--- title: Stop Making Safety Posters. Your Supervisor IS the Message. description: A safety poster for everyone is a message for no one. Your supervisor is the safety message. Here's why posters aren't the answer. image: https://www.kevburns.com/hubfs/Build%20Supervisors%20Not%20Posters.jpg --- Stop Making Safety Posters. Your Supervisor IS the Message. [![KevBurns Learning: We teach industrial supervisors how to be really great leaders.](https://www.kevburns.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kev-Burns-Learning-white.png?width=240&height=118&name=Kev-Burns-Learning-white.png "KevBurns Learning: We teach industrial supervisors how to be really great leaders.")](https://www.kevburns.com/) - [About](https://www.kevburns.com/about-kevin-burns) - [Supervisor Academy](https://www.kevburns.com/supervisors) - [7 Reasons to Not Work With Us](https://www.kevburns.com/7-reasons-not-to-work-with-us) - [52 Benefits of Safety](https://www.kevburns.com/52-benefits) - [Hope Calculator](https://www.kevburns.com/calculator) - [Issues](https://www.kevburns.com/safety-issues) - [People](https://www.kevburns.com/people-issues) - [Safety](https://www.kevburns.com/safety-issues) - [Escalations](https://www.kevburns.com/escalation-issues) - [Resources](https://www.kevburns.com/books) - [Books](https://www.kevburns.com/books) - [Newsletter](https://www.kevburns.com/newsletter) - [Downloads](https://www.kevburns.com/downloads) - [Case Study NBU](https://www.kevburns.com/nbu-case-study) - [Case Study WCC](https://www.kevburns.com/wcc-case-study-2026) - [ROI Videos](https://www.kevburns.com/videos) - [Speaking](https://www.kevburns.com/speaking) - [Media/Podcast](https://www.kevburns.com/media) - [Blog](https://www.kevburns.com/blog) - [Contact](https://www.kevburns.com/contact-us) - [About](https://www.kevburns.com/about-kevin-burns) - [Supervisor Academy](https://www.kevburns.com/supervisors) - [7 Reasons to Not Work With Us](https://www.kevburns.com/7-reasons-not-to-work-with-us) - [52 Benefits of Safety](https://www.kevburns.com/52-benefits) - [Hope Calculator](https://www.kevburns.com/calculator) - [Issues](https://www.kevburns.com/safety-issues) - [People](https://www.kevburns.com/people-issues) - [Safety](https://www.kevburns.com/safety-issues) - [Escalations](https://www.kevburns.com/escalation-issues) - [Resources](https://www.kevburns.com/books) - [Books](https://www.kevburns.com/books) - [Newsletter](https://www.kevburns.com/newsletter) - [Downloads](https://www.kevburns.com/downloads) - [Case Study NBU](https://www.kevburns.com/nbu-case-study) - [Case Study WCC](https://www.kevburns.com/wcc-case-study-2026) - [ROI Videos](https://www.kevburns.com/videos) - [Speaking](https://www.kevburns.com/speaking) - [Media/Podcast](https://www.kevburns.com/media) - [Blog](https://www.kevburns.com/blog) - [Contact](https://www.kevburns.com/contact-us) # Kevin Burns Blog #### Improve safety culture. Build teamwork. Get employee buy-in. [Current Articles](https://www.kevburns.com/blog) [RSS](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/rss.xml) [Why Work With Kevin?](https://www.kevburns.com/about-kevin-burns) # Stop Making Safety Posters. Your Supervisor IS the Message. Posted by [Kevin Burns](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/author/kevin-burns) on September 11, 2026 There's a proliferation of safety posters and safety-related infographics making their rounds on LinkedIn recently. Clearly, safety people have figured out how to make more AI-generated materials. The problem is that most of these AI communications miss the mark - both in relation to a target viewer and because of too many competing messages in the same poster. Meanwhile, your [Hope Promoted](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/have-you-given-your-supervisors-a-hope-promotion) frontline supervisors are on shift without the people-skills to make safety real. The poster will go up. Nobody will read it. And nothing will change. Because the posters are aimed at "everyone."  Here's the problem: a message for everyone is a message for no one. "Safety is everyone's responsibility" is not true because it names nobody. Everybody means nobody specifically. You can't report a near-miss to everyone. You can't share your fear with everyone. Everyone isn't real. And the time spent building posters could be better spent coaching frontline supervisors in how to communicate safety with their teams. The supervisor is THE message. Not the poster. The person who has the relationship, the trust, and the ability to make safety real. This week's video explains it.   A CareFull Supervisor — one who is FULL of Care for the people they lead — is the message your safety program is missing. If you want CareFull Supervisors in your operation, that's what the [PeopleWork Supervisor Academy](https://www.kevburns.com/supervisors) builds. Topics: [kevin burns](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/kevin-burns), [safety culture](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/safety-culture), [safety communications](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/safety-communications), [PeopleWork Supervisor Academy](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/peoplework-supervisor-academy), [safety manager](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/safety-manager), [industrial safety](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/industrial-safety), [CareFull Supervisor](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/carefull-supervisor), [supervisor safety leadership](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/supervisor-safety-leadership), [safety training for supervisors](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/safety-training-for-supervisors), [safety posters](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/safety-posters) ### Subscribe today to Kevin's blog --- Kevin Burns' newest book, **The CareFull Supervisor**. This is the book that every frontline supervisor should read.   ![carefull-supervisor-3d-covers-400-1](https://www.kevburns.com/hs-fs/hubfs/carefull-supervisor-3d-covers-400-1.png?width=253&height=253&name=carefull-supervisor-3d-covers-400-1.png)   **BUY NOW:** [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/CareFull-Supervisor-Tools-Succeed-Employees/dp/1039197256)| [B&N](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-carefull-supervisor-kevin-burns/1144577942) | [Indigo](https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-carefull-supervisor-the-tools-to-succeed-and-be-the-supervisor-employees-want-to-have/9781039197268.html)| [FreisenPress](https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000383321344)| [Kobo](https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-carefull-supervisor)| Audible --- ### Recent Posts - [About](https://www.kevburns.com/about-kevin-burns) - [Supervisor Academy](https://www.kevburns.com/supervisors) - [Blog](https://www.kevburns.com/blog) #### © 2026 PeopleWork Align Inc. 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