The Risk Matrix

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-rich-741238253/], 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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmartinsafety/ ]: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠James Junkin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-junkin-ms-csp-msp-smp-asp-csho-494a0046/ ]: 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 [https://veriforce.com/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=fy26q1_risk_matrix_podcast]

Inside ASSP Safety 2026: AI, Contractor Management, and the Future of Safety

"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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmartinsafety/ ]: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠James Junkin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-junkin-ms-csp-msp-smp-asp-csho-494a0046/ ]: 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 [https://veriforce.com/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=fy26q1_risk_matrix_podcast]

When AI Watches: Worker Monitoring and Psychological Safety

"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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmartinsafety/ ]: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠James Junkin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-junkin-ms-csp-msp-smp-asp-csho-494a0046/ ]: 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 [https://veriforce.com/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=fy26q1_risk_matrix_podcast]

Treating OSHA Standards as Suggestions: The Real Cost of Non-Compliance

"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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmartinsafety/ ]: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠James Junkin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-junkin-ms-csp-msp-smp-asp-csho-494a0046/ ]: 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 [https://veriforce.com/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=fy26q1_risk_matrix_podcast]

Moving Beyond Paper Safety: Contractor Management and Training Gaps

"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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmartinsafety/ ]: 32-year veteran, Board of Global EHS Credentialing Impact Award winner ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠James Junkin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-junkin-ms-csp-msp-smp-asp-csho-494a0046/ ]: 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 [https://veriforce.com/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=fy26q1_risk_matrix_podcast]