2021 William Steiger Memorial Award

2021 William Steiger Memorial Awardee

The William Steiger Memorial Award honors individuals from the social/political sphere whose efforts have contributed to advancements in occupational safety and health. Senator Tom Harkin is the 2021 Steiger Award recipient for making such contributions.

Senator Tom Harkin represented Iowa in the United States Congress for more than four decades. He served Iowa’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1985 and was a U.S. Senator from 1985 to 2015. Sen. Harkin’s legacy policy priorities have included federal farm policy, civil rights for Americans with disabilities, childhood nutrition and food access, healthcare access and reform, labor issues, and access to and improvement of education. He lives in the house where he was born in Cumming, Iowa.

ACGIH is pleased to honor Senator Harkin as the recipient of the 2021 William Steiger Memorial Award.

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 — David Michaels, PhD, MPH
  • 2014 — Tom O’Connor, MPH
  • 2015 — Garrett D. Brown, MPH, CIH
  • 2016 — Vickie L. Wells, MS, CIH, CSP
  • 2017 — U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
  • 2018 — Bennet I. Omalu, MD, MBA, MPH, CPE, DABP-AP, CP, FP, NP
  • 2019 — Michael J. Wright
  • 2020 — Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha