Safety mottoes and slogans listed
January 3rd, 2012
Health and safety mottoes and slogans invoke behaviour motivators like fear, blame, leadership, peer pressure, social compact, culture or values. Test yours.
Slogans could sustain awareness, or sustain bigotry. Many safety mottoes and slogans are based on proverbs, platitudes, maxims and conventional wisdom.
Some health, safety environment and quality (sheq) mottoes are cringe-worthy, or applied in ways that merely clutter up walls, termed ‘noise’ in communication and marketing practice, writes Sheqafrica.com editor Edmond Furter.
Some mottoes are visual, like allegories strung together in paintings of folk wisdom saws (sayings), by medieval Flemish artists like Hieronymus Bosch. Others are based on high literature, clever reasoning, or lofty ideals.
Motivators ‘sell’ safety
Most safety slogans, like advertising, appeal to individual fears or aspirations. Desires are stronger motivators of behaviour, overriding fears directly, or by psychological defence mechanisms like rejection or rationalisation.
Grammatical formats and style of slogans play an important role. Slogans could be cast in positive or negative statements, like ‘do safety’ or ‘don’t do unsafely’. Due to quirks in perception, lately termed neuro linguistic programming, people tend to reject prohibition messages, typically starting with the word ‘Don’t’.
Some slogans are tangibly designed by managers with a vision of a positive, happy workforce saying the right things, typically stating in the first person with ‘My safety goal..’ or ‘I do safety..’.
Advertising text, radio jingles and video clips had long since done away with utopian or totalitarian demonstration, and now appeal to minor vices like vanities and compulsions, dressed up as virtues.
Slogans rarely invoke corporate identity or history, since events could contradict slogans like ‘We take people to the moon and bring them back safely’.
Mnemonic acronyms of a set of procedures or values, are usually not slogans. Among the best evoke spiritual values, like ‘He who has saved a life is considered as if he had saved a hole world’, from a Talmudic proverb.
The fact that the most popular safety slogans seem a bit bland, and that advertisers regularly change their interest ‘hooks’ and ‘payoff lines’, testify that most people are easily irritated by near anonymous propaganda, or extravagant claims.
Safety signage prohibited on packaging
Placards that display safety signs, advertisements or safety slogans like ‘Drive Safely’ may not be affixed or displayed on packaging, freight containers, unit load devices, motor vehicles or rail cars, since October 2001, reports ISHN.com.
Rule HM-206 made several changes to the Hazardous Materials Regulation, including a four year transition period,up to 2005, for flip-top metal placards that were permanently attached to transport units. See 49 CFR Part 172.502(b)(3).
The prohibition is apparently aimed at removing clutter from signage and packaging. The rule also reveals that health and safety specialists agree that awareness should focus on materials and tasks at hand, not on general principles or mottoes.
‘Zero accidents’ slogan fails reasonability test
Trainer PL Mitchell warns that some safety slogans could have a negative effect on safety and other workplace factors. “Many work sites display safety slogans… in the hope that there will be some subliminal effect on people at risk.
“If you have a safety slogan, check with a few members of the workforce to discover what they think of it. You may be surprised. Slogans become invisible.
“They become part of the landscape and do not penetrate the minds of people in the workforce. Even important signs such as ‘exit’ are not remembered by people who walk past them every day, because their minds are engaged in more important things.
“Slogans have to be delivered by somebody with credibility. Credibility is measured by the listener. If that person’s credibility is regarded as only average or less, the message will be ignored or will be regarded as unimportant.
“There are plenty of examples of messages delivered by politicians and leaders with low credibility, failing to arouse response.
“Slogans have to live in the imagination. Try a reasonability test. Slogans that fail this test would be ignored. If we think a slogan is not reasonable we will dismiss it and ignore subsequent messages from the same person.
“Slogans like ‘Zero Accidents’ and ‘Zero Harm’ fail on reasonability because we know they are unrealistic. We know that you cannot totally exclude accidents and harm from the workplace because they are function of risk, and risk is an integral part of human life”, writes PL Mitchell.
“Slogans like this give rise to cynicism in the workplace and have a negative effect on a lot of other important messages about safety and quality. They also destroy the credibility of promoters of these messages which, in turn, can lead to a breakdown in workplace communications.
“If your organisation is trying to find a slogan to emphasise safety… instead of a slogan, lead by example and ‘be’ the behavior you want in other people. This is much more believable than a slogan,” writes PL Mitichell.
Slogan categories and examples
Most safety slogans appeal to a combination of general fears and aspirations, with different emphasis;
A Awareness, information without explicit emotional appeal, often with humour
F Fear of pain, loss
P Peer pressure, fear of blame, presumes a safety culture. BBS focuses here.
R Rules, fear of dismissal or blame
S Social compact, pledge, leadership. Combines Peer pressure and Values
V Values evoked, sets cultural climate
Z Tolerance warning, combines Rules and Peer pressure
Safety slogans based on awareness
A head-on collision is a near miss incident
A safety attitude never hurts to take home
A spill, a slip, a hospital trip
A wound neglected is a wound infected
Accident prevention is our number one intention
Alert does not hurt
Alert today, alive tomorrow
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Apply good intention to accident prevention
Be alert, be aware, be alive
Be hand-in-glove with safety
Be proactive, not reactive to safety
Be safe not sorry
Be safety smart from the start
Be sure be safe
Be visible, wear reflective material
Before using new equipment, read and understand the instructions
Before you do it, take time to think through it.
Better to lock out than luck out
Bottoms up, booze and work don’t mix
Broken tools can be replaced, you can’t
Carelessness doesn’t bounce, it shatters. -Hartman Jules
Caution; I Brake For Stop Signs
Caution; read, then proceed
Complacency hurts when you least expect it to
Crashing sucks
Death lurks in Confined Spaces
Do not fidget, you could lose a digit
Do you have an eye for safety, or are you blinded by bad habits
Don’t learn safety by accident
Don’t let safety take a holiday
Even in a hi-tech world you eyes are still your greatest asset
Expect the unexpected
Health is priceless, injury prevention is cheap
Falling objects can be brutal if you don’t protect your noodle
Guard against man eating machines
Hard hats are not for decoration
Hear today, gone tomorrow; use hearing protection
Hearing protection is a sound investment
If you give somebody a hand, make sure there is a glove on it
It hurts to be unsafe
Look before you leap
Never give safety a day off
Normal speed meets every need
One bad day at work could ruin your whole life
Open the door to safety, awareness is the key
Our paramedics charge for treatment
Personal Protective Equipment is Self Defence
Rather safe than sorry
Safe action brings lasting satisfaction
Safety does not slow down the job, but mishaps do
Safety first is safety always
Safety gear takes 2 minutes, risk assessment takes 5 minutes, a mishap lingers forever
Safety in mind will save your behind
Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy
Safety is a state of mind, accidents are absence of mind
Safety is common sense
Safety is free, apply generously
Safety shoes to house your toes, safety glasses on your nose
Safety you learn from the start, accident free is doing your part
Stay Alert, Stay Alive!
Stop, think, act
The life you save could be your own
Think safety, no matter what the task
This machine can kill you
While on a ladder, never step back to admire your work
Safety slogans based on fear
A 6 inch bruise is better than 6 feet under, buckle up
A casual attitude towards safety equals casualty
A hard hat on your head keeps you from being dead
A hard hat on your head keeps you from being dead
A harness is better than a hearse
Accidents hurt, safety doesn’t
Arms work best when attached to the body
Avoid the worst, put safety first
Be alert, accidents hurt
Be aware of slips and trips
Be aware, take care
Better a thousand times careful than once dead. -Chinese Proverb
Better complete the job late, than never
Better dead sure than sure dead
Better late in this world than early to the next
Better to have two on the job than one in hospital
Disobedience to rules kills the purpose of life
Do the easy work first, you could be replaced before the hard work starts
Electricity can turn you off.
Flesh and Bone are no match for a grinding stone.
For a good time, dial 911, operators are standing by
If you think safety is a pain, try a fracture
Ignoring a warning can cause much mourning
Informed is better than deformed
Living with your own mistakes could be harder than you think
Luck could run out, but safety effort fills your life
Make safety a reality, don’t be a fatality
Organ donor; a person who doesn’t wear a helmet
Protect only the fingers you want to keep
Protect your hands, you need them to pick up your pay check
Put safety in action, stay out of traction
Put safety into action, wishbones do not replace backbones
Rather lose a minute in life, than lose a life in a minute
Safety is do or die
Ten fngers, ten toes, if you are unsafe, who knows
Those precious fingers don’t ignore, or they could end up on the floor.
Working safely each day keeps the doctor away
Safety slogans based on peer pressure
Business stalls if you slip and fall
Chance takers are accident makers
Chance takers are accident makers
Don’t be a fool, inspect your power tools
Don’t be safety blinded, be safety minded
First aid workers are volunteers
Forgot your hearing protection, then forget about hearing
Hey, wanna see something cool? -Last words before a mishap
If everything comes your way, you are in the wrong lane
Only fools break safety rules
Slip, trip, fall and fail are four-letter words
Some have eyes and cannot see, some have ears and cannot hear
Step up for safety or step aside
The stupid shall be punished.
There are stupider things than drinking and working, but it’s a short list
To avoid a scene, keep your workplace clean
Safety slogans invoking rules or procedures
Safety rules are your best tools
Why learn the hard way? Obey safety rules.
PDA, STEP, STOP, HIRA
Safety slogans based on social compact
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
A safer you is a safer me
Alone we can do little, together we can do much
Anger is one letter away from danger. Work gently
Are you part of the safety TEAM; Together Employees Accomplish More
Be leaders, follow safe procedures
Be the best, safer than all the rest
Be the kind of person your dog thinks you are
Dare to be aware
Don’t count on your colleague to be smarter than you, you know him too well
Don’t work alone, watch out for others
Get help if the load is too heavy
Get In STEP; Safety Takes Every Person
Good people in bad systems get bad results -Stephen R Covey
If it’s your mess, confess
If you are aware of it, take care of it
It’s our mission to fix unsafe conditions
Lead the way safely today
Near misses reported today, are accidents that do not happen tomorrow
None of us is as smart as all of us -Japanese Proverb
One safe act leads to another
Our aim is no accidents
People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care
Practice safety in all you do, everyone depends on you
Rather correct an unsafe friend than bury one
Report unsafe behavior. You are your brother’s keeper
Safety comes in a can; I can, you can, we can be safe
Safety conscious, smart obvious
Safety is a commitment to ourselves
Safety is a gift that keeps on giving
Safety is a good friend to take home
Safety is a race we can all win together
Safety is everyone’s full time job
Safety is in your hands
Safety is my responsibility
Safety is our life’s work
Safety is our measure of success
Safety set us free
Safety starts with me
Smoke detectors make good gifts
Team up to safety
The best safety device is a safe worker
The best safety manager is yourself
Think safety, we love you too
To learn about eye protection, ask someone who wears one
You get the safety your demand
You get what you inspect, not what you expect
Your accidents affect others too
Your risk equals the risk that you are prepared to walk past
Your safety equals your risk report
Your safety is everyone’s responsibility, especially yours
Safety slogans based on invoking values
Be safe at work or you might miss a welcome home hug and kiss
Be SAFE; Smart, Alert, Focussed, Educated
Check and recheck for safety
Courtesy and common sense promote safety
Did you work safety today, or were you just lucky
Don’t fix blame, fix the problem
Don’t just preach safety, profit from it
Don’t leave safe habits at work, take them home
Don’t treat an emergency as normal, don’t treat normal actions as emergencies
Expect the unexpected. Gear up for safety
If a little voice says ’I wonder if this is safe’, it probably isn’t
If you think it won’t happen to you, try calling the people it happened to
If you think safety is expensive, try ignorance
Invest in tomorrow, practice safety today
Just because you always did it that way, doesn’t make it right
Learn from other’s mistakes, don’t let others learn from you
Plan and practice exit drills also at home
Precaution is better than cure -Edward Coke
Predictable incidents are preventable
Prepare and prevent instead of repair and repent
Production pays my cheque, and safety takes me home
Protect your hands, use your head
Protect your thoughts and wear a hard hat
Rather ask a dumb question than fix a dumb mistake
Report incidents, they are free lessons
Safe operators are smooth operators
Safety comes before ‘Schedule’ only in the dictionary
Safety has no quitting time
Safety is a journey, not a destination
Safety is a mission, not intermission
Safety is a small investment for a large future
Safety is a tool for life
Safety is a value, not a priority
Safety is about doing the right thing, even when no one is looking
Safety is not a gadget, but a state of mind -Eleanor Everet
Safety is not a job, it’s a way of life
Safety is not how fast you go, it’s knowing when to go slow -Mario Andretti
Safety isn’t expensive, it’s priceless
Safety takes no time out
Santa likes a safe and clean chimney
Speak up for safety
Stand up for safety
There are few new accidents, but many new victims
There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going to
What you don’t know could hurt you
Your safety is the minimum promise to your family
Safety slogans based on absolutes and intolerance
No injuries to anyone, ever
The goal must be zero accidents
Zero compromise on safety
Zero in on safety
Zero in on zero accidents
Zero tolerance on safety
Be a safety hero, score an accident zero
Safety slogans uncategorised
Accidents big or small, avoid them all
At Work, At Home, Let Safety Be Known
At work, at play, let safety lead the way
Best be safety today
Don’t lose your head to gain a minute, you need your head, your brains are in it
Don’t put your life on the line
Failing to plan for safety is planning to fail
Leave horseplay to horses
Life does not begin by accident, don’t end it as one
Macho does not prove mucho. Do it safely
Make safety a priority
New Year Resolution; if its unsafe, I will find a solution
Safety is like breathing, you never want to stop
Safety is our goal, what’s yours?
Safety pays every day
To be or not to be, safety is no question
You will regret if you forget safety
Look after number one, if you need help, just ask
Safety quotes in literature
‘Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it.’ -Albert Smith
‘Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.’ -Jeff Cooper
‘Ah, this is obviously some strange usage of the word ‘safe’ that I wasn’t previously aware of.’ -Douglas Adams, British comic writer, 1952 -2001
‘When you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you’re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home,’ -Thornton Wilder, American writer of innovative plays and novels, 1897 -1975
‘The way to be safe is never to feel secure… Fear is the father of courage and the mother of safety. ‘ -Henry H Tweedy
‘Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand: Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand!’ -Edna St Vincent Millay, American poet and dramatist, 1892 -1950
‘He that’s secure is not safe.’ -Benjamin Franklin, American statesman, scientist, philosopher, printer, writer and inventor, 1706 -1790
‘The safety and happiness of society are the objects at which all political institutions aim, and to which all such institutions must be sacrificed.’ -James Madison, American president and founding father 1751 -1836
‘The American people must be willing to give up a degree of personal privacy in exchange for safety and security.’ -Louis Freeh
‘Security is the chief enemy of mortals.’ -William Shakespeare, English Dramatist, Playwright and Poet, 1564 -1616
‘Not a gift of a cow, nor a gift of land, nor yet a gift of food, is so important as the gift of safety, which is declared to be the great gift among all gifts in this world.’ -Mary Shafer
‘Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don’t have the balls to live in the real world.’ -Mary Shafer
‘I speak of peace, while covert enmity under the smile of safety wounds the world.’ -William Shakespeare
‘Blame is safer than praise.’ -Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet and lecturer, 1803 -1882
‘The trodden path is safest.’ -Legal maxim
‘There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else.’ – James Thurber, American writer, 1894 -1961
‘We are chameleons, and our partialities and prejudices change place with an easy and blessed facility, and we are soon wonted to the change and happy in it.’ – Mark Twain, American humourist and lecturer, 1835 -1910
‘We will never have real safety and security for wage earners, unless we provide for safety and security for wage payers and wage savers.’ -William JH Boetcker
‘Culture is everything you don’t have to do.’ –British music innovator Brian Eno, cited by corporate culture consultant Steve Banhegyi
Ambiguous attitudes to safety slogans
While everyone agrees on the need to set risk tolerance levels ‘high’, and to advocate healthy and safe behaviour, employers and workers alike hold a range of views of slogans.
Highly diverse attitudes to health and safety slogans could exist in the same organisation, and even in the same individual. Two quotes from the same author sum up this ambiguous attitude, revealing that slogans are subject to other priorities and changeable attitudes, seldom representing immutable values;
‘Not a gift of a cow, nor a gift of land, nor yet a gift of food, is so important as the gift of safety, which is declared to be the great gift among all gifts in this world.’ -Mary Shafer. Elsewhere the same author writes; ‘Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don’t have the balls to live in the real world.’
• The author, Edmond Furter, is Sheqafrica.com editor, and a mass communications media specialist.
IMAGE; Multimedia like blood-coloured carpets could add to the impact of health and safety mottoes, but the wording has to be true, logical, motivational and memorable to work.
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