. There are names of authors when it is possible to attribute the quote to an individual, which are the subcategories these quotes are broken into. Scroll below the list of quotes to find five business quotes with explanations to tie them into safety as well as three free downloadable safety quote posters.

Safety Quotes with Authors

• “For safety is not a gadget, but a state of mind.” – Eleanor Everet
• “Safety brings first aid to the uninjured.” – F.S. Hughes
• “The danger which is least expected soonest comes to us.”  – Voltaire
• “Safety should never be a priority, it should be a precondition” – Paul O’Neill
• “You are your last line of defense in safety. It boils down to you.” – Kina Repp
• “The safety of the people is the highest law.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
• “The future of the safety movement is not so much dependent upon the invention of safety devices as on the improvement of methods of educating people to the ideal of caution and safety.” – Walter Dill Scott
• “At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security.” – Jodi Rell

Popular Safety Sayings with Unknown Authors

• “Safety isn’t expensive, it is priceless.”
• “Safety doesn’t happen by accident.”
• “Safety is a state of mind.”
• “All injuries are preventable.”
• “Safety is the priority. Quality is the standard.”
• “Safety first is safety always.”
• “Safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

All Safety Quotes on Images

Scroll below if you would download the above safety slogans on small images to share on safety resources such as a monthly newsletter.

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Five Business Quotes Related to Workplace Safety

Incorporating unique ideas and fresh perspectives into your safety message can provide employees with more of the “why” behind the “what” of safety. Using the same basic safety phrases over and over, especially for tenured employees, can result in your message not being received. Using information from other fields of study can go a long way in assisting you in getting through to all employees. Browse the five business quotes and short explanations below to get an idea of how to convey safety differently.

A Quote About Culture

“Culture is a thousand things, a thousand times. It’s living the core values when you hire; when you write an email; when you are working on a project; when you are walking the halls.” – Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb

Brian Chesky stated these words in a letter addressed to his employees following a conversation he had with world-famous Peter Thiel. Brian asked Peter for his single most important piece of advice, and his response was to not mess up the culture. Thiel went on to say that once a company reaches a certain size it is almost inevitable that the culture gets “screwed up”.

This conversation led Brian to not only think about how to protect their culture, but to improve upon it. This quote is great to use as part of a safety meeting to reinforce to all employees that everyone’s actions and decisions impact the culture in a workplace. All employees can either be part of strengthening or weakening a culture that values safety in the workplace.

A Quote About Mentoring

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Isaac Newton

Achieving safety in the workplace is no small feat. It takes considerable collaboration, trust, communication, and expertise from all employees. The above quote is a great reminder that nothing great is achieved alone. No one individual has all of the information and expertise to get every work task completed in a safe and efficient manner.

Everyone in the workplace needs to take responsibility in helping the individuals around them to achieve a safe and efficient workplace. Mentoring others not only ensures the success of the mentee in the workplace, but it also benefits the worker who is stepping up to play the role of a mentor.

A Quote About Leadership

“Leadership is influence.” —John C. Maxwell

Related to the two quotes above, being a leader does not necessarily mean an employee needs to be the boss or owner of a company. All employees play a leadership role at some point through the influence that they have on others in the workplace. This is especially true when it comes to working safely. It is not always easy to make the choice to work safely, but showing courage by taking the time and energy to work safe even when others may not agree demonstrates to coworkers that it is important. The demonstration of consistently following safety rules influences those around you in both the short and long term.

A Quote About Attitude

“For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.” – Walter Scott

Ability can only take an employee so far in their career. Since success depends so heavily on a multitude of factors, the ability of an employee is of less importance to their success than their attitude. This quote can serve as a reminder to employees that our willingness to learn, remain positive in the face of adversity, work with one another, desire to continuously improve, etc. reflects a positive attitude, which is far more likely to guarantee their individual success as well as the success of the company as a whole over time compared to having great abilities and a poor attitude at the current moment. The workplace is ever-changing, and today’s work requires a myriad of skills. Employees who strive to keep a positive attitude over the ones who don’t and just rely on their current abilities are more likely to grow in their career.

A Quote About Consistency

“It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.” – Tony Robbins

Establishing true safety takes consistency. Consistency in following best practices, wearing personal protective equipment, verifying safeguards, inspecting equipment, planning out work tasks, etc. are all examples of actions employees need to take every single day to ensure a safe workplace. This is a great quote to remind employees that safety success does not care about what actions were taken yesterday. It requires attention, focus, and energy on a daily basis to ensure that safety is prioritized.

Three Free Safety Quote Downloadable Posters

Below are three classic safety sayings on downloadable and printable posters. These posters are 18 inches by 24 inches. Simply download them and print them out at your office if you have a capable printer or get them printed for cheap at a store such as Staples. These posters will print high-quality copies if printed on smaller sizes, but may not print well for sizes larger than 18 inches by 24 inches.

Free Safety Responsibility Quote Poster

Free Safety Mindset Quote Poster

 

Free Safety Doesn’t Happen by Accident Quote Poster

Summary

Safety quotes and messages are not to be solely relied upon to improve safety in the workplace. These items are just another tool in the toolbox to assist with getting buy-in from employees. They are a great tool to reinforce safety training or assisting to demonstrate a company’s value to the workforce. Consistency in the efforts aimed at improving safety in a given workplace is key to making positive change. Use the ideas from this post to craft custom messages or safety resources that can make a difference in your workplace.

Do not be afraid to pull in quotes about topics such as leadership, consistency, attitude, etc., and incorporate the core ideas into your safety program. It is easy to make employees comply with safety rules through negative reinforcement, but that approach will only get you so far. Getting employees to understand and internalize the “why” behind the “what” of safety.

When employees WANT to work safe instead of HAVING to, true sustained improvement in a safety program can be achieved.