It's smart to stay on the job! Leave home early and avoid rushing, dress warmly and cover that cough
Cartoon health and safety sheet: a scowling worker with a lunch box barges past a woman on the left, while on the right a worker coughs a large spotted cloud toward another woman who shields her face. The exaggerated cough cloud is the fear-appeal tell, tying absence from work to carelessness about colds and rushing.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Navy Department Safety Poster (artist Chuck Thorndike)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Health, Labor, Home front
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Navy Department Safety Poster. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1132 (NAID 514659).
Text on the object
It's SMART to stay ON-THE-JOB! LEAVE HOME EARLY AND AVOID RUSHING DRESS WARMLY AND COVER THAT COUGH NAVY DEPARTMENT SAFETY POSTER [signature: chuck THORNDIKE]
