Procter & Gamble's Karen LaRue Receives NSC Marion Martin Award

Karen LaRue, the global innovation EHS director at Procter & Gamble, was honored by the National Safety Council (NSC) as the recipient of the Marion Martin Award for 2026. The award is presented annually to recognize women who have achieved safety excellence and encourage others to pursue careers in safety. LaRue has spent over 27 years working on workplace safety at Procter & Gamble, leading initiatives across 14 manufacturing sites that resulted in a 50% reduction in employee injury rates and a 33% decrease in contractor injury rates.

LaRue's accomplishments extend beyond her work at Procter & Gamble. She has developed an environmental, health, and safety package for new hires, served as a career model for EHS professionals, and contributed to the development of ANSI and ISO machine safety standards through her role on the committee. Additionally, she has been involved in Women in Safety Excellence as an administrator, helping other women advance in their careers.

The NSC established the Marion Martin Award in 2016 to honor women who have made significant contributions to workplace safety. The award is named after Marion Martin, a government official in Maine for over 40 years, who was also the first woman to receive the Distinguished Service to Safety Award from the NSC in 1971.