NSC Safety 2026: Square Robot wins Prevention through Design Award

Square Robot, Inc. received the 2026 Prevention through Design (PtD) Award today at the 2026 Safety Congress & Expo for its excellence in eliminating hazards through innovative safety design of its SR-3 submersible inspection robot and Side Launcher deployment system. 

The show was hosted by National Safety Council (NSC) Sept. 11-17 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"When we designed SR-3, the goal was not to make confined space entry safer. The goal was to eliminate the need for it,” said Amy Underwood, Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Square Robot. "If a robot can perform the inspection, we can remove people from those hazards altogether. That principle guided the design of SR-3 from the beginning, and it’s what makes this recognition especially meaningful to us."

The sixth annual PtD award was presented by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and NSC.

Eliminating workplace hazards is the best control

Led by NIOSH, PtD is a strategy for preventing and controlling occupational injuries and fatalities by “designing out” hazards and risks.

According to the hierarchy of controls, eliminating a workplace hazard is the most effective way to protect workers. Assessing the workplace and "designing out" hazards is an innovative, and long-term solution to worker safety and health.

The annual PtD Award recognizes individuals, teams, and organizations that have eliminated or reduced hazards through design or redesign efforts, or have contributed to the body of knowledge that enables PtD solutions.

The award encourages the use of PtD methods while recognizing successful, real-world PtD efforts to protect workers. Through this award, partners recognize leaders and encourage further use of PtD methods. This year’s award ceremony honored Square Robot’s work to reduce exposure to hazardous environments.

Contain VOC emissions with zero confined space entries

Square Robot is a Massachusetts-based company that specializes in robotic tank inspection services. It was honored for its technology and philosophy that exemplifies the PtD approach, providing a long-term solution to worker safety and health.

Its fully-submersible autonomous robots completely eliminate the need for human workers to enter confined spaces to inspect above-ground tanks that store industrial liquids. The tanks remain sealed and in service while the robot inspects them.

The submersible SR-3 robot inspects tanks on-stream, without shutdown, product removal, or tank cleaning, while the Side Launcher safely deploys and retrieves the robot through a floating roof tank's shell manway. Both the SR-3 and the Side Launcher have since been independently certified by FM Approvals for use in hazardous locations (Class I Division 2 and Class I Division 1, respectively).

Emissions hazards are also reduced as the tanks remain sealed, removing the need for ventilation and atmospheric monitoring. Across 385 tanks inspected, Square Robot has helped contain more than 695 tons of volatile organic compound emissions and reduced confined space entries to zero.

“With their innovative spirit and dogged commitment to eliminating confined space hazards, Square Robot has demonstrated remarkable achievement in improving the safety and wellbeing of many workers,” said Lorraine Martin, NSC CEO. “Their work exemplifies the impact that designing systems safely from the start can have on preventing injuries and fatalities. The National Safety Council applauds Square Robot for helping lead us into a future where every employee returns home safe from every shift.”

NIOSH, AIHA, ASSP, and NSC congratulated Square Robot, Inc., and thanked all of this year's nominees for their efforts to protect workers and see them safely home to their loved ones.

Submit a PtD nomination for 2027

If you have an example of excellence in using or promoting PtD, NIOSH invites you to submit a nomination for next year's award. Nomination instructions will be available on the PtD award website, and are due March 1, 2027.