UMC Receives AGC Washington Grand Award for Safety Excellence

SEATTLE/MUKILTEO, WA — UMC (University Mechanical Contractors) is proud to announce that they have earned the AGC 2019 Grand Award for Safety Excellence. This award was received at the AGC 2019 Build Washington Awards ceremony held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle on May 16^th. [Editors note: University Mechanical Ranked #60 on CONTRACTOR's 2019 Book of Giants.]

“To be awarded this honor as a subcontractor is extremely rare and profound,” said Kirk Baisch, Safety Director. “Our entire team is very proud of this accomplishment and the part that they play every day to make it all happen. I personally thank each one of our workers for their continued effort, drive, focus and professionalism."

The AGC Grand Award comes on the heels of UMC winning the National 1st Place MCAA/CNA Safety Excellence Award in their category for the second year in a row. Back-to-back years receiving this award is rarely seen in this competition. Leaders from UMC accepted this prestigious award at the Awards of Excellence Breakfast held at the MCAA19 convention in Phoenix in March.

UMC’s leaders and workers hold safety as their number one core value. In their “pride-based safety culture”, safety orientation and training begin on day-one of a worker’s employment and continues regularly throughout his or her tenure. It starts with clear communication of expectations during orientation, where it is impressed upon crews that they are part of an outstanding safety team. Training consists of one-on-one and group sessions covering all UMC safety requirements, expectations, best practices and safety challenges that are specific to each job site.

For UMC, the keys to successfully managing any project include communication, accountability, pre-planning, safety orientations for all crew members, and effective weekly safety meetings. Additionally, full participation from the safety director, project manager, foremen, and crew are essential to instill and reinforce the four elements that guide their pride-based safety culture:

• Lead by Example – Do the right thing, not because it’s a rule, but because it’s right.
• Own Your Zone – Evaluate your work area to ensure it’s clean, organized and hazard-free.
• 5 for 5 - Every five minutes, do a five-second visual risk assessment.
• Know When to Stop – If you’re unsure, STOP, ask, and get more information.

“The most successful way to maximize a safety excellence culture is to tap into the pride and professionalism of the whole team,” said Baisch.

Embarking on their 100th anniversary, UMC is one of the most experienced specialty contracting firms in the nation offering full-service mechanical contracting and engineering, energy and environment consulting, building controls, and building service and maintenance.