‘Safety Third’: Mike Rowe Warns Against ‘Complacency,’ Emphasizes ‘Personal Responsibility’
By Movieguide® Contributor
DIRTY JOBS star Mike Rowe is reminding us of the importance of taking risks to avoid complacency.
“Safety matters a great deal, but on DIRTY JOBS, we always look for the unintended consequence of a thing, and we always try to look at bromides and platitudes and cookie-cutter advice with some suspicion,” Rowe shared on an episode of TBN’s PRAISE. “Because the unintended consequence of following pat advice can be very steep, especially in the vocational arts.”
He continued, “So, what happens when you tell somebody ‘safety is first,’ what happens when you tell a worker that the most important thing in the world is their safety—well, that’s a well-intended thing to say, but if you say it often enough, then you run the risk, in my opinion, of creating an air of complacency that ultimately puts people in harm’s way.”
Rowe explained that, during the first two seasons of DIRTY JOBS, there were no injuries on the crew because they were all paying such close attention to the safety seminars before each job. However, in the third season, there were broken bones, sprains, and lots of stitches; something Rowe chalked up to boredom on the part of himself and the rest of the show’s crew.
“‘Safety first’ became a thing that ultimately created in us an impression that somebody cared more about our well being than we did, and that impression was the beginning of the end for our health and well being,” Rowe said. “So, I started saying, ‘Safety third.’”
He concluded, “In the end, real safety—which is safety always—is a combination of personal responsibility and focus, and the unintended consequence of letting somebody know that you care more about their well-being than they do—that, in my view, leads to all sorts of trouble.”
Rowe often talks about his “Safety Third” rule.
An article in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services reported that Rowe “contends that constant reminders of ‘safety first’ lose their impact and can create the illusion that someone else is looking out for the employee, especially if operations frequently do not, in fact, put safety first,” adding, “He points out that, although many regulations exist to attempt to protect workers, “Just because you are in compliance doesn’t mean you’re safe.”
The DIRTY JOBS star also frequently speaks about the benefits of blue-collar work, something Gen Zers are turning to in larger and larger numbers in an effort to avoid student loan debt.
“They’re seeing $94,000 a year at Tufts. They’re seeing all of the craziness…Brown and Dartmouth and Harvard,” he said during an interview with Fox News. “They’re seeing a $52 billion endowment at Harvard. They’re seeing all the craziness that’s constantly in the headlines. And they’re just saying, ‘Look, why do I want to start a career in a major I haven’t even declared yet and go that far into debt to pursue a job that probably doesn’t even exist when we got 10,000 other jobs over here…that don’t require a four-year degree?’”
Movieguide® previously reported:
DIRTY JOBS’ Mike Rowe is detailing the “shift” from universities to trade schools as many young people decide the rising cost of college isn’t worth it.
“I think we’re going to be entering a whole new time, where the smart money is going to be,” Rowe said during an interview with Fox Business, encouraging young people to “Go to a trade school and then learn a trade.”
The numbers match Rowe’s opinion—“Community colleges offering vocational programs witnessed one of the highest numbers of student enrollment in fall 2023,” Newsweek reported…
“People are starting to pay attention,” Rowe continued. “It’s a bit like turning a tanker around. You’re talking about perceptions and attitudes, stigmas, stereotypes, all sorts of things. People in a lot of ways need to be deprogrammed about this idea that the best path for most people is a four-year degree, coincidentally, the most expensive path.”
He continued, “We talk about [college] in terms of an investment, but people are starting to smell a rat there, too. I think more and more people are starting to look at that diploma on the wall and seeing it for what it actually is, which is a receipt.”
“I think Gen Z is just starting to realize they’ve been pushed in a direction that, frankly, doesn’t lead to a place they want to go,” Rowe concluded.
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