From 'Safety First' to 'Safety Third': Embracing Personal Responsibility for a Secure Future

Mike Rowe was the host of the television series “Dirty Jobs” where he, along with his production crew, would apprentice dangerous, uncomfortable, and extreme jobs to showcase exactly how many people earn a hard living. In an interview, he describes the origins of a catchphrase he coined: “Safety Third.”  In the first season, his crew listened to all the safety trainings with utmost attention. They entered the job sites with “Safety First” at the forefront of their minds. Since these were new experiences and they were unfamiliar, they exercised care. But, by the third season, the trainings became rote and non-conscious. In that season, Mike and his crew suffered multiple injuries. He started to realize that as they went on, they started to become complacent, subconsciously perceiving their own safety as someone else’s responsibility. They stopped practicing safety actively and got hurt. He began saying “safety third” simply to make it stand out from the saying “safety first” so that they would all remember they were the ones responsible for themselves. Practicing safety and paying attention cannot be outsourced to other people when it’s your own well-being on the line.

In what feels like another lifetime, companies offered pensions to employees. If an employee worked for a company long enough, they were guaranteed a retirement benefit. Only in the late 1970’s did companies begin to transition away from that model. Employees became responsible for funding their own retirement through 401(k)s and other retirement vehicles. While social security serves as income in later years, it is often wholly inadequate as a complete replacement to income in one’s retirement.

And, while inheritances sometimes happen and boost retirement later in life, data suggests that by the second generation, 70 percent of families will lose their wealth and by the third generation, a whopping 90 percent. Although it seems like money will never run out, it inevitably does.

A reliance on other’s funding our future leaves us in a vulnerable and dangerous place, a safety first place.

So, here we are, safety third. We need reminders that only we are responsible for our own well-being. There is no one else upon whom to rely. We control our safety—and that’s a good thing. It’s empowering. I know what is going to make me feel safe better than anyone else. Just like with boundaries, we cannot control what others will think or do. But we can control what we can do.

A safe future often means having enough money to have choice. Choice might mean not working, it could mean changing careers, or simply working in to the manner that suits you. What that safe future looks like is up to you. One way I like to explore possibilities is by calculating how much I want to save to have the future I envision. I love (I mean, seriously, really enjoy), looking at a compound interest calculator. Small savings can go a very long way. If you were to invest just $500 each month for the next 30 years, you would have about $1,000,000. If you double the monthly investment, you would have nearly $2,000,000.*

It doesn’t take a lot to secure your future, but it does take attention and intention. With just some deliberate action, you have the ability to secure a very safe future. If you find yourself on autopilot and not planning your future, safety third is your reminder to turn off autopilot and be empowered to take control. 

*This assumes a 10% rate of return. https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator