PAPod 622 - When Safety Programs Go Bad: Enshittification and the Iron Law

Todd Conklin explores how safety programs, despite good intentions, often degrade over time: leading metrics turn lagging, bureaucracy self-reinforces (the "iron law"), and helpful tools can become weaponized in hindsight. He illustrates with examples like restrictive approval rules for breathing apparatus and reliance on machine safeguards that can encourage risky behaviour.

The episode urges organizations to declutter processes, monitor and adapt systems continuously, and treat safety as an active capacity that must be supported in real time rather than audited for blind obedience.