NSC honors Megan Tranter with Marion Martin Award

San Diego — Megan Tranter is the recipient of the 2019 Marion Martin Award, presented annually by the National Safety Council Women’s Caucus. Tranter was presented the award Monday during the Opening Session of the NSC 2019 Congress & Expo.

Tranter, the global director of environment, health and safety at Amazon, said she had few colleagues after whom she could model herself when she graduated college.

“I began my career in safety when there were few female role models and safety professionals,” she said. “When I completed my degree in 1993, I was one of eight graduates of Australia’s first health and safety undergraduate program. I don’t think many of us even realized what our careers could grow to be.”

Tranter’s career brought her to the United States and jobs with major corporations, where she has impacted the safety and health of millions of workers and their families.

“Megan is a true role model for women in safety,” NSC President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin said in a Sept. 9 press release. “She has been a leader at some of the largest companies in the world, and her commitment to advancing safety improvements is to be commended, as is her dedication to promoting women in safety.”

Tranter is the first global EHS director at Amazon. Previously, she was PepsiCo Inc.’s first female EHS senior director, and later vice president.

“The passion for safety began when I had my own family and realized how precious family and friends were in all our lives,” she said. “That’s when safety became more than its technical elements to me, and I started seeing positive multiplier effects of the work. I realized that if every person had 100 friends and family, then I could impact millions of people. This is what inspired me to be bold and advocate for workers.”

Tranter has consistently encouraged women to pursue safety-related professions, and at Amazon co-founded the Women in EHS group, which aims to create a global organization of women working in EHS roles.

“I’m driven in life by purpose,” Tranter said. “So having a career that fits my personal values has been such a natural fit. It’s all about helping people.”

The Marion Martin Award was established in 2016 to celebrate the accomplishments of women in safety who have paved the way to success for other women throughout the profession.