I walked off the stage at ASSP Safety '26 with about 15 minutes to spare. What I didn't expect was that half the room would stay for questions and four attendees would still be standing there long after everyone else had cleared out. That told me something. LINKEDIN POST I walked off the stage at ASSP Safety '26 last week with 15 minutes to spare. Half the room stayed for Q&A. Four people were still standing there long after everyone else had cleared out. That told me somet

I have spent weeks writing about why safety managers freeze when the moment arrives. About the panic, the wrong call, the gap between knowing and doing. On June 17th in Anaheim I am going to do something about it. Here is exactly what I intend to give the room before they walk out the door. LINKEDIN POST I have spent the past several weeks writing about why safety managers freeze when a tip comes in. About the panic. About reaching for the wrong tool. About knowing the sign

I know the look. The person who walks into a collection site already knowing what their result will say. They are thinking about their job, their family, their mortgage. What they rarely consider — and what a physician colleague reminded me of at NDASA — is that for some people, that result isn't an ending. It's the wake-up call they've been waiting for.

After two decades in the background screening industry, Michael Barnes began sharing what he’s learned on stage. His speaking sessions help HR and safety leaders make sense of compliance with practical tools and real-world insight.