Oops! Negligence is the cause of most accidents. Be thoughtful
Cartoon safety poster: a woman in a dark top and heels tumbles backward over a toppled waste can, legs in the air, with a red impact star and 'OOPS!' above, and 'BE THOUGHTFUL' below. The fear-appeal is faint and played for humour: a pratfall stands in for the injury and lost time the text names.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Compensation Commission, Safety Division (reproduced by NYC WPA War Services); artist Ginny Moore
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Home front, Labor, Health
- 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. Compensation Commission, Safety Division. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1466 (NAID 515130).
Text on the object
OOPS! Negligence is the cause of most ac- cidents. Accidents waste priceless time BE THOUGHTFUL [signature:] ginny.moore [imprint:] REPRODUCED BY NYC WPA WAR SERVICES [imprint:] SAFETY DIVISION U.S. COMPENSATION COMMISSION
