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

The boys are back (and they're looking for trouble - see if you can sort out that lyric) for Episode 48, kicking off 2026 with the standard blend of profanity, punk rock references, and sometimes solid safety insights. And it's another NOFX reference for an episode title.

This episode tackles the problem of bloated safety stuff; those processes, procedures, and bureaucratic bullshit that organizations accumulate without ever stopping to ask "why the fuck are we doing this?" Inspired by a LinkedIn comment about Episode 45 with Perry, one of the six PRS listeners, the crew dives into the critical distinction between safety work that actually matters and compliance checkbox theater that wastes everyone's time.

Before a focus on safety, though, there's some discussion about HR and accounting sometimes trying to 'wag the dog' of operations. This isn't an HR podcast, though. There is some cross-purpose, though, and there might be folks conflating goals.

The conversation gets real about how safety professionals need to approach experienced workers with curiosity rather than authority. The guys emphasize starting from a place of "they probably know something I don't" - asking questions, understanding context, and actually giving a shit about people's perspectives before imposing solutions. They propose a practical exercise: list everything your safety program does, get brutally honest about why you're doing each thing, then talk to workers about better ways to achieve those outcomes. The goal isn't to eliminate safety. It's to separate genuine risk management from lazy compliance work.

Throughout the episode, there's the normal chaos: discussions of armed guards, activist emails, construction security, cricket matches lasting five days, and Ron's ongoing journey to the pinnacle of safety as an OSHA 30-hour certified trainer. The episode wraps with talk of upcoming guests and connections across the industry, proving once again that safety done right is about relationships, real conversations, and not being afraid to call bullshit when you see it.

By the way, if you're one of the six folks listening and you have suggestions for guests, drop us a line. Bonus points if they know things about safety and punk.

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

Happy New Year, you beautiful punks!

It's not a NOFX song, but the title is from Separation of Church and Skate, so that counts.

Shocking, but his one is a full “figure it out live” episode. No prep. No agenda. Just the boys looking forward to some time off, talking shit, and accidentally landing on a pretty okay idea.

There's a lot of the usual BS, but it's important to know that Dave rides an e-bike. Somewhere in the middle of the 8 minutes of dumb conversation that happens in most episodes, things turn serious (but not too serious) as Ron, Ben, and Dave start asking whether we’ve made work so “safe” that people are actually worse at dealing with real risk.

There's talk about pocket knives for kids, live electrical work, hand-flying airplanes, clean construction sites that still hurt people, and why removing every hazard might also remove competence. There’s aviation, chemical plants, forklifts, chaos engineering, tabletop exercises, and the kinda weird realization that if people never see danger, they might not recognize it when it shows up.

No clean answers or silver bullets. Just a messy, honest conversation about risk, skill, exposure, and the case for sometimes having a little less safety.

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