Explore every episode of the podcast The Risk Matrix
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| One in Three Coal Miners Has Black Lung. Compliance Isn't Enough. | 22 Sep 2026 | 00:32:55 | |
"We got a standard, we may be quote unquote compliant with the standard, but does that mean that risk stays controlled?" This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin discuss a NIOSH study published in August 2026 showing black lung disease among Appalachian coal miners has returned to levels not seen since the 1970s. One in three underground coal miners with 25 or more years of experience have the disease. The hazard was known. The controls were known. The question is whether compliance was ever enough. RESOURCES ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Suicide Prevention in Construction: What Safety Professionals Can Actually Do | 15 Sep 2026 | 00:35:11 | |
“Check your ladder, check the scaffold, check on your people.” This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin discuss suicide prevention in construction and what safety professionals can actually do when they recognize that a worker may be struggling. From chronic overload and understaffing to physical demands and personal stress, workers can carry pressures that compound over time. Dr. Martin and James discuss warning signs safety professionals should recognize and why their role is not to diagnose or counsel, but to ask, listen, connect workers with qualified resources, and follow up. This episode covers workplace stressors, Mental Health First Aid, EAPs, leadership vulnerability, and practical steps employers and safety professionals can take to better support workers and help break the silence around suicide in construction. RESOURCES ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| The Heart and Soul of Safety: Leading from the Heart with Paul Espenan | 01 Sep 2026 | 00:41:23 | |
"Titles have nothing to do with safety. Titles mean nothing. I'm just a guy trying to help people get home safe." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin welcome Paul Espenan, SVP of Environmental Health Safety and Regulatory at Diversified Energy and author of "The Heart and Soul of Safety: Leading Safety Performance from the Heart," for a conversation about what safety leadership looks like when it comes from the heart. Paul has been delivering weekly safety leadership stories on operations calls at Diversified Energy for six years. No reruns. His book collects 55 of them. ABOUT OUR GUEST Paul Espenan is Senior Vice President of Environmental, Health, Safety and Regulatory at Diversified Energy Company, where he has led a greater than 56% reduction in methane emissions and attained OGMP Gold Compliance status. A Certified Safety Professional with nearly four decades of experience, Paul is a two-time author and storyteller whose first book "The Heart and Soul of Safety: Leading Safety Performance from the Heart" contains 55 safety leadership moments. His second book "Owning the Heart and Soul of Safety: Leading Safety Culture From the Inside Out" releases this October. RESOURCES ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| What the Watson Grinding Explosion Teaches Us About Process Safety | 25 Aug 2026 | 00:35:33 | |
"This is not an incident primarily about a hose being left on at night. It's bigger than that." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin walk through the Watson Grinding explosion in Houston, Texas, the Chemical Safety Board investigation, and the Harris County jury verdict that awarded $61.5 million against the defendants. When a propylene hose disconnected overnight in January 2020, employees arrived the next morning, smelled gas, communicated their concerns to management, and were never evacuated. The building exploded. This episode covers what the verdict means for process safety management, contractor liability, and what every safety professional needs to understand about civil litigation beyond OSHA. RESOURCES ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| What Construction Gets Wrong About Worker Readiness with Corey Silverman | 18 Aug 2026 | 00:42:28 | |
"Guard your signature. Guard your reputation. Because safety, even though there's a good many of us, it's a small world indeed." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin welcome Corey Silverman, Safety Specialist at Highwire, a Veriforce company, to discuss what the construction industry gets wrong about worker readiness. Pre-qualification tells you what a company submitted. Work readiness tells you whether the worker showing up at your gate that day can actually do the job safely. ABOUT OUR GUEST Corey Silverman is a Safety Specialist at Highwire, a Veriforce company. A Keene State College safety program graduate, Corey began his career at Amazon before moving into construction safety at Holder Construction. He later joined Autus, a construction safety technology company, before landing at Highwire where he works at the intersection of contractor management, worker readiness, and safety technology. RESOURCESOSHA Comment Period for 13 Proposed Carcinogen Rules (deadline August 21) ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Paper Safety Is Not Real Safety: The Truth About Stop Work Authority | 11 Aug 2026 | 00:32:47 | |
"If nobody can name the last stop that cost real money, you do not have stop work authority. You have a slogan." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin mark Episode 150 by going back to where it all started. Episode 1 of The Risk Matrix was called Paper Safety Is Not Real Safety. One hundred and fifty episodes later, that thesis is still unfinished business. They tackle stop work authority and what separates a program that lives on paper from one that actually works. RESOURCES ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Preparing Utility Workers Before the Storm | 04 Aug 2026 | 00:32:59 | |
“You play like you practice.” This week, Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin discuss James’ June 2026 article, Remembering Hurricane Katrina and Confronting Hurricane Season 2026, and the lessons Hurricane Katrina still teaches about worker preparedness, emergency planning, and business continuity. From extreme heat and mutual aid crews to emergency action plans and storm response, the conversation explores why the organizations that respond best during severe weather are the ones that prepared long before the storm arrived. RESOURCES Remembering Hurricane Katrina and Confronting Hurricane Season 2026 by James Junkin (June 2026) ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Why Most Incident Investigations Stop Too Soon | 28 Jul 2026 | 00:22:33 | |
"The best investigations are the ones you have to run less often because a strong pre-incident risk assessment already caught the problem first." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin discuss Dr. Martin's July 4, 2026 article "Untangling Direct, Underlying, and Root Causes After a Workplace Incident" and why stopping at the direct cause is why incidents repeat. Most investigations close the file on the proximate cause because it is easy. The real work, and the real prevention, happens in the underlying causes underneath it. ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| The Myth of Zero Risk: Why Chasing Perfect Safety Is Bankrupting Good Intentions | 21 Jul 2026 | 00:31:02 | |
Zero risk was never the goal. A deliberately defined, defensible, and economically sound threshold is." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin discuss Dr. Martin's July 7, 2026 article "The Myth of Zero Risk and Why Chasing Perfect Safety Is Bankrupting Good Intentions." Safety management has two failure modes: stopping at compliance or chasing zero. The real work happens somewhere in between. RESOURCES Life Safety Alliance Top 40 (2026) ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. www.veriforce.com | |||
| How to Build Contractor and Subcontractor Safety Partnerships with Tim Rich | 07 Jul 2026 | 00:38:32 | |
"If we have an injury, that's our injury. That is a combined shared injury between us. We get together shoulder to shoulder, we roll up our sleeves and we look at what systems, what behaviors led us to that. We don't look at it as you failed. We share the fault, we share the responsibility and we share the action to fix it." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin welcome Tim Rich, Construction Safety Manager at Boardwalk Pipelines, to discuss what contractor and subcontractor safety management looks like beyond the pre-qualification portal. They discuss how he builds alliance contractor relationships, what their annual Contractor Alliance Summit delivers, and why incident response is a shared responsibility between operator and contractor. ABOUT OUR GUEST Tim Rich is Construction Safety Manager at Boardwalk Pipelines, where he oversees safety and compliance on multiple large-scale construction projects throughout the United States. An award-winning safety professional with over 25 years of experience in oil and gas, manufacturing, and mining, Tim has led cross-functional teams to drive culture change toward sustainable zero-injury work environments. He holds a BS from Louisiana Tech University and is currently pursuing his MBA from LSU. ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Inside ASSP Safety 2026: AI, Contractor Management, and the Future of Safety | 30 Jun 2026 | 00:33:49 | |
"It feels like a safety revival. You get there with six thousand of your best friends, you're all speaking the same language, you're supporting each other." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin welcome Rachel Tash, Veriforce VP of Marketing, for a first-timer's perspective on the ASSP Safety 2026 Professional Development Conference and Exposition. They discuss what safety professionals were talking about on the show floor at ASSP Safety 2026, what the industry is demanding from AI right now, and why face-to-face interaction remains irreplaceable in a profession built on trust. ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| When AI Watches: Worker Monitoring and Psychological Safety | 23 Jun 2026 | 00:39:56 | |
"Does a corporate paycheck grant you the ethical right to monitor and analyze a person's physical geometry while they work forty hours a week?" This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin tackle one of the most pressing questions in safety right now: where is the line between using AI to protect workers and using it to surveil them? In a warehouse setting, AI monitoring reduced slips, trips, and falls by twenty percent. Employee anxiety and turnover went up forty percent. That is the tension at the heart of this episode. ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Treating OSHA Standards as Suggestions: The Real Cost of Non-Compliance | 16 Jun 2026 | 00:26:31 | |
"When you get a violation, it's not a suggestion to fix your safety management system. It's not a suggestion to do the training." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin break down why some companies treat OSHA violations as suggestions, what happens when willful and repeat violations stack up, and why the biggest consequence is not the fine. ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Moving Beyond Paper Safety: Contractor Management and Training Gaps | 09 Jun 2026 | 00:46:41 | |
"Paper is not real safety. Just the acknowledgement that you've had training doesn't mean that worker has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to go out there and perform their job safely. That's the true test." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin break down why a strong pre-qualification score does not mean a contractor is actually doing what they say they're doing, what hiring clients and contractors are missing in their training programs, and what a real deep dive assessment reveals about the gaps between documentation and implementation. ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Prepare Before the Storm: Heat Safety and Severe Weather Planning | 02 Jun 2026 | 00:29:05 | |
"It's too late to draw it up in the dirt after something happens." This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin break down OSHA's updated heat National Emphasis Program, why indoor heat is just as dangerous as outdoor exposure, and why contractors who rely on the hiring client's emergency plan are leaving their workers unprotected. RESOURCES OSHA's updated heat National Emphasis Program: https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/osha-national-news-release/20260410 ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Using AI to Improve Your Safety Practice with Todd Hudson | 26 May 2026 | 00:44:41 | |
"With AI, you can practice these difficult safety conversations, like convincing a CFO or interviewing a reluctant witness, again and again and again, which you can't do with a human." Season 4 is here! This week Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin kick off the new season with Todd Hudson, President of Maverick Safety Training, to explore how safety professionals can use AI as a role-playing tool to prepare for the conversations that matter most, from making the case for budget to a cost-conscious CFO to practicing incident investigation interviews before you ever set foot on a real scene. Stick around for the end of this episode, where Dr. Martin throws down a challenge, James accepts, and Todd agrees to come back for a live AI role-play scenario. ABOUT OUR GUEST Todd Hudson, M.S. Engineering, is President of Maverick Safety Training and has spent more than twenty years helping safety professionals become great trainers. A former high-tech factory manager, Todd applies Lean methodology to training and knowledge transfer, with experience across copper mines, hospitals, warehouses, and more. He is a frequent conference speaker and contributor to publications including Chief Learning Officer Magazine and the New York Times. RESOURCES Maverick Safety Training: https://mavericksafetraining.com Todd Hudson on AI Role-Playing for Safety Pros: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT4fl-LC4tI ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| The Heavy Cost of Dirt: Excavation Safety and the Price of Negligence | 05 May 2026 | 00:30:06 | |
"There's a heavy cost. And it's not just heavy dirt. It's reputational, it's future work, it's citation fines, it's litigation costs, it's civil penalties. All these things add up. And for what?" In the Season 3 finale of The Risk Matrix Podcast, Dr. Martin and James break down the full cost of excavation negligence, drawing from Dr. Martin's LinkedIn article "The Heavy Cost of Dirt." They cover what the competent person designation actually requires under OSHA, why documentation and inspection records matter when OSHA shows up, and the legal, financial, and reputational consequences that follow every preventable trench collapse. RESOURCES:
ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| The Industrial Athlete: Rethinking How We Protect Workers' Bodies | 28 Apr 2026 | 00:38:03 | |
This week, Dr. Martin and James welcome Matt Stewart, GSP, RSO, President of Mariner-Gulf Consulting & Services, to introduce the concept of the industrial athlete and challenge safety professionals to rethink how we prepare workers for the physical demands of their jobs. This episode goes beyond stretch and flex. Matt makes the case that treating workers like athletes is a safety management strategy, not a wellness campaign. ABOUT OUR GUEST Matt Stewart, GSP, RSO is the President of Mariner-Gulf Consulting & Services, a boutique occupational safety and health consulting firm serving the oil & gas, chemical processing, pipeline, maritime, warehousing, manufacturing, and advanced technology industries. A summa cum laude graduate in Occupational Safety and Health from Columbia-Southern University, Matt is a Veriforce Master Trainer and host of the Veriforce monthly Live Safety Meeting Series. RESOURCES CPWR Construction Safety Data: https://www.cpwr.comWorkers Memorial Day: https://www.osha.gov/workers-memorialMatt Stewart on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-stewart-ab1071187/Mariner-Gulf Consulting & Services: matt@marinergulf.com ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| The Great Safety Hypocrisy: Why Metrics Are Failing Workers | 21 Apr 2026 | 00:48:28 | |
This episode drops during Workers Memorial Week, April 20-24, a time set aside to honor the roughly 5,500 workers killed in American workplaces every year. This week, Dr. Martin and James dig into Dr. Martin's LinkedIn article "The Great Safety Hypocrisy" to tackle why the safety industry keeps debating metrics while the fatality rate barely moves, and what it actually takes to evaluate whether a safety management system is working. RESOURCES The Great Safety Hypocrisy by Dr. Logan F. Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-safety-hypocrisy-logan-f-martin-phd-mba-pmp-cih-csp-chmm-n6p5e/Workers Memorial Week: https://www.osha.gov/workers-memorial ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| It's Conference Season: Are You Ready to Make It Count? | 14 Apr 2026 | 00:24:21 | |
Conference season is here, and if you show up without a plan, you're leaving professional development on the table. This week, Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin explore how to maximize conference season and how intentional planning, strategic session selection, and purposeful networking can help safety professionals get real ROI from every event they attend. ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Subcontractor Management: The Hidden Costs of Poor Oversight | 07 Apr 2026 | 00:26:15 | |
"The further down the chain of responsibility you go, the less robust the safety management systems are, but the risk is greater." This week, Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin tackle the hidden costs of poor subcontractor oversight and what contractors and hiring clients can do to protect themselves before an incident reveals the gaps. RESOURCES:
ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. | |||
| Operation Epic Fury: What It Means for Your Safety Program | 31 Mar 2026 | 00:29:20 | |
"When one thing rises, especially on existing bids within a supply chain, you have to make that up some other way. And a lot of times that some other way goes with not using the materials that you planned to use, maybe using something different, something cheaper, maybe something not quite as safe." This week, Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin break down what Operation Epic Fury means for your safety program. They unpack how rising fuel costs, supply chain instability, and budget pressure create cascading hazards on the ground, and how proactive safety leaders can get ahead of it before it becomes an emergency. RESOURCES:
ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. | |||
| Ladder Safety: Tips, Resources, and Lessons from the Field | 24 Mar 2026 | 00:27:11 | |
"I've seen duct-taped rungs on a ladder once. There are all types of things that you see. This is why ladder safety has its own month." This week Dr. Martin and James tackle ladder safety head on, covering what OSHA is looking for, common mistakes seen in the field, free resources most safety pros don't know about, and the one question you must answer before putting workers at height. INSIDE THE EPISODE: ⚠️ Before putting anyone at height, answer this first: how do you get them down? A rescue plan that starts and ends with 911 is not a rescue plan. ⚠️ If it isn't documented, it didn't happen. Ladder inspections, worker training, demonstrated competency, all of it needs to be on paper. ⚠️ Don't wait for a national stand down. Run your own. Take 30 minutes, use the free resources covered in this episode, and make it the whole month, not just a single toolbox talk. Invite vendors, they'll bring free training with them. RESOURCES:American Ladder Institute: laddersafetytraining.org | laddersafetymonth.com NIOSH Ladder Safety App: cdc.gov/niosh/falls/ladder/ladder-safety-app.html OSHA Ladder Safety: https://www.osha.gov/stop-falls/plan-provide-train Werner Ladder: wernerco.com Louisville Ladder: https://louisvilleladder.com/ladder-training/ ASSP: assp.org ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Simultaneous Operations (SimOps) Is Not Just a Safety Checkbox | 17 Mar 2026 | 00:30:14 | |
"Simultaneous operations is not a checkbox. Just by the nature of the term, simultaneous operations mean more than one operation, and that means calling out exactly what's happening." This week, Dr. Martin and James Junkin break down why SimOps coordination failures keep killing workers, using recent H2S incidents and the Chemical Safety Board's investigation into the fatal release at Pemex Deer Park Refinery. They discuss the Swiss cheese model in action: permits that tried to do too much, high-consequence work buried in documentation, and life-saving information that never reached the workers who needed it. From Michigan well cleanings to Colorado dairy farms to construction sites, when SimOps becomes a checkbox and permits create an illusion of sameness, workers die. KEY TAKEAWAYS: ⚠️ Illusion of sameness buries high-consequence work. When briefings become routine, critical information never reaches the workers who need it. ⚠️ Drift compounds when multiple teams work side by side. Individual drift is dangerous. Collective drift across contractors creates collisions. Communication must account for what's happening in adjacent work areas, not just your own task. ⚠️ Work as imagined rarely matches work as performed. Audits should verify whether procedures reflect reality. When the JHA doesn't match the field, stop and communicate what changed, what the hazards are, and how to respond. RESOURCES: James's LinkedIn Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lessons-sour-wind-what-deer-park-hs-release-still-has-james-wiace/ Veriforce H2S Clear for Energy: https://veriforce.com/course/h2s-clear-for-energy Chemical Safety Board Press Release: https://www.csb.gov/us-chemical-safety-board-releases-investigation-report-on-fatal-hydrogen-sulfide-release-at-the-pemex-deer-park-refinery-in-texas/ Chemical Safety Board Investigation Report: https://www.csb.gov/assets/1/6/pemex_investigation_report_final.pdf ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. | |||
| Sleep Debt and Workplace Safety | 10 Mar 2026 | 00:38:15 | |
"Organizations don't have a tool to effectively measure and manage fatigue, so it's very difficult for them to know how much of a problem it is." This week, Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin are joined by Marcus de Guingand, Managing Director at Third Pillar of Health, to discuss his workplace fatigue research. Marcus's team gathered data from 795 participants across construction and transportation industries, tracking nearly 6,000 working days. What they found: 48% of workers aren't getting the minimum 7 hours of sleep before work, 81% are carrying sleep debt, and while fatigue accounts for 20% of road traffic collisions and 13% of workplace injuries, most companies have no idea if fatigue played a role in their incidents because they don't have tools to measure it. KEY TAKEAWAYS: ⚠️ Organizations don't have tools to measure fatigue. Most companies have no idea if fatigue played a role in their incidents because they can't measure it. If they knew fatigue accounted for 20% of crashes and 13% of injuries, they'd be discussing it at board level. ⚠️ Fatigue costs $1,800 per employee per year. That's $640 in healthcare, $620 in productivity, and $545 in absenteeism. For a 100-person company, that's enough money to hire an extra worker instead of pushing everyone beyond safe limits. ⚠️ Workers can't self-diagnose fatigue impairment. Research shows that as workers get more fatigued, they struggle to identify hazards and eventually reach a point where even if they see a hazard, they physically can't avoid it. ABOUT THE GUEST: Marcus de Guingand is the managing director of Third Pillar of Health, home of Alert-Risk, the sleep health self-assessment as well as the MyAlertness and Shift-Risk apps. Marcus recently completed two major studies of fatigue across multiple industries, gathering over 137,000 data points from 795 workers across approximately 6,000 separate working days using the custom-built Shift-Risk app. His team created a new biomathematical model of fatigue with three modules: accident and incident investigation, Individual Risk Assessment (15-minute windows of fatigue risk), and Works Planning (identifying when fatigue risk is elevated in shift patterns). RESOURCES: Alert-Risk App: www.alert-risk.com Third Pillar of Health: www.thirdpillarofhealth.com Marcus de Guingand LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusdeguingand/ ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| The Contractor Worker Credentialing Gap | 03 Mar 2026 | 00:28:23 | |
"509 expired drug and alcohol tests. 91 missing background checks. 52 fake IDs." This week Dr. Martin and James sit down with Chris Detillier, HSE Manager at Veriforce, to discuss the contractor worker credentialing gap that's costing companies millions and creating serious safety and security risks. Inside the Episode: ⚠️ Company pre-qualification isn't enough. The real breakdown happens at the worker level. You can pre-qualify a contractor company, but if individual workers show up without proper credentials, you have a compliance and safety gap. ⚠️ Digital credentialing saves time and money. Workers waiting at the gate for missing credentials costs real money. Pre-verifying worker qualifications before they arrive eliminates delays and gets workers to work immediately. ⚠️ Compliance gaps are bigger than you think. The utility case study uncovered 509 expired drug/alcohol tests, 91 missing background checks, and 52 fake IDs that slipped through manual processes. About Chris Detillier: Chris Detillier is the HSE Manager at Veriforce in the Expert Services Department. He holds associate degrees in petroleum technology and safety technology from Nicholls State University and is an ASP from BCSP with his Master Safety Professional designation. ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Defining Your Company's Risk Tolerance | 24 Feb 2026 | 00:27:53 | |
"Workers will define your risk tolerance if you don't. That's why people crawl out of aerial man lifts and unhook. That's why people don't tie off." This week Dr. Martin and James discuss how companies need to establish clear risk tolerance collectively instead of letting individual workers decide what's acceptable risk. Inside the Episode: ⚠️ If you don't define risk tolerance, workers will define it for you. Companies need policies, procedures, training, and consistent messaging to establish guardrails. ⚠️ Get rid of the cowboys. Workers who take unnecessary risks influence the entire team and create a culture where others follow their example. ⚠️ Your messaging matters. Mission statements like "on time every time" tell workers safety rules don't apply when production is at stake. ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Safety Leadership and Influence with Justin Barksdale | 17 Feb 2026 | 00:44:42 | |
"We've got to be learn-it-alls, not know-it-alls." This week Justin Barksdale, CSP, joins Dr. Martin and James to discuss professional development for safety professionals. Justin shares insights from his new ebook "The Safety Pro's Edge" on building professional presence, influence, and connection skills that safety leaders need to succeed. INSIDE THE EPISODE: ⚠️ Safety is a core value, not a priority. Priorities change, but core values don't. Safety professionals must understand their role in supporting business profitability while protecting people. ⚠️ Be a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all. Get your boots dirty, work alongside your team, and ask questions. Trust and credibility come from being willing to do the work. ⚠️ Everyone communicates, few connect. Safety is more about social skills, sociology, and psychology than regulations. Influence comes from connection, not just communication. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Justin Barksdale, CSP is the CEO & Founder of Barksdale Safety Solutions, LLC and Barksdale Leadership Solutions. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Health, and Environment from Southeastern Louisiana University and works with organizations across chemical manufacturing, electric power, and healthcare to strengthen safety and improve operational performance. Justin helps build leaders people want to follow, and cultures people never want to leave. As a Certified Safety Professional and executive leadership coach, he partners with business owners, plant managers, and executive teams to align leadership, culture, and safety strategy. Through coaching, keynote speaking, and strategic consulting, Justin empowers leaders to shape culture intentionally rather than leaving it to chance. RESOURCES: ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| A Safety Professional's Guide to OSHA's Multi-Employer Citation Policy | 10 Feb 2026 | 00:29:07 | |
"Your worker may not have been exposed. But if you were involved in the chain of responsibility related to exposure of the hazard, you can be cited." This week James and Dr. Martin break down OSHA's Multi-Employer Citation Policy, one of the most confusing and misapplied topics in workplace safety. INSIDE THE EPISODE: ⚠️ The four employer roles: Creating, Exposing, Correcting, Controlling. You can be cited even if your employees weren't exposed. ⚠️ Contracts don't transfer OSHA risk. Indemnification transfers financial risk, but OSHA doesn't recognize that transfer. ⚠️ "Reasonable care" is decided by the general public. James says: "Go to Walmart. Pick the first 12 people. That's your jury." RESOURCES:
ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| NIOSH Is Back: Here's What You Need to Know | 03 Feb 2026 | 00:26:04 | |
NIOSH is bringing back 600+ employees. If you use the NIOSH Pocket Guide, rely on chemical exposure data, or need training resources for your safety program, this matters. This week Dr. Martin and James break down what NIOSH actually does: the difference between NIOSH and OSHA, the Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, FACE reports on workplace fatalities, and the A-Z training library you're probably not using. Plus, James shares his great-grandfather's black lung story and why NIOSH research creates the evidence base for worker protections. INSIDE THE EPISODE ⚠️ NIOSH vs OSHA: Know the difference - NIOSH conducts research and provides recommended exposure limits. OSHA handles compliance and enforcement. NIOSH is the scientist of safety. ⚠️ What NIOSH does for you - NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, A-Z training resources (workplace violence, cold stress, cannabis, hazardous drugs), FACE reports on workplace fatalities, and respirator certification ⚠️ NIOSH research drives worker protections - From black lung pensions to Gulf War syndrome recognition to 9/11 health monitoring, long-term health studies create the evidence for worker compensation and regulatory standards RESOURCES ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Buckle up, safety pros! The Risk Matrix brings you a weekly podcast masterclass in risk management, hosted by two industry titans: Dr. L.F. Martin: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner James Junkin: Trainer of 40,000+ safety pros, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year They're tackling the topics that keep safety managers up at night featuring guests from regulatory bodies to safety directors and everything in between. Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Safety Outlook for 2026 | 27 Jan 2026 | 00:28:29 | |
Are you planning your 2026 safety strategy, or is 2026 planning you? Dr. Martin and James break down the 7 safety trends you need on your radar this year: heat standards moving to states, AI making bad decisions, enhanced OSHA penalties, mental health enforcement gaps, and whistleblower protection. From conference planning strategies to real client AI failures, this episode is your roadmap for 2026. INSIDE THE EPISODE
RESOURCES
ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| Beyond Heinrich's Triangle: Defining What Serious Really Means | 20 Jan 2026 | 00:24:14 | |
6,000 workplace deaths annually. That number isn't budging. Dr. Martin and James tackle the hardest question in safety right now: what does "serious" actually mean, and why can't we agree on it? After Dr. Martin's LinkedIn article "The Safety Triangle is Broken" sparked discussion, they address the uncomfortable truth: total recordable injury rates are trending down, but fatalities aren't. Organizations must develop their own SIF definitions and be disciplined about applying them. You can't wait for the safety profession to reach consensus, and you can't boil the ocean trying to track everything as a potential SIF. INSIDE THE EPISODE:
RESOURCES
JOIN THE CONVERSATION Follow us on LinkedIn and share how your organization defines "serious": The Risk Matrix PodcastDr. MartinJames JunkinVeriforce ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at www.veriforce.com | |||
| OSHA Logs Are Due: Don't Make These 5 Costly Mistakes | 13 Jan 2026 | 00:28:09 | |
We're back for Season 3! Dr. Martin and James kick off 2026 with the topic on every safety pro's mind: OSHA 300 logs are due, and these 5 pitfalls could cost you. From first aid confusion to a $2,500 electronic filing mistake, they break down the recordkeeping traps that catch even experienced safety pros off guard. INSIDE THE EPISODE:
RESOURCES: OSHA 1904 Recordkeeping GuidelinesOSHA Electronic Reporting JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Follow The Risk Matrix Podcast on LinkedInConnect with Dr. MartinConnect with James Junkin ABOUT THE RISK MATRIX PODCAST Welcome to Season 3! The Risk Matrix brings you weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. www.veriforce.com | |||
| Holiday Safety Tips from Dr. Martin & James | 22 Dec 2025 | 00:06:19 | |
The holidays are here, and Dr. Martin and James are taking a quick break from regular programming to share practical safety tips to help you and your family stay safe this season. Extension cords. Fire hazards. Winter driving. Ladder safety. Kids with new toys. Carbon monoxide detectors. Five minutes of tips that could make a difference. INSIDE THE EPISODE: ⚠️ Extension cords matter. Check that they're rated for indoor or outdoor use, and don't daisy chain them unless they're designed for it. ⚠️ Fire kills during the holidays. Extinguish candles before leaving rooms, keep live trees hydrated, and don't leave Christmas lights on overnight. ⚠️ Winter weather is unforgiving. Slow down, leave distance between cars, and plan extra time for travel in bad conditions. STAY SAFE THIS SEASON However you celebrate - Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, or just enjoying time with family - we hope you have a safe and happy holiday season. The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Mental Health at Work: Why Awareness Isn't Enough | 16 Dec 2025 | 00:36:21 | |
"We've identified mental health as a workplace issue. Now what? Most companies stop at awareness." Pete Smith, Founder & CEO of Confyde, joins Dr. Martin and James to discuss a platform designed to move beyond awareness and into action. From confidential check-ins to real-time data on workforce mental health, this conversation explores what early intervention actually looks like in high-risk industries. INSIDE THE EPISODE:
ABOUT OUR GUEST Pete Smith is a former professional athlete and coach with over a decade of experience in the mental health space. During his coaching career, he saw firsthand the significant mental health challenges faced by many players and recognized the urgent need for better support. Unable to find an existing solution that met the needs of his team, he took matters into his own hands and created one. In 2022, Pete founded Confyde, a platform that has since provided critical support to teams, programs, administrators, coaches, and athletes, helping them engage in conversation and access the mental health support they need when it matters most. Connect with Pete on LinkedIn. RESOURCES MENTIONED
JOIN THE CONVERSATIONHow is your organization addressing mental health beyond awareness training? What's actually working? The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| 2025 Predictions Revisited: What We Got Right and What We Missed | 09 Dec 2025 | 00:29:15 | |
We made some predictions for 2025. Some stuck. Some didn't. This week Dr. Martin and James take a hard look at what actually happened in workplace safety this year. They break down where the industry missed the mark on AI, why heat illness keeps killing workers, and why mental health discussions aren't translating into action. Real talk, honest assessments, and what safety leaders need to focus on heading into 2026. Inside the Episode:
The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Preventing Workplace Violence: Warning Signs, Culture, and Preparedness | 02 Dec 2025 | 00:37:40 | |
"You do not rise to the occasion in an emergency. You always descend to your level of training." – James Junkin This week Dr. Martin and James examine a tragic workplace incident and walk through what every safety leader needs to know. They explore the warning signs that escalate into crisis, the gaps in how most organizations respond to conflict, and what it actually takes to build a culture where people report concerns before situations spiral. Real examples, hard truths, and actionable strategies you can start implementing now. Inside the Episode:• Behavioral warning signs appear early—shifts in demeanor, escalating arguments, and verbal threats are key indicators in workplace violence cases.• Preparedness depends on planning and practice—effective prevention requires clear roles, rehearsed response steps, and structured escalation processes.• Reporting culture determines whether concerns surface—leadership, communication, and psychological safety encourage early reporting and faster resolution. The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Getting Ready for Winter What Safety Leaders Need to Know Now | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:24:33 | |
This week, Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin break down the winter hazards that put workers at risk as temperatures drop. From propane heater misuse to methanol ingestion cases, the hosts share practical, field-tested controls every safety leader should put in place before December arrives. Drawing from real incidents in construction, oil and gas, utilities, and high-hazard industries, they explain why cold weather demands a different approach to fit-for-duty, equipment operation, and onsite planning. Inside the Episode: • Why propane heaters create carbon monoxide hazards if not monitored • How methanol misuse leads to blindness and fatalities, and how to prevent it • Cold stress and winter illness warning signs safety leaders often miss • Why OTC medications can impair equipment operators during winter shifts • Winter driving risks that increase incidents on and off the job site Resources mentioned:
The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Detecting Impairment, Not History: How Safety Leaders Navigate Legalization | 11 Nov 2025 | 00:38:08 | |
"Your drug test came back positive, but that doesn't tell you if your worker is impaired right now." This week Dr. Martin and James sit down with Ken Fichtler, CEO at Gaize.ai, to discuss the critical gap between detecting past drug use and identifying actual impairment in safety-sensitive environments. Drawing from real-world cases where traditional drug tests created false positives and unnecessary terminations, they reveal why your current impairment detection strategy might be leaving workers exposed. From cannabis legalization reshaping workplace policy to proactive screening creating deterrent effects, impairment detection has become a challenge in occupational safety that impacts companies' compliance status and worker safety. Inside the Episode:
About Our Guest: Ken Fichtler, CEO and founder of Gaize.ai, is a regulatory compliance and impairment detection expert with a technology and entrepreneurship background that evolved into decades of work understanding how cannabis and other drugs impact the body differently than alcohol. His focus on how detection technology impacts workplace safety brings a uniquely informed perspective on where impairment testing protects or compromises workplace safety. The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| The H2S Training Standard: What Safety Professionals Must Know | 04 Nov 2025 | 00:40:32 | |
"A gas monitor is not PPE." This week Dr. Martin and James discuss critical misconceptions about H2S training and workplace safety. James sits on the ANSI Z390.1 committee and brings direct expertise on the 2024 updated standard. Over the past decade, 60 workers have lost their lives in hydrogen sulfide incidents. Drawing from real incidents and field experience, they reveal what separates training that protects workers from programs that just check boxes. Inside the Episode:
Resources mentioned:
The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| From Piracy to Participation: Why Standards in the Training Industry Matter | 28 Oct 2025 | 00:38:48 | |
"He took it for the rest of his crew. Two of those workers were badly burned over the majority of their body after the explosion happened." This week Dr. Martin and James sit down with Robert Day, Managing Director at Cognisense, to discuss critical vulnerabilities in how we verify and validate workplace safety training. Drawing from this tragic hydrocarbon loading case where four workers had training certificates but only one actually completed the training, they reveal why your training documentation might not prove what you think it does. From legacy system vulnerabilities to technology gaps, training integrity has become a challenge in occupational safety that impacts companies' compliance status and worker safety. Inside the Episode:
About Our Guest:Robert Day, Managing Director at Cognisense, is a regulatory compliance and training standards expert with a military firefighter background that evolved into decades of hazardous materials response, risk assessments for major insurers, and advisory work shaping legislation and industry standards. His focus on how technology impacts training integrity brings a uniquely informed perspective on where online assessment tools protect or compromise workplace safety. The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| More Than Orientation: Building Effective Safety Onboarding Programs | 21 Oct 2025 | 00:27:21 | |
"Onboarding is not a one-and-done. Onboarding is a process." James and Dr. Martin address the critical vulnerability window that keeps safety directors up at night: the first 90 days. They've seen too many companies bring workers on with four-hour orientations, then struggle to defend their program to OSHA or a jury after an incident. The reality? Most injuries happen in those first 90 days when workers are learning the job, adapting to company culture, and figuring out how things really work. James shares a stark example: a midstream contractor that scaled from 50 to 500 employees in 60 days with a 10-minute onboarding video - six minutes on admin, four on safety. His question cuts to the heart of it: "How would you defend that to a compliance officer or to 12 members of a jury?" In this episode, they reveal what separates checkbox orientation from systematic onboarding that actually prepares workers for high-hazard jobs. KEY TAKEAWAYS:
The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| The Documentation Defense: What OSHA Actually Wants to See | 14 Oct 2025 | 00:32:59 | |
"If you don't document it, it didn't happen." James and Dr. Martin tackle the documentation paradox every safety professional faces. They've always said paper safety isn't real safety - but when OSHA shows up or litigation starts, documentation is how you prove you protected your workers. In this episode, they reveal what separates meaningless paperwork from documentation that actually matters. KEY TAKEAWAYS:
The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Beyond the Checkmark: Can You Defend Your Training When It Matters Most? | 07 Oct 2025 | 00:33:52 | |
This week Dr. Martin and James tackle the uncomfortable question most safety pros avoid: can you actually defend your training program when OSHA shows up? Drawing from thousands of field assessments where only 5% of contractors meet OSHA training standards, they reveal the critical gaps between checkbox compliance and programs that hold up under scrutiny. From the OSHA 10/30 misconception costing companies six figures to the 2 minutes 56 seconds of lockout/tagout training that won't survive an inspection, these are the training failures putting your workers and company at risk right now. Inside the Episode:
The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| OSHA's Top 10 Violations: What Safety Pros Are Missing in 2025 | 30 Sep 2025 | 00:52:47 | |
This week Dr. Martin and James dive into OSHA's most cited violations for 2025, revealing the "low-hanging fruit" citations that are costing companies thousands and putting workers at risk. Fresh from the National Safety Council conference in Denver, they break down each of the Top 10 with field-tested insights you won't find in the regulations. From fall protection failures to training gaps that erlook Inside the Episode:
The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Top 10 Ethical Dilemmas for Safety Professionals | 23 Sep 2025 | 01:00:11 | |
This week Dr. Martin and James channel David Letterman's classic countdown format to tackle the ethical challenges that define modern safety practice. From the Friday 4:30 PM confined space scenario to whistleblowing decisions, these aren't theoretical problems—they're the real-world situations that test your professional integrity and could determine whether workers make it home safely. Drawing from decades of field experience, our hosts break down the most common ethical conflicts safety professionals face: production pressure versus safety standards, training compliance versus real competency, and the gray areas where professional codes of conduct meet workplace reality. Whether you're a seasoned CSP or new to the field, these scenarios will challenge how you think about doing the right thing when it's not the easy thing. Inside the Episode:
The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| 436 Heat Fatalities: The Litigation Safety Pros Need to Know | 16 Sep 2025 | 00:30:02 | |
This week Dr. Martin and James dive into heat stress litigation. With 436 worker deaths over the past decade and federal heat standards stalled, courts are reshaping heat illness prevention through cases. The hosts discuss Matthew Arvin's article "The Heat of the Moment: Recent Litigation Regarding Heat Stress Injuries" from Professional Safety Journal, breaking down how five states are writing their own rules while these court decisions set new precedents for what heat safety really means. Inside the Episode:
The Risk Matrix Podcast: Weekly masterclass in risk management from industry titans Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (trainer of 40,000+ safety professionals, ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year). Every Tuesday: The tough conversations safety managers need to have. Critical insights from safety experts. Real-world strategies. Actionable solutions. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. | |||
| Navigating Risk Matrices in Safety Management | 09 Sep 2025 | 00:41:52 | |
Are those red-yellow-green boxes on your safety documents actually helping workers or just creating colorful paperwork? Dr. Logan F. Martin and James Junkin examine one of safety's most common tools: the risk matrix. This episode explores whether these assessment tools belong in field documents or should stay in planning phases, where they might add real value. The hosts tackle uncomfortable questions about when and where risk assessment should happen, while defending frontline workers when safety systems fail them. Inside the episode:
James gets protective of frontline workers: "We're really good at pointing out the failures of the workers without looking at the failures of the system itself." Dr. Martin is direct about field-level risk matrices: putting red and yellow ratings on field documents "is not helpful at all." Both hosts challenge conventional thinking about where risk assessment belongs and whether we're setting workers up for success or failure. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce. Learn more at veriforce.com Have thoughts on this episode? Follow us on LinkedIn and join the conversation. And don't forget to subscribe for more conversations on safety leadership, risk management, and real-world lessons from the field. | |||
| Accountability or Blame? Safety Investigations and the No-Blame Debate | 02 Sep 2025 | 00:37:31 | |
When a workplace incident happens, who’s held responsible—and how? This week, James Junkin and Dr. Logan Martin take on one of the most contentious debates in safety leadership: the line between accountability and blame. With safety investigations on the rise and regulators sharpening their focus, leaders face a complex reality. Post-incident reviews can either drive improvement or spark fear and silence. So how do we build cultures that learn without letting negligence slide? Inside the episode: • Why “no-blame” cultures are often misunderstood • When accountability is necessary—and when it backfires • The role of progressive discipline in a safety-first workplace • How OSHA treats unpreventable employee misconduct defenses • Documentation mistakes that weaken your internal defense This episode offers a clear, field-tested view of what safety leadership looks like when it’s done right. The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce.Learn more at veriforce.com | |||
| Hurricane Katrina at 20: Lessons in Loss, Leadership, and Recovery | 26 Aug 2025 | 00:51:22 | |
Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm—but what followed was far more devastating than wind speed alone could explain. Levee failures, flooded hospitals, drowned neighborhoods, overwhelmed shelters, and delayed federal response turned a natural disaster into one of the most catastrophic humanitarian crises in U.S. history. Twenty years later, the memory still cuts deep. In this episode of The Risk Matrix, James Junkin opens up about his firsthand experience living through Katrina, the cascading failures in leadership and planning, and the unshakable responsibility that safety professionals carry—then and now. Dr. Martin and James break down:
James also reflects on the emotional aftermath—from attic drownings to Superdome overcrowding—and the citizens who stepped up when systems failed. 👉 Read James’ companion article in EHS Today: “Preparing for Hurricane Season 2025” 🎧 Whether you work in public safety, EHS, emergency planning, or executive leadership, this episode will challenge the way you think about readiness—and how quickly conditions can unravel when assumptions go unchecked. We talk often about lessons learned in safety. This one demands we remember. 📣 Join the conversation: Follow The Risk Matrix on LinkedIn for more insights, behind-the-scenes content, and episode discussions: | |||