The Risk Matrix

Veriforce
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

The Risk Matrix brings weekly safety conversations that cut through the noise. Hosted by Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year), they tackle OSHA rollbacks, legal trends, and the topics keeping safety managers up at night. Featuring guests from regulators to frontline leaders. New episodes every Tuesday. Powered by Veriforce. www.veriforce.com

  1. 15h ago

    The Heart and Soul of Safety: Leading from the Heart with Paul Espenan

    "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 The Heart and Soul of Safety by Paul Espenan 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

  2. Aug 25

    What the Watson Grinding Explosion Teaches Us About Process Safety

    "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 Watson Grinding Explosion, CSB Final Report$61.5 Million Verdict Coverage 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

  3. Aug 18

    What Construction Gets Wrong About Worker Readiness with Corey Silverman

    "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.

    What Construction Gets Wrong About Worker Readiness with Corey Silverman

  4. Aug 11

    Paper Safety Is Not Real Safety: The Truth About Stop Work Authority

    "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 Stop Work Authority: Policy or Permission by Dr. Logan F. MartinThe Contractor Liability Myth by James JunkinThe Record Decides by Dr. Logan F. Martin 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

  5. Aug 4

    Preparing Utility Workers Before the Storm

    “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.

    Preparing Utility Workers Before the Storm

  6. Jul 28

    Why Most Incident Investigations Stop Too Soon

    "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. RESOURCESUntangling Direct, Underlying, and Root Causes After a Workplace Incident by Dr. Logan F. Martin (July 4, 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 winnerJames 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

  7. Jul 21

    The Myth of Zero Risk: Why Chasing Perfect Safety Is Bankrupting Good Intentions

    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. RESOURCESThe Myth of Zero Risk by Dr. Logan F. Martin 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 winnerJames 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. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.veriforce.com⁠

    The Myth of Zero Risk: Why Chasing Perfect Safety Is Bankrupting Good Intentions

  8. Jul 7

    How to Build Contractor and Subcontractor Safety Partnerships with Tim Rich

    "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

    How to Build Contractor and Subcontractor Safety Partnerships with Tim Rich
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Risk Matrix brings weekly safety conversations that cut through the noise. Hosted by Dr. L.F. Martin (32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner) and James Junkin (ASSP's 2024 Safety Professional of the Year), they tackle OSHA rollbacks, legal trends, and the topics keeping safety managers up at night. Featuring guests from regulators to frontline leaders. New episodes every Tuesday. Powered by Veriforce. www.veriforce.com

Information

  • Creator
    Veriforce
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    153
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Veriforce
  • Show Website
    The Risk Matrix