Welcome to our comprehensive collection of safety quotes! We understand the importance of safety training and its role in preventing accidents and injuries in the workplace. That’s why we’ve gathered together the biggest and best list of quotes on the subject from experts and thought leaders in the field.

We hope that these quotes will serve as inspiration and motivation for you and your team as you strive to create a safe and healthy work environment. Whether you’re a safety professional looking for new ways to educate and engage your team, or an employee seeking guidance and encouragement, we believe there is something on this list for everyone.

We are confident that you will find these quotes to be both informative and inspiring, and we hope that you will benefit from them as much as we have. So take a moment to browse through the list, and remember: safety is everyone’s responsibility.

  1. A culture of safety is not a concept. It is a way of life. – J.D. Power
  2. A great safety culture: when people continue to work safely and do the right thing, even when no one is watching. – Unknown
  3. A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. – Unknown
  4. A safe workplace is a productive workplace.
  5. Accidents don’t just happen – they are caused. And they can be prevented. – Unknown
  6. Accidents hurt, but safety doesn’t. – Unknown
  7. All this health and safety talk is just killing me. – Jeremy Clarkson
  8. 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
  9. Health Administration (OSHA)
  10. An incident is just the tip of the iceberg, a sign of a much larger problem below the surface. – Don Brown
  11. An injury to one is an injury to all.
  12. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. – Benjamin Franklin
  13. Any worker should be able to stop work if they feel a danger to continuing operations. – Sean Lucas
  14. 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, author of “Being Agile in a Waterfall World: A practical guide for complex organizations.
  15. At the end of the day, the goals are simple: Safety and security. – Jodi Rell, former Governor of Connecticut
  16. Be careful! This machine has no brain; Use your own. – Unknown
  17. Better a thousand times careful than once dead. – Unknown
  18. Better Safe than Sorry – Samuel Lover
  19. Big or small, fire safety is for all. – Unknown
  20. Carefulness costs you nothing. Carelessness may cost you your life. – Safety saying, circa the early 1900s
  21. Chance takers are accident makers. – Unknown
  22. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. – Meg Cabot
  23. Concern for man and his safety must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. – Albert Einstein
  24. Confidence cannot find a place wherein to rest in safety. – Virgil
  25. Deterrence is not a preeminent value; the primary values are safety and morality. – Herman Kahn
  26. Do not think because an accident hasn’t happened to you that, it can’t happen. – Unknown
  27. Don’t learn safety by accident. – Jerry Smith
  28. Don’t get carried away-look out for forklifts. – Unknown
  29. Don’t let your dreams go up in smoke-practice fire safety. – Unknown
  30. Don’t turn your back on safety; if it’s unsafe, report it! – Unknown
  31. 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
  32. Every accident is a notice that something is wrong with men, methods, or material – investigate – then act. – Unknown
  33. The fast drive could be the last drive. – Unknown
  34. Fire can kill. Don’t be a statistic! – Unknown
  35. Fire destruction is one man’s job; fire prevention is everybody’s job. – Unknown
  36. Fire is a good servant but a bad master. – Unknown
  37. The government’s first duty and highest obligation is public safety. – Arnold Schwarzenegger
  38. He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything. – Unknown
  39. 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
  40. 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
  41. I never thought I’d hear myself say it, but safety comes first! – J. K. Rowling
  42. I’m glad to see how young people are stepping up regarding safety. They are focused on safety rather than being told to be safe. It makes a difference when people own things. – Scott Cam, The Block
  43. I’ve met up with some legless, armless, and other badly messed-up folks. There’s a whole lot of mighty serious accident contemplation going on in our hospitals. My observations have taught me that it is much better to think about accidents before they happen than to brood over them afterward. … Personally, I’d rather be late for dinner tonight than be on time for breakfast in the next world in the morning. Haste makes waste of a lot of good human material. – Irvin S. Cobb, author
  44. If safety is a joke, then death is the punchline. – Paul Laforest.
  45. 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
  46. If you are the proprietor or managing director of a company, you are ultimately responsible for the health and safety of all aspects of the business. – Unknown
  47. 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
  48. If you don’t think it is safe, it probably isn’t. – Jerry Smith
  49. If you put good people in bad systems, you get bad results. You have to water the flowers you want to grow. – Stephen Covey
  50. If you think professional safety officers are expensive, wait until you see what an amateur costs. – Unknown
  51. If you think safety rules are a pain. Try having an accident. – Unknown
  52. In case of fire, exit the building before tweeting about it. – Unknown
  53. 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. – Unknown
  54. In safety, there is no finish line.
  55. It costs less to be safe every day than to make one careless mistake along the way. – Unknown
  56. It is essential to have good tools, but it is also essential that the tools should be used in the right way. – Wallace D. Wattles
  57. It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. – Mahatma Gandhi
  58. It is my sincere wish and hopes that the day will come when the protecting arms of Universal Safety will spread out over all industries and reach all the millions of workers who make the industry possible. – Charles M. Schwab, steel magnate born in 1862
  59. It matters little how much equipment we use; it matters much that we are masters of all we use. – Sam Abell
  60. It takes leadership to improve safety. – Jackie Stewart
  61. It’s very isolating when you think you are the only one struggling. – Adam Kay
  62. Kelly was a seaman, and his life on the water followed a strict routine, which meant observing all the safety rules written in the blood of less careful men. – Author Tom Clancy, Without Remorse
  63. Kill fire before it kills you. – Unknown
  64. Let’s blaze the way to keep the blaze away. – Unknown
  65. Let’s manage safety by recognizing how humans are and stop managing safety the way we wish humans were. – Unknown
  66. Luck runs out, but safety is good for life. – Unknown
  67. Make safety a reality, and don’t be a fatality. – Unknown
  68. Measuring Safety Performance by the number of injuries you have is like measuring parenting by the number of smacks you give. – Dr. Robert Long
  69. Never stop investing … never stop learning – Captain Sully, at the SafetyCulture Virtual Summit. (Check out Made Extraordinary Summit 2021)
  70. Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly. – Mother Teresa
  71. No Safety, Know Pain. Know Safety, No Pain. – Unknown
  72. Not responding is a response – we are equally responsible for what we don’t do. – Jonathan Safran Foer
  73. Nothing is of greater importance than the conservation of human life. – Former U.S. President Calvin Coolidge
  74. Occupational safety and health are vital to the dignity of work. – Juan Somavia
  75. 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
  76. Off-the-shelf Safety Systems – if you want a good dust collector, buy a vacuum cleaner. – Dave Collins
  77. One earnest worker can do more by personal suggestion to prevent accidents than a carload of safety signs. – Making Paper
  78. One is not exposed to danger, even when safety is always on their guard. – Publilius Syrus
  79. Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging. – Joseph Campbell
  80. 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
  81. Paper doesn’t save people; people save people – Dan Petersen, Safety Professional
  82. People don’t care what you know until they know you care. – Corrie Pitzer
  83. Precaution is better than cure. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  84. Prepare and prevent, don’t repair and repent. – Author unknown
  85. Protect your hands; you need them to pick up your paycheck. – Unknown
  86. Safety and security don’t just happen; they result from 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
  87. Safety applies with equal force to the individual, to the family, the employer, the state, the nation, and to international affairs. Safety, in its widest sense, concerns the happiness, contentment, and freedom of mankind. – William M. Jeffers, former President, Union Pacific Railroad Co. (1946)
  88. Safety brings first aid to the uninjured. – F.S. Hughes
  89. Safety does not come with luck. It has to be prepared. – Unknown
  90. Safety doesn’t happen by accident. – Jerry Smith
  91. Safety First is Safety Always. – Charles Melville Hays
  92. Safety first; progress must. Every day is a safety day; safety has no holiday. Life is rare; live with care. – Unknown
  93. 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. (Check out Made Extraordinary Summit 2021)
  94. Safety is 30%. Common Sense, 80%. Compliance and the rest are good luck. – Barry Spud
  95. Safety is a basic human need. People with a sense of security and belonging are stabilized for learning, creating, and innovating. A group of wonderfully cared-for, confident individuals will generate great ideas. – John Sweeney
  96. Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy. – Unknown
  97. Safety is a choice you make every day.
  98. Safety is a culture, not a program. It’s a way of life, not a one-time event. – Unknown
  99. Safety is a full-time job – never leave it on the job site. – Unknown
  100. Safety is a journey, not a destination. It is a mindset, not a set of rules. – Unknown
  101. Safety is a leadership issue – it starts at the top and works its way down. – Unknown
  102. Safety is a mindset, not just a rule.
  103. 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
  104. Safety is a team effort – we’re all in this together.
  105. Safety is an attitude that involves everyone every day. – OSHA
  106. Safety is gainful; accident is painful. – Unknown
  107. Safety is never ‘attained’ but a work in progress in tension between ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) and the Precautionary Principle. – Rob Long
  108. Safety is never a permanent state of affairs. – Davos Seaworth
  109. Safety is no accident. – Unknown
  110. Safety is not a cost – it is an investment. – Unknown
  111. Safety is not a gadget – it is a state of mind. – Eleanor Everet
  112. 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
  113. Safety is not a matter of luck – it is a matter of choice. – Unknown
  114. Safety is not a one-time event – it is an ongoing process. – Unknown
  115. Safety is not a responsibility – it is an obligation. – Unknown
  116. Safety is not a slogan – it is a way of life. – Unknown
  117. Safety is not an inconvenience – it is a necessity. – Unknown
  118. 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
  119. Safety is not an option – it’s a necessity. – Unknown
  120. Safety is not just a matter of compliance – it is a matter of conscience. – Unknown
  121. Safety is not just a word – it is a way of life. – Unknown
  122. Safety is not just about the absence of harm – it’s about the presence of good. – Unknown
  123. Safety is not something that just happens – it is something that must be planned, practiced, and promoted. – Unknown
  124. 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
  125. Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands. – Jeff Cooper
  126. 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
  127. Safety isn’t just about following rules – it’s about looking out for each other.
  128. Safety isn’t expensive; it’s priceless. – Jerry Smith
  129. Safety quotes to boost in the workplace: The future of the safety movement – Walter Dill Scott
  130. Safety saves sickness, suffering, and sadness. – Safety saying, circa the early 1900s
  131. Safety should never be a priority. It should be a precondition. – Paul O Neill
  132. Safety work is today recognized as an economic necessity. It is the study of the right way to do things. – Robert W. Campbell, first president of the National Safety Council
  133. Save lives, from the workplace to any place. – Unknown
  134. Shallow men believe in luck; wise and strong men believe in cause and effect. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
  135. Shortcuts cut life short. – Unknown
  136. Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. – Warren Buffett, investor, and philanthropist
  137. Studies show that a trusting workplace increases employees’ levels of happiness, work effort, productivity, and engagement. It also provides an environment that encourages open communication and encourages people to share their ideas. – Arthur Miller
  138. 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 (1946)
  139. Technology is moving at a much faster clip than our laws can keep up with. – Deborah Hersman, former president and CEO of the National Safety Council
  140. Ten fingers, ten toes, two eyes, one nose – Safety Counts. – Unknown
  141. The automobile has brought death, injury, and the most inestimable sorrow and deprivation to millions of people. – Ralph Nader, car safety reform advocate (1965)
  142. The best drivers are aware that they must be beware. – Unknown
  143. The best safety device is a well-trained employee.
  144. The danger which is least expected soonest comes to us. – Voltaire, French dramatist, poet and reformer born in 1694
  145. 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
  146. 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
  147. 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
  148. The greatest responsibility of a leader is to give the people in your span of care a grounded sense of hope for the future – Bob Chapman, Made Extraordinary Summit
  149. The key to safety is in your hands. – Unknown
  150. The only thing more costly than investing in safety is the cost of a safety failure. – Unknown
  151. The outcome of safety is the sum of the decisions and actions of the individuals in a workplace. – Unknown
  152. The price of safety is eternal vigilance. – Unknown
  153. The real enemy of safety is not non-compliance but non-thinking. – Rob Long
  154. The safety of the people shall be the highest law. – Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman philosopher born in 106 BC
  155. 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)
  156. The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. – Confucius
  157. 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.
  158. The way to be safe is never to be secure. – Benjamin Franklin
  159. There are no shortcuts to safety – it’s a journey, not a destination. – Unknown
  160. There is a good chance; an accident brought you into this world. Don’t let one take you out. – Unknown
  161. There is no substitute for knowledge, training, and experience when it comes to safety. – Unknown
  162. There is no such thing as an accident, only a failure to recognize the hand of fate. – Napoleon
  163. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits. – Michael Phelps
  164. There’s no better policy in society than pursuing the health and safety of its people. – Ralph Nader
  165. They were willing to work all the time, and when people did their best, ought they not to be able to stay alive? – Upton Sinclair, The Jungle
  166. Think of fire before it starts. – Unknown
  167. Think you’re safe? Well, think again, and again… – Unknown
  168. Think! Do it the safe way; do it the right way; do it every day. – Unknown
  169. Tomorrow: your reward for working safely today. – Robert Pelton
  170. 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
  171. We believe a happy employee will lead directly to happy customers. – Chris Hammond
  172. 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
  173. 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
  174. 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
  175. 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
  176. When safety is first, you last. – Unknown
  177. When safety professionals’ risk tolerance is out of alignment with societal norms, the safety professional is doomed to a life of frustration. – Phil LaDuke
  178. 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
  179. Customer Fulfillment, Environmental Health, and Safety
  180. Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety – Proverbs 11:14 (King James Version)
  181. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right. – Henry Ford
  182. Whoever is happy will make others happy too. – Anne Frank
  183. Work injuries and illnesses can affect every aspect of life for workers and their families. – Maine Department of Labor
  184. Work safely today. Remember, somebody expects you home tonight. – Unknown
  185. Working safely is like breathing – if you don’t, you die. – Jerry Smith
  186. Working safely may get old, but so do those who practice it. – Unknown
  187. 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 top injuries … to develop. – Albert Einstein
  188. Working without safety is a dead-end job. – Unknown
  189. Yellow lines on the floor are your lifelines. Please follow the traffic rules. – Unknown
  190. You are your own last line of defense in safety. It all boils down to you. – Kina Repp
  191. 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)
  192. Your employees learn by example. If they don’t see you practicing good safety habits, they won’t think safety is important. – Electrical Construction & Maintenance
  193. Your wife will spend your 401K; If you get killed at work today. – Unknown

Bonus Quotes

  1. “It’s better to lose one minute in life than to lose life in a minute.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  2. “The door to safety swings on the hinges of common sense.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  3. “To avoid a scene, keep your workspace clean.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  4. “Remember, shortcuts might save time, but safety saves lives.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  5. “If the sign says ‘Warning,’ pay attention. It’s there for a darn good reason.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  6. “Safety starts within, not with a sign on the wall.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  7. “When it comes to safety, complacency is the enemy.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  8. “Don’t wait for others to protect you; take charge of your own safety.”– Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  9. “Safety is not just company policy, it’s your personal responsibility.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  10. “Your well-being is in your hands; never rely solely on others for safety.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  11. “A safety-first mindset is only as strong as the individual who practices it.”– Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  12. “Vigilance, awareness, and personal responsibility are the pillars of safety.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  13. “In the face of danger, your safety is your own responsibility.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  14. “Safety isn’t a one-time decision; it’s a mindset you carry with you every day.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  15. “Be your own safety advocate; no one cares about your well-being more than you.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  16. “The key to safety is staying focused, alert, and always prepared.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  17. “When safety becomes routine, the risk of accidents increases.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  18. “Safety is a priority, but personal responsibility must come first.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  19. “To stay safe, keep your eyes open and your mind sharp.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  20. “Never assume someone else is looking out for your safety; be proactive.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  21. “Remember, your safety lies in your own hands, not just in the rules and regulations.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  22. “In the pursuit of safety, never forget that you are your own best advocate.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  23. “Safety training is an investment in our employees’ well-being, and a commitment to their future.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  24. “Through knowledge, we empower our workforce to create a safer and healthier work environment.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  25. “When we prioritize safety education, we are prioritizing our employees and their families.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  26. “The key to a successful business is a well-trained, safety-conscious workforce.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  27. “Safety is a team effort – let’s learn together, work together, and stay safe together.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  28. “Compliance is just the beginning; strive for a culture of safety that goes above and beyond.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  29. “Safety training today, saves lives and dollars tomorrow.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  30. “Remember, a safe workplace is a productive workplace – invest in your employees’ safety.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  31. “Learning about safety is not just a requirement, it’s a responsibility we all share.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com
  32. “Safety training is a continuous journey, and together we’ll create a workplace where everyone thrives.” – Source: https://www.onlinesafetytrainer.com