Every generation faces new workplace safety challenges.
For today's safety professionals, those challenges range from managing equipment lifecycles across multiple job sites to protecting workers from emerging hazards in increasingly complex environments. At the same time, new technologies are changing what's possible. From advanced gas detection and automation to next-generation energy systems designed with safety built into their core.
That's why we created the PK Safety Scholarship.
We award the scholarship to a student who demonstrates a commitment to safety, innovation, and protecting workers in the industries that keep our world running.
We're proud to announce that Katherine Shultz, an incoming Nuclear Engineering student at North Carolina State University, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 PK Safety Scholarship.
About Katherine Shultz
Katherine will begin her studies in Nuclear Engineering this fall with a strong interest in renewable and sustainable energy technologies. Throughout her academic and professional pursuits, she has demonstrated the qualities that drive meaningful progress in safety-focused industries:
- Leadership
- Adaptability
- Initiative
- Results-oriented problem solving
These qualities stood out throughout the scholarship review process and were especially evident in her winning essay on the future of workplace safety.
The Future of Workplace Safety Starts with Better Systems
For her scholarship submission, Katherine explored how emerging technologies can improve workplace safety over the next decade, focusing specifically on advancements in nuclear energy.
Her essay highlights an important truth that safety professionals understand well:
The most effective safety systems don't simply react to hazards—they are designed to prevent them from occurring in the first place.
Drawing on developments in modern nuclear engineering, Katherine discussed how new reactor technologies are incorporating passive safety systems that function without human intervention or external power sources.
One example she cited is the NuScale Power Module, a small modular reactor design that can automatically shut down and cool itself using natural circulation and gravity during emergency conditions.
Rather than relying solely on operators to respond to a developing incident, safety is engineered directly into the system itself.
As Katherine wrote:
"By embedding safety into the reactor's physical design, rather than relying solely on operational response, such technologies demonstrate how modern nuclear engineering actively responds to and prevents nuclear disaster."
Protecting Workers Through Innovation
Layered protection in modern reactor design
A central theme throughout Katherine's essay is the importance of protecting workers through layered safety systems.
Whether in traditional industrial environments, confined spaces, manufacturing facilities, or future energy infrastructure, workplace safety depends on creating multiple layers of protection that work together to reduce risk.
Katherine highlighted several examples of how emerging reactor technologies are advancing worker protection, including:
- Radiation monitoring systems
- Controlled access zones
- Passive cooling technologies
- Simplified reactor layouts
- Automated safety responses
- Reduced exposure opportunities for personnel
From reactive to proactive safety
These innovations help shift workplace safety from a reactive approach to a proactive one—an idea that closely aligns with PK Safety's own mission.
The best safety programs don't wait for incidents to happen. They identify risks early, build safeguards into processes, and give workers the tools they need to stay protected every day.
Why This Matters Beyond Nuclear Energy
While Katherine's essay focused on nuclear engineering, the principles she discussed apply across virtually every industry we serve.
From oil and gas operations and confined space entry to construction sites and emergency response environments, the future of workplace safety increasingly relies on technology that helps workers identify hazards before they become emergencies.
Gas detection systems, connected monitoring devices, predictive maintenance tools, and advanced PPE technologies all share the same goal:
Helping workers go home safely at the end of every shift.
That's a future worth investing in.
Congratulations to Katherine, on behalf of all of us here at PK Safety! We're excited to support the next generation of engineers, safety professionals, and innovators who are working to make workplaces safer for everyone.
Thank you to all of the students who applied this year and shared their perspectives on the future of workplace safety. We wish them all continued success in their studies and future careers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 PK Safety Scholarship?
Katherine Shultz, an incoming Nuclear Engineering student at North Carolina State University, was named the 2026 PK Safety Scholarship winner for her essay on the future of workplace safety.
What is the PK Safety Scholarship?
The PK Safety Scholarship is awarded annually by PK Safety Supply to a student who demonstrates a commitment to safety, innovation, and protecting workers in the industries that keep the world running. PK Safety has been supplying personal protective equipment and gas detection instruments to industrial and emergency-response professionals since 1947.
What are passive safety systems in nuclear engineering?
Passive safety systems are reactor designs that function without human intervention or external power. They use natural forces like gravity and convection to automatically shut down and cool the reactor during emergency conditions. The NuScale Power Module — a small modular reactor design cited in Katherine Shultz's essay — is one example of this approach.
How do passive safety systems protect workers?
Passive safety systems shift workplace protection from reactive to proactive by engineering safety into the system itself. This includes radiation monitoring, controlled access zones, passive cooling technologies, simplified reactor layouts, and automated safety responses that reduce personnel exposure.
Why do passive safety principles matter beyond nuclear energy?
The same layered, proactive safety approach applies across virtually every industry. From oil and gas operations and confined space entry to construction sites and emergency response, modern gas detection, connected monitoring, predictive maintenance, and advanced PPE all share the same goal — identifying hazards before they become emergencies.