The Risk Matrix

"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:

• "The Heavy Cost of Dirt" by Dr. Logan F. Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/heavy-cost-dirt-logan-f-martin-phd-mba-pmp-cih-csp-chmm-skf6e/

• OSHA Trenching and Excavation Safety: https://www.osha.gov/trenching-excavation

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

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: [email protected]

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

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

Conference season is here, and if you show up without a plan, you're leaving professional development on the table.

This week, Dr. Martin and James 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.

📅 Meet Veriforce at These Upcoming Conferences:American Gas Association Operations Conference: April 26-30ISM World: April 26-28National Safety Council Spring Safety Conference: May 6-8

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.

The Risk Matrix Podcast is powered by Veriforce: Bringing workers home safe from high-hazard jobs. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.veriforce.com⁠

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

"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:

• James Junkin's blog: "Subcontractor Management: The Costly Consequences of Neglecting Safety Oversight" - https://veriforce.com/blog/subcontractor-management-the-costly-consequences-of-neglecting-safety-oversight

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.

"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:

• James Junkin's blog: "How Operation Epic Fury Is Reshaping Safety Risks Across American Workplaces" - https://veriforce.com/blog/how-operation-epic-fury-is-reshaping-safety-risks-across-american-workplaces
• I. David Daniels: "Before the Sirens" - https://doctoridavidd.substack.com/p/before-the-sirens

• James Junkin: "Organizational Change Begins by Listening to Workers" - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/organizational-change-begins-listening-workers-james-qvxle/

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.

"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 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.

"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