Safety on Purpose

Joseph Garcia
  • 5.0 (8)
  • MANAGEMENT

Safety on Purpose is a leadership-focused safety podcast dedicated to transforming how organizations think about workplace safety, culture, and people. Hosted by safety leader Joe Garcia, this podcast goes beyond rules, checklists, and compliance to explore what truly keeps people safe at work. Each episode dives into safety leadership, psychological safety, human factors, operational empathy, Just Culture, behavior-based safety, and the future of the safety profession. Through real-world stories, practical insights, and honest conversations, Safety on Purpose helps safety professionals, leaders, and frontline supervisors move from compliance to commitment. You’ll hear episodes on: Safety culture and leadership developmentHuman-centered safety and risk perceptionCoaching vs. controlling leadership stylesMental health, fatigue, and human performanceTechnology, AI, and the human factorCulture change, trust, and accountabilityLessons learned from real safety experiences Plus, monthly Mentor Moments bonus episodes deliver bite-sized wisdom for young and emerging safety professionals, while special episodes challenge outdated thinking and spark meaningful change. Whether you’re a safety professional, operations leader, HR partner, supervisor, or executive, Safety on Purpose equips you with the mindset and tools to lead safer, stronger, and more resilient organizations—on purpose. New episodes released bi-weekly Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

  1. 4D AGO

    So You’re “The Safety Person” Now… Try Not To Panic

    Send us a text Ever been told “Here’s the safety stuff—let us know if you see anything” and handed a role with no roadmap? We’ve been there. We break down a practical 90-day plan that turns uncertainty into clarity and pressure into trust, so you can lead safety that actually works on the floor and not just on paper. We start by reframing the first month as your listening phase. Instead of racing to correct hazards, you walk the floor, shadow operators, and learn how the company really makes money. You’ll hear the questions that open doors—what usually goes wrong here, what happens when schedules slip, what a bad operational day looks like—and how to use intentional silence to uncover the unwritten rules that truly govern behavior. When your guidance respects production reality, people stop working around you and start working with you. From days 31 to 60, we connect people, paperwork, and practice. Policies, procedures, training records, logs, and investigations matter only when they match the job as performed. We highlight friction over failure—ill-fitting PPE, slow procedures, misaligned training—and show how small, visible fixes build credibility faster than sweeping policy overhauls. Then in days 61 to 90, we focus your leadership on one meaningful priority: a serious risk or recurring problem that actually changes outcomes. You’ll hear how to co-create solutions with workers and supervisors, set clear non-negotiables without becoming the cop, and replace threats with predictable leadership that earns pull rather than pushback. We also call out the silent killers of trust: trying to be liked, using OSHA as a weapon, correcting too fast, ignoring production pressure, and mistaking silence for agreement. By the end, you’ll have a simple, repeatable framework—listen, learn, lead—that helps people go home safe, day after day. If this guide helps you or someone on your team, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review to tell us the one priority you’re choosing for your next 90 days. Hosted by: Joe Garcia, Safety Leader & Culture Advocate New Episodes Every Other Tuesday Safety on Purpose Follow & Connect: 🔸 Instagram: Instagram 🔸 LinkedIn: Joe Garcia 🔸 Spotify | Apple | Podcasts: Search "Safety on Purpose"

    15 min

  2. JAN 20

    From Pain To Purpose

    Send us a text What if the reason you care so deeply about safety didn’t start on a job site, but at home? Joe opens up about growing up in the shadow of addiction, becoming the family protector before he had the words for it, and how that early vigilance turned into a calling. The journey moves from sales floors to factory floors to the safety director’s seat, revealing how skills like persuasion, trust-building, and systems thinking quietly prepared him to lead with empathy and clarity. We dive into the difference between compliance theater and human-centered safety, and why culture beats policy when pressure hits. Joe shares how a layoff at forty cracked open the path to safety leadership, how walking 20 facilities taught him to see risk the way workers do, and why training became the craft that changed everything. Instead of telling people what to do, he learned to connect safety to the work they already take pride in—making it real, relevant, and repeatable. Along the way, we talk about burnout, boundaries, and the invisible weight protectors carry, and how faith stitched meaning through seasons that felt scattered. This story challenges tired assumptions: safety isn’t checklists; it’s care. It’s about recognizing vulnerability, designing for how people actually work, and building programs that stick because they’re rooted in lived experience. If you’ve ever felt called to protect others, or if your past feels like a liability, you’ll hear a different truth: nothing was wasted. Pain, when understood, becomes purpose. Subscribe, share this with a fellow protector, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what shaped your why? Hosted by: Joe Garcia, Safety Leader & Culture Advocate New Episodes Every Other Tuesday Safety on Purpose Follow & Connect: 🔸 Instagram: Instagram 🔸 LinkedIn: Joe Garcia 🔸 Spotify | Apple | Podcasts: Search "Safety on Purpose"

    22 min

  3. 12/30/2025

    Year End Wrap Up

    Send us a text We look back at a year where safety became more human and useful, then map the practical shifts leaders and workers need in 2026. Clear priorities, simpler systems, and real trust move safety from a report to a relationship. • Human-centered safety gains across fields  • Useful tech that reduces friction  • OSHA focus on heat, air quality, chemicals, noise, contractors  • Cultural lessons: over-communication, moments, standards, storytelling  • Worker priorities: clarity, support, realistic workloads, trust  • Leader moves for 2026: curiosity, simplify systems, daily presence, training, fatigue as operational risk  • 2026 trends: human performance, modernization, real-time data, ops integration, mental health core  • Podcast updates: field guests, full mentor moments, tactical scripts, community Q&A, Jan 20 relaunch, bi-weekly, new branding and potential video We’re going to take a little time off for the holidays and then relaunch in 2026 on January 20th Hosted by: Joe Garcia, Safety Leader & Culture Advocate New Episodes Every Other Tuesday Safety on Purpose Follow & Connect: 🔸 Instagram: Instagram 🔸 LinkedIn: Joe Garcia 🔸 Spotify | Apple | Podcasts: Search "Safety on Purpose"

    12 min
  4. Setbacks To Stepping Stones

    12/30/2025 · BONUS

    Setbacks To Stepping Stones

    Send us a text We explore how to turn leadership setbacks into stepping stones through clear mindsets and a simple playbook. A quiet failure story shows why fit with real work matters more than plans on paper, and how modeling learning builds team resilience. • setbacks as feedback not verdicts • story of a failed safety initiative • misalignment between design and real work • three mindset shifts for resilience • pause, name, seek challenge, adjust one step • modeling transparency to shape culture • monthly reflection exercise to turn regret into insight If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who might need encouragement today Hosted by: Joe Garcia, Safety Leader & Culture Advocate New Episodes Every Other Tuesday Safety on Purpose Follow & Connect: 🔸 Instagram: Instagram 🔸 LinkedIn: Joe Garcia 🔸 Spotify | Apple | Podcasts: Search "Safety on Purpose"

    7 min

  5. 12/16/2025

    Operational Empathy: Safety as a Human Experience

    Send us a text We show how operational empathy turns safety from paperwork into a lived experience that workers trust. Through real stories and practical steps, we shift from blaming people to fixing conditions, building trust that makes reporting and safer choices routine. • defining operational empathy and why it matters  • safety as experience versus policy on paper  • the hard hat headache story and human constraints  • five ways empathy improves safety outcomes  • micro moments that build trust and candor  • human factors shaping decisions on the floor  • practical steps to add empathy to daily work  • learning culture over punishment to boost truth  • a supervisor’s turnaround using listening and action  • safety as connection through respect and care Hosted by: Joe Garcia, Safety Leader & Culture Advocate New Episodes Every Other Tuesday Safety on Purpose Follow & Connect: 🔸 Instagram: Instagram 🔸 LinkedIn: Joe Garcia 🔸 Spotify | Apple | Podcasts: Search "Safety on Purpose"

    22 min

  6. 12/09/2025

    Fatigue, Stress & Safety Blind Spots

    Send us a text We share why fatigue and stress are operational hazards that warp decisions, narrow awareness, and fuel preventable incidents. We offer six human factors leaders miss and simple tools any team can use to slow down, reset, and work safer without sacrificing quality. • reframing fatigue from personal failing to system risk • how fatigue mimics intoxication and shrinks awareness • microsleeps and why “I didn’t see it” is real • stress overload, working memory drops, and snap decisions • forklift case study showing overload, not negligence • six human factors: cognitive load, repetition fatigue, emotional fatigue, deadline pressure, social pressure, sleep inequity • leadership tools: one-minute check-in, reinforce the pause, remove rush signals • team strategies: mental resets, teach micro fatigue, rotate tasks, talk about stress, audit scheduling • empathy as a safety tool and culture builder If this episode resonated with you, share it with a leader, a coworker, or someone who needs to hear that fatigue and stress definitely is not a weakness. New episode drops every other Tuesday. Until next time, stay safe, stay intentional, and always lead with purpose. Hosted by: Joe Garcia, Safety Leader & Culture Advocate New Episodes Every Other Tuesday Safety on Purpose Follow & Connect: 🔸 Instagram: Instagram 🔸 LinkedIn: Joe Garcia 🔸 Spotify | Apple | Podcasts: Search "Safety on Purpose"

    19 min
  7. The Power of the First Five Minutes

    11/28/2025 · BONUS

    The Power of the First Five Minutes

    Send us a text We explore how the first five minutes of any meeting set the tone for safety, trust, and performance. Stories from two safety huddles show how gratitude, purpose, and shared voices change culture in real time. • the power of opening moments to shape behavior • contrasting safety huddle approaches and their impact • specific gratitude that reinforces safe acts • connecting safety to family and personal values • inviting field experts to share insights • turning near-misses into learning without blame • practical steps to reset tone with presence and clarity Now, if I can ask everybody out there to subscribe to Safety on Purpose anywhere you find your podcast, so you never miss an episode Hosted by: Joe Garcia, Safety Leader & Culture Advocate New Episodes Every Other Tuesday Safety on Purpose Follow & Connect: 🔸 Instagram: Instagram 🔸 LinkedIn: Joe Garcia 🔸 Spotify | Apple | Podcasts: Search "Safety on Purpose"

    8 min
  8. A Thanksgiving Reflection: Gratitude, Growth & Leading with Heart

    11/27/2025

    A Thanksgiving Reflection: Gratitude, Growth & Leading with Heart

    Send us a text We explore how gratitude strengthens safety, why pain can shape purpose, and how simple daily actions build trust that policies alone cannot. Practical challenges help leaders swap speeches for presence and metrics for meaning, especially through the holidays. • gratitude as a human factor in safety culture • specific appreciation driving voice, ownership, connection • case study of daily thank-yous changing team behavior • mentors, challengers, and painful lessons shaping purpose • three leader challenges for empathy and presence • combating complacency through trust and accountability • building community focused on people over metrics “Have a great and safe Thanksgiving. Remember there’s more to life than just safety. There is people… walk into this week with a renewed focus on people. Be present, be grateful, and lead on purpose.” Hosted by: Joe Garcia, Safety Leader & Culture Advocate New Episodes Every Other Tuesday Safety on Purpose Follow & Connect: 🔸 Instagram: Instagram 🔸 LinkedIn: Joe Garcia 🔸 Spotify | Apple | Podcasts: Search "Safety on Purpose"

    13 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Safety on Purpose is a leadership-focused safety podcast dedicated to transforming how organizations think about workplace safety, culture, and people. Hosted by safety leader Joe Garcia, this podcast goes beyond rules, checklists, and compliance to explore what truly keeps people safe at work. Each episode dives into safety leadership, psychological safety, human factors, operational empathy, Just Culture, behavior-based safety, and the future of the safety profession. Through real-world stories, practical insights, and honest conversations, Safety on Purpose helps safety professionals, leaders, and frontline supervisors move from compliance to commitment. You’ll hear episodes on: Safety culture and leadership developmentHuman-centered safety and risk perceptionCoaching vs. controlling leadership stylesMental health, fatigue, and human performanceTechnology, AI, and the human factorCulture change, trust, and accountabilityLessons learned from real safety experiences Plus, monthly Mentor Moments bonus episodes deliver bite-sized wisdom for young and emerging safety professionals, while special episodes challenge outdated thinking and spark meaningful change. Whether you’re a safety professional, operations leader, HR partner, supervisor, or executive, Safety on Purpose equips you with the mindset and tools to lead safer, stronger, and more resilient organizations—on purpose. New episodes released bi-weekly Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

Information

  • Creator
    Joseph Garcia
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Safety on Purpose
  • Show Website
    Safety on Purpose