About Robert W. Campbell

Robert W. Campbell was a pioneer in the safety movement in the U.S. At the beginning of the 20th century worker injuries and deaths were not only commonplace, but expected. High-profile tragedies brought attention to the crisis in workplace safety.

A graduate of Stanford University and Hastings College of Law, Mr. Campbell was chief of the legal staff at one of the largest steel manufacturers in the nation. In response to the growing safety problems of industrialization, he was selected in 1908 to serve as the first Chairman of Illinois Steel's corporate-wide safety committee, one of the first of its time. In this capacity, Campbell's interest in accident prevention was aroused. Under his guidance, this forward-looking committee organized the company's first formal accident prevention programs which included the sharing of information and safety practices among all company plants, establishing safe work practices for many jobs, and developing safety training programs for workers and supervisors in several languages.

Due to his pioneering spirit and humanitarian outlook on safety and health in business, Mr. Campbell was selected by his peers to serve as president of the newly formed National Safety Council in 1913. Campbell's counsel and leadership in the formative days of the Council were powerful aids in the development of organized accident prevention efforts on a national scale.

In his address to the Third Safety Congress in 1914, Campbell said, "Safety work is today recognized as an economic necessity, and one of the most constructive movements that has ever come into our National life. It is the study of the right way to do things and is consequently today recognized as one of the greatest aids to efficiency and economy. It is, above all, however, a humanitarian work, and we all cannot help but feel the stimulus and impetus which that element puts into our task."

Ninety years later, the National Safety Council recognizes the enduring spirit of Campbell's leadership in the safety movement and the timelessness of his words by naming its new international award for business excellence through safety, health and environmental management, the Robert W. Campbell Award.

Throughout his career Mr. Campbell promoted gathering data, obtaining expert advice, and sharing the lessons learned and results of investigation for the betterment of others. He died in 1947 at the age of 72. In honor of his unfaltering service in the safety movement's infancy and development, the Robert W. Campbell Award will continue his vision to "go forward in its humanitarian and economic service" by collecting and highlighting the best examples of safety, health and environmental management in successful business management worldwide.

Executive Director of the Award, Dr. Mei-Li Lin, discusses how Mr. Campbell influenced the development of the Award.