Ep. 22: The Idiots Are Taking Over

Ep. 22: The Idiots Are Taking Over

Author: Ben Goodheart, David Provan, Ron Gantt January 8, 2025 Duration: 59:09
Don't you think Punk Rock Safety isn't taking safety seriously enough? Making jokes about safety is surely a sign that some idiot doesn't care enough, right? Uhhh, no. And that applies to safety pros who are having a good time, laughing, and joking as they do their jobs, too. Why aren't people saying, "Whoa, this is fucking awesome!" when the safety folks come around? If the seriousness that a lot of people think is associated with safety was working, we wouldn't be fighting to get folks' attention all the time. If safety is supposed to be about valuing and connecting with people, then we have to bring in all the stuff that makes life interesting. That's a big part of punk, too. Connecting with people through a common story and supporting one another even when shit gets gnarly. Fun and serious aren't opposites, dude, and if it's boring even to the people doing it, what the hell chance do we have of being helpful? The boys talk about safety as the "fun police" and more. It's a super serious conversation. Pinky promise.

Hosts Ben Goodheart, David Provan, and Ron Gantt aren't interested in comfortable safety myths. Their Punk Rock Safety podcast operates on a straightforward, if humbling, premise: many of our most deeply held beliefs about safety in workplaces and organizations are fundamentally flawed, and we've all likely absorbed a few. This isn't about intelligence, but about the sheer volume of misguided concepts that dominate the field. Each episode is a direct conversation between the three, dissecting these pervasive ideas with a blend of practical experience and critical thinking drawn from management, social science, and business. You'll hear them challenge dogma, question standard procedures that sound good but don't work, and argue for a more realistic, human-centered approach. The tone is conversational and often irreverent, but the goal is serious-to cut through the noise and replace empty safety rhetoric with something more substantive and effective. Tuning into this podcast means joining a discussion that prioritizes honest inquiry over easy answers, all in the service of creating environments where people are genuinely protected.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Punk Rock Safety
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 19: The Cause [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:23
We keep forgetting (except for now, because we're definitely mentioning it) to say that there's some evidence that Fat Mike from NOFX loves the podcast. We'd go so far as to say it's his favorite pod. We're the "Seal Tea…
Ep. 18: The War On Errorism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:36
Yet another NOFX inspired title, huh? Yep. We're a one-trick pony around here. The boys have finally gotten around to human error, which is a theme for this podcast anyway. Maybe there's a difference between fuck-up and…
Ep. 17: 21st Century Digital Boy (With Colette Alexander) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:57
This one's a little different. The title may give some of that away (and it's a Bad Religion song). None of your three hosts are tech wizards, but Collette Alexander joins the pod, and she is (even though she might argue…
Ep. 16: Fuck Authority [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:37
It's Episode 16, punks. The boys start this one with a peek behind the curtain into just how much prep goes into the pod. Spoiler: not a lot. It's sort of like a punk show that way. The topic for 16 is regulators, which…
Ep. 15: Sellouts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:56
In punk, being a sellout means you've abandoned the punk rock culture: anti-authority, DIY, non-conformity, and tearing apart systems that don't work for the people. So what happens if you shake up the idea of safety cul…
Ep. 14: Risk Assess-holes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:37
When's the last time the outcome of a risk assessment was a surprise? Thought so. So why do we do risk assessments, anyway? Are we really making decisions based on them? It doesn't sound like it. Is it a social process,…
Ep. 13: I Heard They Suck Live! (With Sam Goodman) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:18
Fine. You're right. The title is also the name of a NOFX album. NOFX is rad, though, so we're keeping it. This week, we're talking to a kickass guest, Sam Goodman, about making safety less sucky. Sam even wrote a book ab…
Ep. 12: Fuck Safety, Make Money [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:54
It's episode 12, and we've got a new quote for a T-shirt, and instead of "goal conflicts," we just went with the title of the episode. Watch the merch store; we'll get it sorted. So, safety first, right? Maybe. Sometimes…
Ep. 11: People Suck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:10
Snake eyes, MFers! It's episode 11, and with a minute of prep or so, we settled on figuring out if people really are the solution to things, especially safety things. Toxic Narcotic has a song called "People Suck" I mean…
Ep. 10: Wanna Go To A Joint Party? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:49
The fact that we've made it to episode 10 is sort of miraculous. Like a stage diver, you don't have to want it, but it's happening. We're talking about contractor management—or, as Ron calls it, "cross-boundary joint act…