100+ Inspirational Quotes for Safety: Wisdom to Keep You Protected

"Safety is not an intellectual exercise to keep us in work. It is a matter of life and death. It is the sum of our contributions to safety management that determines whether the people we work with live or die."

- Sir Brian Appleton, Technical Adviser to the Enquiry on the Piper Alpha Accident

"Safety is not an intellectual exercise to keep us in work. It is a matter of our contributions to safety management that determines whether the people we work with live or die."

- Sir Brian Appleton

"You don’t need to know the whole alphabet of Safety. The A, B, and C of it will save you if you follow it: Always Be Careful."

- Mines Magazine (Colorado School of Mines)

"Safety and security don’t just happen; they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."

- Nelson Mandela

"Safety is an attitude that involves everyone every day."

- OSHA

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

- Benjamin Franklin

"Safety should never be a priority. It should be a precondition."

- Paul O Neill

"Safety has to be everyone’s responsibility… Everyone needs to know that they are empowered to speak up if there’s an issue."

- Captain Scott Kelly

"Safety is our first concern, not deadlines. Nothing will happen until everything is ready, and we’re absolutely confident. This will be a safe operation."

- Mikhail Manin

"Safety is our first concern, not deadlines. Nothing will happen until everything is ready and we’re absolutely confident. This will be a safe operation."

- Mikhail Manin

"When it comes down to it, safety is a priority when it comes to a warehouse – after safety, you can think about efficiency. The last thing you want to do is put your warehouse workers in danger – just to boost your profit margins. A safe warehouse is an efficient warehouse."

- Business First Family Organization

"Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands."

- Jeff Cooper

"You are your own last line of defense in safety. It all boils down to you."

- Kina Repp

"Ask the people who work in the warehouse to start thinking about safety, and on a regular, periodic basis, review and discuss how they might work better. I encourage people to put a meeting on a calendar, once a month, at least to come together for an hour or 90 minutes to discuss ideas for improvement."

- Joseph Flahiff

"Safety is not a gadget – it is a state of mind."

- Eleanor Everet

"The real enemy of safety is not non-compliance but non-thinking."

- Rob Long

"Safety First is Safety Always."

- Charles Melville Hays

"Train your employees on rack safety and they’ll identify and report the damage. Empower them to report damage and you’ll avoid accidents."

- Robert Bouchard

"Safety has to be everyone’s responsibility… everyone needs to know that they are empowered to speak up if there’s an issue."

- Captain Scott Kelly

"Nothing is of greater importance than the conservation of human life."

- Former U.S. President Calvin Coolidge

"If you don’t think it is safe, it probably isn’t."

- Jerry Smith

"Any worker should be able to stop work if they feel there is a danger to continuing operations."

- Sean Lucas

"If the owner or manager does not show an interest in preventing employee injury and illness, then the employees will probably not give it much thought either."

- Rhode Island Small Business Recovery Program

"Not responding is a response - we are equally responsible for what we don't do."

- Jonathan Safran Foer

"You don’t need to know the whole alphabet of Safety. The A, B, C of it will save you if you follow it: Always Be Careful."

- Mines Magazine (Colorado School of Mines)

"Precaution is better than cure."

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"People don’t care what you know until they know you care."

- Corrie Pitzer

"Your employees learn by example. If they don’t see you practising good safety habits, they won’t think safety is important."

- Electrical Construction & Maintenance

"Government's first duty and highest obligation is public safety."

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

"I never thought I'd hear myself say it, but safety first!"

- J. K. Rowling

"If you don’t know, ask. Working with people is far better than working against them — always bring together all the people and information available to you!."

- Aidan O’Shannessy, The Block Site Manager

"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

"Safety is never ‘attained’ but a work in progress in tension between ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practible) and the Precautionary Principle."

- Rob Long

"The shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself, but the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences."

- Proverbs 22:3 (New World Translation)

"It takes leadership to improve safety."

- Jackie Stewart

"There is no such thing as an accident, only a failure to recognise the hand of fate."

- Napoleon

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"Paper doesn’t save people, people save people."

- Dan Petersen

"The way to be safe is never to be secure."

- Benjamin Franklin

"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come."

- Confucius

"Better Safe than Sorry"

- Samuel Lover

"Concern for man himself and his safety must always for the chief interest of all technical endeavours."

- Albert Einstein

"It matters little how much equipment we use; it matters much that we be masters of all we do use."

- Sam Abell

"Safety applies with equal force to the individual, to the family, to the employer, to the state, the nation and to international affairs. Safety, in its widest sense, concerns the happiness, contentment and freedom of mankind."

- William M. Jeffers

"There’s no better policy in society than pursuing the health and safety of its people."

- Ralph Nader

"Deterrence itself is not a preeminent value; the primary values are safety and morality."

- Herman Kahn

"Occupational safety and health are vital to the dignity of work."

- Juan Somavia

"The safety of the people shall be the highest law."

- Marcus Tullius Cicero

"How employees manage health and safety in the workplace or how labor rights are respected are issues important for employees and investors alike. Companies can, and should, do good right alongside doing well."

- Tim Smith

"You are your last line of defense in safety. It boils down to you."

- Kina Repp

"Working safely is like breathing – if you don’t, you die."

- Jerry Smith

"The economic waste resulting from carelessness is appalling, but anyone who stops for a moment to consider the sorrow and desolation brought into thousands of lives each year by utter thoughtlessness must feel a new resolve to make a habit of safety first."

- W. C. Durant

"The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on."

- Barack Obama

"For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind."

- Eleanor Everet

"The economic waste resulting from carelessness is appalling, but anyone who stops for a moment to consider the sorrow and desolation which is brought into thousands of lives each year by utter thoughtlessness must feel a new resolve to make a habit of safety first."

- W. C. Durant

"The greatest responsibility of a leader is to give the people in your span of care grounded sense of hope for the future"

- Bob Chapman

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."

- William James

"Safety isn’t expensive; it’s priceless."

- Jerry Smith

"Safety is the most basic task of all. Without a sense of safety, no growth can take place. Without safety, all energy goes to defense."

- Torey L. Hayden

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

- Benjamin Franklin

"Work injuries and illnesses can affect every aspect of life for workers and their families."

- Maine Department of Labor

"Alternate tasks whenever possible, mixing non-computer-related tasks into the workday. This encourages body movement and the use of different muscle groups."

- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

"I’m glad to see how young people are stepping up when it comes to safety. They are focused on safety rather than being told to be safe. It makes a difference when people own things."

- Scott Cam

"When it comes down to it, safety is a priority in a warehouse – after safety, you can think about efficiency. The last thing you want to do is put your warehouse workers in danger – to boost your profit margins. A safe warehouse is an efficient warehouse."

- Business First Family Organization

"What would we do if a plane crashed today and 100 people died? What would we do if it happened again tomorrow? And the next day? We’d ground air traffic. We wouldn’t live with that. It’s been going on daily on our nation’s roadways for the last 40, 50, or 60 years."

- David Teater, former NSC Transportation Expert

"One is not exposed to danger who, even when in safety is always on their guard."

- Publilius Syrus

"Of the major incentives to improve safety, by far the most compelling is that of economics. The moral incentive, which is most evident following an accident, is more intense but is relatively short lived."

- Jerome F. Lederer

"Treating employees benevolently shouldn’t be viewed as an added cost that cuts into profits, but as a powerful energizer that can grow the enterprise into something far greater than one leader could envision."

- Harold Schultz

"Studies show that a trusting workplace increases employees’ level of happiness, work effort, productivity, and engagement. It also provides an environment that encourages open communication and promotes people to share their ideas."

- Arthur Miller

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety."

- Proverbs 11:14 (King James Version)

"Don't learn safety by accident."

- Jerry Smith

"Safety is a basic human need. People with a sense of security and belonging are stabilized for learning, creating, innovating. A group of wonderfully cared for, confident individuals will generate great ideas."

- John Sweeney

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

- Benjamin Franklin

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Our motto is to work for peace based on social justice. Our mandate is to improve the condition, health and safety of workers, and our mission is universal."

- David A. Morse

"It is essential to have good tools, but it is also essential that the tools should be used in the right way."

- Wallace Wattles

"At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security."

- Jodi Rell

"Measuring Safety Performance by the number of injuries you have is like measuring parenting by the number of smacks you give."

- Dr. Robert Long

"An incident is just the tip of the iceberg, a sign of a much larger problem below the surface."

- Don Brown

"Error is pervasive. The unexpected is pervasive… What is not pervasive are well-developed skills to detect and contain these errors at their early stages."

- Karl E. Weick

"Safety is the most basic task of all. Without sense of safety, no growth can take place. Without safety, all energy goes to defense."

- Torey L. Hayden

"Working virtually 100% indoors, in a seated position and usually talking on a phone, writing or typing on a computer paves the way for some of the top injuries … to develop."

- Albert Einstein

"Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging."

- Joseph Campbell

"When safety professionals’ risk tolerance is out of alignment with societal norms the safety professional is doomed to a life of frustration."

- Phil LaDuke

"If safety is a joke, then death is the punchline."

- Paul Laforest.

"I do care a great deal about the environment. Still, my real work and my greatest challenge are trying to overcome deceits that end up jeopardizing public health and safety."

- Erin Brockovich

"It is my sincere wish and hope that the day will come when the protecting arms of Universal Safety will spread out over all industry and reach all the millions of workers who make industry possible."

- Charles M. Schwab

"Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly."

- Mother Teresa

"Confidence cannot find a place wherein to rest in safety."

- Virgil

"Teaching the world to be careful is a constructive service worthy of God’s great gift of life to man."

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harold H. Burton

"Safety work is today recognized as an economic necessity. It is the study of the right way to do things."

- Robert W. Campbell

"Safety is 30%. Common Sense, 80%. Compliance and the rest is good luck."

- Barry Spud

"Better a thousand times careful than once dead."

- Proverb

"If you put good people in bad systems, you get bad results. You have to water the flowers you want to grow."

- Stephen Covey

"Tomorrow: your reward for working safely today."

- Robert Pelton

"Carefulness costs you nothing. Carelessness may cost you your life."

- Safety saying, circa early 1900s

"No Safety, Know Pain. Know Safety, No Pain."

- Author Unknown

"The danger which is least expected soonest comes to us."

- Voltaire, French dramatist, poet and reformer born in 1694

"One earnest worker can do more by personal suggestion to prevent accidents than a carload of safety signs."

- Making Paper

"Off the shelf Safety Systems – if you want a good dust collector, buy a vacuum cleaner."

- Dave Collins

"Safety isn’t expensive, it’s priceless."

- Author Unknown

"We believe a happy employee will lead directly to happy customers."

- Chris Hammond

"When we think about being the most customer-centric organization, we (also) want to be the most safety-centric organization in the world."

- Marla Corson, director, Amazon North America

"It’s very isolating when you think you are the only one struggling."

- Adam Kay

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If you don’t know, ask. Working with people is far better than working against them — always bring together all the people and information available to you!"

- Aidan O’Shannessy

"Paper doesn’t save people, people save people"

- Dan Petersen

"Never stop investing … never stop learning"

- Captain Sully

"Measuring performance by the numbers of injuries you have is like measuring parenting by the number of smacks you give."

- Dr. Robert Long

"The shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself, but the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences"

- Proverbs 22:3

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety"

- Proverbs 11:14

"Safety is never ‘attained’ but a work in progress in tension between ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) and the Precautionary Principle."

- Rob Long

"The automobile has brought death, injury, and the most inestimable sorrow and deprivation to millions of people."

- Ralph Nader, car safety reform advocate (1965)

"There is no such thing as an accident, only a failure to recognize the hand of fate."

- Napoleon

"We must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them."

- Former U.S. President John F. Kennedy

"When safety professionals’ risk tolerance is out of alignment with societal norms, the safety professional is doomed to a life of frustration."

- Phil LaDuke

"Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection."

- Mark Twain

"You don’t need to know the whole alphabet of safety. The A, B, C of it will save you if you follow it: Always Be Careful."

- Colorado School of Mines Magazine

"Safety is not just a policy; it’s a mindset."

- Author Unknown

"Safety doesn’t take a holiday."

- Author Unknown

"All this health and safety talk is just killing me."

- Jeremy Clarkson

"Safety brings first aid to the uninjured."

- F.S. Hughes

"Safety is never a permanent state of affairs."

- Davos Seaworth

"No job is so urgent that we can’t take the time to do it safely."

- Author Unknown

"Do not think because an accident hasn’t happened to you that it can’t happen."

- Safety saying, circa early 1900s

"Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right."

- Henry Ford

"There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits."

- Michael Phelps

"Safety saves sickness, suffering, sadness."

- Safety saying, circa early 1900s

"Shallow men believe in luck; wise and strong men believe in cause and effect."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You don’t need to know the whole alphabet of Safety. The a, b, c of it will save you if you follow it: Always Be Careful."

- Colorado School of Mines Magazine

"Safety doesn’t slow the job down—it ensures it gets done."

- Author Unknown

"Don’t learn safety by accident; learn it beforehand to avoid one."

- Author Unknown

"Our plans for the future descend from the past."

- Seneca

"A safe work environment is a productive work environment."

- Author Unknown

"Luck runs out but safety is good for life."

- Author Unknown

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

- Warren Buffett

"Whoever is happy will make others happy too."

- Anne Frank

"There is no substitute for knowledge, training, and experience when it comes to safety."

- Unknown

"Safety is a state of mind – a way of life. It’s not just about wearing the right gear or following the right procedures. It’s about being aware of your surroundings and the potential dangers and taking the necessary precautions to avoid them."

- Unknown

"Safety is not something that just happens – it is something that must be planned, practiced, and promoted."

- Unknown

"The outcome of safety is the sum of the decisions and actions of the individuals in a workplace."

- Unknown

"Work safely today. Remember, somebody expects you home tonight."

- Unknown

"The outcome of safety is the sum of decisions and actions of the individuals in a workplace."

"Don’t turn your back on safety, if it’s unsafe, report it!"

"A great safety culture: when people continue to work safely, and do the right thing, even when no one is watching."

"If you are the proprietor or managing director of a company, you are ultimately responsible for the health and safety in all aspects of the business."

"There are no shortcuts to safety – it’s a journey, not a destination."

- Unknown

"Every accident is a notice that something is wrong with men, methods, or material. Investigate—then act."

"Safety is no accident."

- Unknown

"The key to safety is in your hands."

- Unknown

"Working safely may get old, but so do those who practice it."

- Unknown

"The only thing more costly than investing in safety is the cost of a safety failure."

- Unknown

"Safety is a journey, not a destination. It is a mindset, not a set of rules."

- Unknown

"Safety is not a job for the faint of heart. It requires a commitment to excellence, attention to detail, and a never-ending quest for improvement."

- Unknown

"Safety is not a matter of luck – it is a matter of choice."

- Unknown

"Safety is not a one-time event – it is an ongoing process."

- Unknown

"Safety is not a responsibility – it is an obligation."

- Unknown

"Safety is not a slogan – it is a way of life."

- Unknown

"Safety is not an inconvenience – it is a necessity."

- Unknown

"Safety is not an option – it’s a necessity."

- Unknown

"Safety is not just a matter of compliance – it is a matter of conscience."

- Unknown

"Safety is not just a word – it is a way of life."

- Unknown

"It costs less to be safe every day than to make one careless mistake along the way."

"Think! Do it the safe way; do it the right way; do it every day."

- Unknown

"There is a good chance; an accident brought you into this world. Don’t let one take you out."

- Unknown

"Let’s manage safety recognizing how humans are and stop managing safety the way we wish humans were."

"The price of safety is eternal vigilance."

- Unknown

"Safety first, progress must. Every day is a safety day; safety has no holiday. Life is rare; live with care."

"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

"Safety does not come with luck. It has to be prepared."

"Think you're safe? Well think again, and again..."

"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; Except for workplace hazards, if they don’t kill you, they can leave you with a life long disability."

"Save lives, from the workplace to anyplace."

"Luck runs out, but safety is good for life."

"If you think professional safety officers are expensive, wait until you see what an amateur costs."

"In case of fire, gently wake sleeping employees to prevent causing nervous shock. Then leave the building as quickly as you do at closing time."

"Ten fingers, ten toes, two eyes, one nose – Safety Counts."

- Unknown

"Working without safety is a dead-end job."

- Unknown

"Safety is gainful, accident is painful."

"Protect your hands, you need them to pick up your pay check."

"When safety is first, you last."

- Unknown

"Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy."

"He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything."

"Don’t let your dreams go up in smoke—practice fire safety."

"Fire can kill. Don’t be a statistic!"

"Think of fire before it starts."

- Unknown

"Let’s blaze the way, to keep the blaze away."

"Fire destruction is one man’s job; fire prevention is everybody’s job."

"In case of fire, exit building before tweeting about it."

"Kill fire before it kills you."

"Fire is a good servant but a bad master."

"Big or small, fire safety is for all."

"Don’t get carried away—look out for forklifts."

"Make safety a reality and don’t be a fatality."

"Every accident is a notice that something is wrong with men, methods, or material — investigate — then act."

- Unknown

"Be careful! This machine has no brain; Use your own."

"Chance takers are accident makers."

"If you think safety rules are a pain. Try having an accident."

"Yellow lines on the floor are your lifelines. Please follow the traffic rules."

"The best drivers are aware that they must be beware."

"Fast drive could be last drive."

"Safety is a leadership issue – it starts at the top and works its way down."

- Unknown

"Safety is not a cost – it is an investment."

- Unknown

"Safety is not just about the absence of harm – it’s about the presence of good."

- Unknown

"Think you’re safe? Well, think again, and again…"

- Unknown

"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; except for workplace hazards, if they don’t kill you, they can leave you with a lifelong disability."

- Unknown

"It Takes Leadership to Improve Safety"

"Safety is Not a Gadget but a State of Mind"

"An Accident is Just the Tip of the Iceberg"

"You Are Your Own Last Line of Defense in Safety"

"Safety First is Safety Always"

"One Safe Act Can Lead to Many"

"Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself"

"Your wife will spend your 401K; If you get killed at work today."

"The best way to ensure our brand’s safety is by keeping everyone who is part of it safe."

- Unknown

"Safety is gainful; accident is painful."

- Unknown

"We are happy when you complete your work, even happier when you maintain the same productivity, and the happiest when we see you again in the office."

- Unknown

"When we talk about your safety, we are as serious as any other meeting."

- Unknown

"Work safely; it’s impossible to hire someone like you again."

- Unknown

"Stay safe–your monthly salary depends on you being here to receive it."

- Unknown

"Keep an eye out for safety, don't get blinded by bad habits."

"Safety First Safety Always"

"Safety is the mirror reflecting the quality of your work."

"Were you safe today or just lucky?"

"Knowing safety is not enough. Practice it."

"Respect The Unexpected - Think Through The Risks."

"Time Out For Safety."

"Prepare and prevent, don’t repair and repent."

"A chain is only as long as the weakest link."

- Unknown

"Shortcuts cut life short."

- Unknown

"Prevent Cold Stress - Stay Dry, Dress in Layers, Wear Hat + Gloves."

"Don't Get Caught in the Cold, Buckle Up and Drive Safe."

"Work Smart Work Safe."

"Check yourself before you wreck yourself."

"culture is when people continue to work safely & do the right thing... even when no one is watching."

"Don't Be Hasty When It Comes to Safety."

"Lock, Tag, Live!"

"Accidents hurt, safety doesn’t."

"Safety is in Your Hands."

"Do What is Right Not What is Easy."

"Safety doesn’t happen by accident."

"Take care of yourself at work, so you can take care of them at home."

"Prevention is Better than Cure, Wear Your PPE."

"Winter Weather: Plan. Equip. Train."

"Don't Leave Safety Out in the Cold. Prepare for Winter Weather and Prevent Cold Stress."

"Are You Prepared for Cold Weather? Plan for it & Work Safely!"