ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Sandia National Laboratories employee has been named New Mexico Safety Professional of the Year for her expertise in the safety profession, including working with Sandia researchers to make their labs as safe as possible.

Terri Wallis, an environment, safety and security professional at Sandia National Laboratories, has been named New Mexico Safety Professional of the Year by the state chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers. (Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.

Terri Wallis, an environment, safety and security professional who joined Sandia in 2011, captured the award from the state chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). She works with researchers in laboratories who routinely work with a variety of potential chemical, electrical and pressure hazards.

“I chose safety as my career because I don’t want anyone to get hurt or sick, whether at work or in the community. The management support of the safety culture we have at Sandia is the best of any employer in my experience,” Wallis said. “Working with ASSE has provided opportunities to improve my knowledge of safety and share best practices with other safety professionals locally and nationally. I am truly honored to receive this award.”

Sandia manager Hazel Barclay said Wallis works side by side with laboratory researchers to plan their work to mitigate safety issues. Wallis works with them to identify hazards and the proper controls for a variety of laboratory projects.

“She is extremely active in the environmental, safety and health community,” Barclay said. “At Sandia, safety comes first, and Terri works closely with other employees in proactive work planning and engineered safety. This award shows that Terri is at the forefront of that effort demonstrating her vigilance around safety and embedding safety practices in everything she does.”

Wallis, who works in Sandia’s Organic Materials Science department, serves as vice president of the New Mexico chapter of the ASSE and brings information from the organization to her safety co-workers at Sandia, Barclay said.

Wallis, who has been a safety professional for 13 years, gained certification from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals in 2007. She became a certified hazardous materials manager with the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management in 2009 and a certified ergonomic assessor specialist from The Back School in Atlanta in 2008.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies and economic competitiveness.

Sandia news media contact: Heather Clark, hclark@sandia.gov, (505) 844-3511