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

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]

Prepare Before the Storm: Heat Safety and Severe Weather Planning

"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 [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 [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]