William Steiger Memorial Award

The William Steiger Memorial Award honors individuals from the social/political sphere whose efforts have contributed to advancements in occupational safety and health. David Michaels, PhD, MPH is this year's Steiger Award recipient for making such contributions.

Dr. Michaels is an epidemiologist, currently on leave from his position as Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the George Washington University School of Public Health. He is the author of studies examining the health of workers, as well as of numerous publications on science and regulatory policy. Dr. Michaels is a graduate of the City College of New York, and holds an MPH (Master of Public Health) and PhD from Columbia University.

As Assistant Secretary, Dr. Michaels has worked to strengthen the agency's enforcement in high risk industries, improve OSHA's whistleblower protection program, promote common sense worker protection programs and standards, expand compliance assistance provided to small employers, and increase outreach to the vulnerable populations who are at greatest risk for work-related injury and illness. He has also increased OSHA's focus and capabilities in the areas of data analysis and program evaluation.

From 1998 to 2001, Dr. Michaels served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety and Health, where he helped create the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, a program that compensates nuclear weapons workers who contracted occupational illnesses as a result of exposure to radiation, beryllium and other hazards. The program has provided more than $8 billion in compensation to sick workers and the families of deceased workers. In 2006, Dr. Michaels was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award, and in 2009, the John P. McGovern Science and Society Award given by Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, for his work in scientific integrity and for gaining compensation for nuclear weapons workers.

ACGIH^® is pleased to honor Dr. Michaels as the recipient of this year's William Steiger Memorial Award. The Steiger award will be presented at the ACGIH^® Membership Reception and Annual Meeting of the Membership on Sunday, May 19 and at the AIHce Opening Session.

Previous Award Recipients

1979 — Congressman David R. Obey
1982 — George Taylor (AFL–CIO)
1983 — Edgar L. McGowan, Commissioner of Labor, South Carolina
1984 — Gershon W. Fishbein, Editor, Occupational Health and Safety Letter
1985 — Congressman Joseph M. Gaydos of Pennsylvania
1986 — William G. Philips
1987 — Sheldon Samuels, Director, Health, Safety and Environment, Industrial Union Department, AFL–CIO
1988 — Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia
1989 — Richard F. Boggs, Vice President of Organization Resources Counselors, Inc.
1990 — Joseph A. Kinney, Executive Director of The National Safe Workplace Institute
1991 — David P. Rall, MD, PhD, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (1971–1990) and Director of the National Toxicology Program (1978–1990)
1992 — Molly J. Coye, MD, Director of the Department of Health Services of the State of California
1993 — J. Donald Millar, MD, DTPH (Lond.), the Assistant Surgeon General and Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
1994 — Eula Bingham, PhD, Professor of Environmental Health; past Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
1995 — Margaret Seminario, Director of Occupational Safety and Health for the AFL–CIO
1996 — James Merchant, MD of the University of Iowa, College of Medicine and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa
1997 — J. Davitt McAteer, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Andrea M. Hricko, Deputy Assistant Secretary for MSHA
1998 — Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH, Winfield Moody Health Center
1999 — Gerald F. Scannell, Director, National Safety Council; previously Director of the Office of Standards in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA
2000 — Phil Landrigan, MD, Mount Sinai Medical Center
2001 — James Melius, MD, DrPH
2002 — Congressman George Miller (D-CA) and Congressman Major R. Owens (D-NY)
2003 — Brian Davies, CIH
2004 — John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM
2005 — Ernest Mastromatteo, CD, MD, DPH, DIH, FABPM (Occ Med), CCBOM, MFOM (London)
2006 — Charles E. Adkins, CIH
2007 — Earl Dotter, Photojournalist
2008 — John L. Henshaw, CIH, MPH
2009 — Rosemary Sokas, MD, MSc, MOH
2010 — Scott Schneider, CIH
2011 — Roger Alesbury, MS, FFOH, CFIOSH
2012 — Richard Fairfax, CIH

2013 Awardee

Previous Award Recipients