Gibsons resident Lars Larsson is being recognized for his pioneering contribution to workplace safety and education.
Larsson has been selected by the board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (CRSP) to be honoured at their 35th anniversary celebration in Whistler later this month.
Larsson is one of three CRSP members cited at the event for playing a major role in assembling one of the first post-secondary occupational health and safety programs in Canada.
With a degree in civil engineering from his native Sweden, Larsson immigrated to Canada and in 1981 was hired by the British Columbia Institute of Technology to develop and head a new occupational health and safety program.
"Basically, the development was made up of an advisory committee of safety professionals and so we sat down, looked at what kind of process there should be for the two-year program," Larsson said. "The really good part was that the graduates get, for the most part, great jobs in the industry, like safety officer and safety director. From my view, that was the best part: seeing how these people really get in and how it changed their lives around."
Another aspect Larsson found interesting about the program was the age of his students.
"My students were what you would call adults. The average age was about late 20s and early 30s and most had been already been out in the industry," he said.
