The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) has announced its 2012 award winners.

The Edward J. Baier Technical Achievement Award -- for the individual or group that has made the most significant contribution to industrial hygiene in recent years has been awarded to Daniel Drolet.

Drolet was a key innovator in the development of the IH Mod, a program of mathematical modeling for industrial hygienists. His contributions to the IH Mod have allowed it to be widely applied in several languages, increasing its utility and accessibility. Recently, he has helped develop the IH SkinPerm tool, a program which allows industrial hygienists to better understand chemical exposures to the skin.

The Distinguished Service Award recipient is Loren Anderson, CIH, ROH. Anderson has served the AIHA Board of Directors as both a Director and Treasurer. Additionally, he has served on the editorial review board of the Journal of Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, as well as contributing technical expertise to several AIHA committees.

As the winner of the Donald E. Cummings Memorial Award given for outstanding contributions to the knowledge and practice of industrial hygiene, Franklin Mirer, PhD, CIH will present the Cummings Memorial Lecture at AIHCE 2012. Dr. Mirer received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Harvard University and is professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Hunter College of the City University of New York.

The Kusnetz Award honors a certified hygienist who is under 40 years of age, is employed in the private sector and shows promise of leadership in the industrial hygiene profession. This year's recipient is Michael Finnamore, MSPH, CIH, CSP, CHMM. Finnamore has served the AIHA Ionizing Radiation committee as secretary, vice-chair and chairman, sharing his knowledge and practices with both AIHA and global EHS employees at Baxter. His training and development plans have led to improved industrial hygiene and radiation knowledge and practice within his workplace and throughout Baxter’s global facilities.

The Alice Hamilton Award, which recognizes an outstanding woman who has made significant achievements in occupational and environmental hygiene, goes to Cindy Coe, CIH. Coe is the current Regional Administrator in OSHA Region IV and has served on AIHA’s Board of Directors. Coe initiated the interactive Glenn Williamson forum at AIHce to raise awareness about the role of the regulator in addressing workplace health hazards, to illustrate real-life workplace scenarios, and to show the application and effectiveness of control methods and solutions. The very popular annual forum focuses on excelled professional education and development.

The recipient of the Social Responsibility Award is the Developing World Outreach Initiative (DWOI), which has helped raise awareness about occupational health and safety. DWOI supports the training of local workers and OHS organizers in developing countries by hosting seminars and workshops and sponsoring individuals. The Iniative also supplies universities, NGOs, and OHS employees in developing countries with books and grants aimed at OHS program development.

The Yant Award for outstanding contributions in industrial hygiene or allied fields to an individual residing outside the U.S. goes to Tan Kia Tang. Tang is the Deputy Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Department within the Ministry of Manpower in Singapore. He has practiced industrial hygiene
within the Ministry since 1977 and has written articles, papers, technical reports, and advisories on occupational health and hygiene. Currently serving as a co-chair of the National Globally Harmonised System (GHS), he is working to further implement GHS on chemical hazard communication. Mr. Tan Kia Tang is a professor at both the School of Public Health and the Department of Chemical & Bio-molecular Engineering of the National University of Singapore.