2019-2020 Safety Award of Excellence

Michelle Forgeron
Excellence in Safety Award - Individual
Technical Operations Group

Michelle Fogeron has made significant contributions to safety within the Department of Chemistry, and is the driving force behind ensuring students, faculty and staff have the safest environments to work and learn in. When a safety event occurs, Michelle works hard to minimize downtown and disruption so faculty and students can focus on research and studies.

During the fume hood replacement process in Science B, several mercury spills occurred while cutting into old plumbing. Michelle dealt with the initial response, coordinated the remediation and managed the move for an entire research group to a temporary space. In addition to this, she developed new contractor protocols to avoid future incidents.

Most impressive was Michelle’s quick response to the EEEL lab fire/flood. She took the lead to find over 550 students’ space to carry out their lab experiments with no disruption to Chemistry’s undergraduate program. Michelle flawlessly orchestrated moving faculty, staff and students resulting in minimized downtime while creating a calm, rational environment, despite the lack of information.

Michelle is an amazing role model, and a strong safety advocation for Chemistry and the Faculty of Science.

At the time of this nomination, Michelle worked in the Department of Chemistry and is recognized for her contributions to the Department.