Unlearning Norms and Descriptive Safety Work

This episode is what happens when the boys hit record while hanging out with Todd Conklin and then decide, “Good enough, let’s roll with it.” The Toddfather has definitely been seen rocking Birks, so he gets his very own NOFX song reference.

It starts where all serious safety conversations should start: punk records, new tattoos, banjo heckling, and arguing about what “tier” everyone is in. Then Todd shows up and immediately ruins the fun by asking a question that actually matters: "Why does safety keep talking about innovation while mostly just polishing the same old stuff and calling it progress?"

From there, things go sideways mostly in a good way. The boys talk about how new ideas don’t die because people hate them; they mostly die because nobody keeps pushing them. How safety has gotten weirdly obsessed with full-tilt scientific legitimacy, certainty, and defending itself instead of, you know, making work better. How LinkedIn is not helping. At all. And how most “innovation” in safety is just the same tools with new names and a shitty logo.

Todd does what Todd does: calmly points out uncomfortable truths. He's like those old Jello Biafra interviews from the '80s and '90s, just splitting people's minds open. Like the fact that the most interesting innovation isn’t coming from safety conferences; it’s coming from places like pediatric hospitals, high-risk teams that never think they’re good enough, and organizations that actually design around how work happens instead of how they wish it happened. Also, nostalgia is not a strategy, and compliance is not a personality.

Somewhere in the middle, they realize (again) that safety isn’t the goal, positive change to how we work is. Safety is just what falls out when work is designed, supported, and adapted well. That realization is immediately followed by more sarcasm, some light despair about the future of leadership, and at least one rant about why “waiting for the next big thinker” is probably a losing move.

Does this episode solve anything? Absolutely not, even though the fellas definitely claim to. But, like punk rock, it's a reminder of why this stuff still matters, especially when it feels like the field is stuck in neutral.

Also: still no new tattoos. Which honestly feels like the biggest failure of the episode.

DISCLAIMER: You probably shouldn't take anything in this podcast too seriously. Punk Rock Safety is for entertainment only. It's definitely not a replacement for professional or legal advice, and the fair amount of piss-taking, shithousery, and general ridiculousness ought to clue you into the fact that no one - and no organization - is endorsing (or un-endorsing, if that's a thing) any products, ideas, or other things. Except NOFX. We definitely endorse them.

Oh, and give your money to Punk Rock Saves Lives. They're a rad organization that works in mental health, addiction, and human rights. And they're awesome people who can use your help to keep on kicking ass at what they do.

https://www.punkrocksaveslives.org/

Let us know what you think at info@punkrocksafety.com or on our LinkedIn page.

Merch at punkrocksafetymerch.com