Matthew Machles

EH&S Associate, Dimensions

Matt Machles is a safety consultant with Dimensions in Occupational Health and Safety, a small family-owned safety consulting firm based out of Raleigh, North Carolina.  He has ten years of experience in the safety field, including lab safety, ergonomics, hazardous waste, chemical handling, lockout tagout, confined space, and industrial hygiene. 

He has a degree in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, with a background in QC testing and wastewater treatment.  His affiliations include American Society of Safety Professionals, Member of the NC Chapter of ASSP, and has currently served as the NC Chapter Secretary for the past three years.

After thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, he began his post-college career at a wastewater testing lab, as well as a QC analyst for a pharmaceutical company in Raleigh.  After spending several years in the lab, he began taking on safety-related roles and soon began consulting for Dimensions in 2012.  After transitioning towards consulting, he acquired technical certifications in ergonomics, industrial hygiene, and hazardous waste handling.  He currently consults at several companies in the RTP area and enjoys engaging with clients and people in an array of different fields and manufacturing backgrounds.  He finds the consulting world to be very rewarding and appreciates the flexibility and variations consulting has to offer.

It is our pleasure to recognize Dr. Mike Behm as the 2022 Safety Professional of the Year (SPY) for the ASSP North Carolina Chapter. Dr. Behm is a Professor in the Occupational Safety Program at East Carolina University. He holds a PhD in Public Health from Oregon State University and is a Certified Safety Professional. Mike is an invaluable resource to the ASSP NC Chapter as well as the Occupational Safety and Health profession. His research interests cut across risk assessment, safe design, construction safety, etc. for which he has earned both national and international recognition, while also serving in various scientific boards. 

At the local level, Mike has been instrumental to the success of the ASSP Student Section at East Carolina University. Certainly, he is well-deserving of this award. His words: “I’m very thankful and appreciative to win the Carolina Chapter SPY Award.  It’s nice to be recognized by your peers. In the past year, East Carolina University’s Master of Science program received a 6-year renewal of its ABET accreditation.  We are extremely proud of this accomplishment.  Our Advisory Board, students, alumni, and especially my ECU colleague Dylan Hardison have made many valuable contributions to continually improve our Program. This is especially true of the new students entering the profession to which we owe much appreciation to the Carolina Chapter for all their support over the years. Hopefully this award also means my peers have recognized a sustained contribution over the years in research and education. Advancing our profession and practice through research contributions is much needed in my view.”

Congratulations again to Mike!