The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has named Bruce K. Lyon, P.E., CSP, SMS, ARM, CHMM, the recipient of the 2022 Thomas F. Bresnahan Standards Medal for his extensive work in developing and advocating occupational safety and health standards.
Lyon is vice president, of risk management services, at Brown & Brown Inc., an independent insurance brokerage firm. He also is an adjunct safety science professor at the University of Central Missouri. Lyon has more than 40 years of experience in directing safety and risk management for organizations in various industries. He specializes in risk assessment and management, safety management systems, ergonomics, and team-based problem-solving.
“Bruce’s impact on workplace safety and health standards is significant, and thousands of people are safer on the job today due to his broad contributions,” said Georgi Popov, professor, and chair of the occupational risk and safety sciences program at the University of Central Missouri. “I can’t say enough about his value to the safety profession.”
Lyon’s recent work in safety standards has been through his roles as chair of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to TC 262 for the ISO 31000 Risk Management standards and vice-chair of the ANSI/ASSP Z590.3 Prevention Through Design Committee. Voluntary consensus standards help organizations in all industries become safer.
An ASSP member since 1989, Lyon is working on a proposal to develop a technical report on prevention through ergonomics that will complement the popular prevention through design standards. He influenced many concepts and methods in that existing standard, ensuring it aligned with other global risk-based standards.
Beginning in 2019, Lyon led the U.S. Technical Advisory Group in the development of the ASSP TR-31010-2020 Technical Report: Risk Management – Techniques for Safety Practitioners, published the following year. The technical report is specifically for safety professionals and includes 50 risk management tools.
Lyon is a widely respected author who has written three books and many technical articles on risk. His books and articles are used by countless safety professionals and in university safety sciences and risk management courses, in addition to having appeared in ASSP’s flagship publication, Professional Safety. He has earned six technical writing awards from the journal’s editorial review board.
“As a result of his extensive involvement in standards research, development, and consulting, Bruce has created several innovative techniques that are now registered with the U.S. Copyright Office,” Popov said. “His advanced methods are being used by occupational safety and health professionals around the world.”
In 2021, Lyon was named Safety Professional of the Year in ASSP’s Risk Management Practice Specialty. He continues to present webinars, podcasts, and training courses on risk management principles and the application of safety standards.
The Bresnahan Standards Medal recognizes ASSP members who actively participate in developing voluntary consensus standards that advance worker safety. The award is named in honor of Thomas F. Bresnahan, a former ASSP staff member and Fellow who reinvigorated the Society’s standards development program and helped position the organization for growth in this strategic area.
