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219 quotes, page 3 of 8Safety, health and getting home in one piece
For the driver at the end of a long shift, the forklift operator and the carer on nights: rest, care and the minute that saves a life. Every job ends with going home.
We say who really said each one, and where the credit is uncertain we tell you. Every card is ours to share.
“A walking stick before you fall.”
Japanese proverb (Korobanu saki no tsue)
Fit the handrail, grit the yard and wear the boots before anyone slips.
“Illness comes from the mind.”
Japanese proverb (Yamai wa ki kara). Meaning that low spirits and worry wear down the body.
Stress shows up as headaches and bad backs. Talking to someone early really helps.
“Eat until you are eight parts full.”
Okinawan saying (Hara hachi bu). From the Japanese idea of stopping at eight parts in ten.
A huge lunch brings the afternoon slump. Eat enough, not too much, before driving.
“The superior doctor prevents sickness; the mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness; the inferior doctor treats actual sickness.”
Chinese proverb. Echoes the ancient Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine.
The best supervisors spot the hazard before the accident. Prevention is the top skill.
“Illness enters by the mouth; misfortune comes out of the mouth.”
Chinese proverb
Wash your hands before food in the kitchen, and think before you speak in the canteen.
“One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.”
Chinese proverb
Waiting for the gap in traffic costs seconds. Not waiting can cost everything.
“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.”
Chinese proverb
Walk away from the argument at the depot. Tomorrow you will be glad you did.
“Slowly, slowly is the way to go.”
Swahili proverb (Polepole ndio mwendo)
On icy mornings, slow down on the forecourt, the steps and the road.
“Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.”
Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep (2017)
Before buying supplements or gadgets, try a regular bedtime. It is free and it works.
“The secret is to win going as slowly as possible.”
Attributed to Juan Manuel Fangio. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
On a multi drop route, smooth and steady beats fast and frantic.
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols (1889)
Stuck on a problem? Step outside for ten minutes on your break and walk round the block.
“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness.”
Søren Kierkegaard, letter to Henriette Lund (1847)
If you sit all day in a cab or at a desk, a daily walk is the best habit you can build.
“It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.”
Jerome K. Jerome, Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886)
A day off tastes best after a good week's work. Enjoy it without guilt.
“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.”
Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness (1930)
Your job matters, but it is not worth your health. If you cannot switch off, tell someone.
“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer.”
Attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Book the holiday. People who never take leave make more mistakes, not fewer.
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.”
The Bible, Proverbs 17:22 (KJV)
Good humour on a long shift keeps the whole team going.
“Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.”
The Bible, Mark 6:31 (KJV)
Even the busiest care team needs a quiet ten minutes. Take your break away from the floor.
“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.”
The Bible, Proverbs 22:3 (KJV)
Spot the hazard and avoid it. Walking past it is how accidents happen.
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
The Bible, Proverbs 16:18 (KJV)
Too proud to ask for help with a heavy lift? That is exactly how backs get hurt.
“Bear ye one another's burdens.”
The Bible, Galatians 6:2 (KJV)
Two people on a heavy lift. And when a colleague is struggling, share the load.
“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
The Bible, Psalm 127:2 (KJV)
Burning the candle at both ends never pays off for long. Sleep is part of the work.
“The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much.”
The Bible, Ecclesiastes 5:12 (KJV)
There is real comfort in being tired from honest work. Enjoy that sleep.
“Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”
Attributed to Vince Lombardi. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Tired people cut corners. Plan your rest so you never have to.
“Whoever is in a hurry shows that the thing he is about is too big for him.”
Lord Chesterfield, Letters to His Son (1749)
Calm and organised looks more capable than rushed and flustered. Plan the day first.
“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”
Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby, address at Liverpool College (1873)
Twenty minutes of stretching or walking now saves weeks off sick later.
“Nothing in excess.”
Inscription at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi
Not too many hours, not too much caffeine, not too little sleep. Balance keeps you working.
“I have decided to be happy because it is good for my health.”
Attributed to Voltaire. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
You cannot choose every shift, but you can choose your attitude to it.
“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.”
Joseph Pilates, Return to Life Through Contrology (1945)
A bit of core strength makes lifting, bending and long drives much kinder on your body.
“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”
John F. Kennedy, The Soft American, Sports Illustrated (1960)
Desk workers think better after moving. Stand, stretch, and take the stairs.
“Each patient carries his own doctor inside him.”
Attributed to Albert Schweitzer. As quoted by Norman Cousins in Anatomy of an Illness (1979).
Rest, water and a positive outlook do a lot of the healing work. Give your body a chance.
Other sections
- Work and keeping going (559)
- Stoic calm (316)
- An open mind (366)
- Starting a business (299)
- For leaders (218)
- Working with people (214)
- Mindset and habits (339)
- Safety and health (219)
- Starting again (210)
- Pride in the job (185)
- True stories of people who started small