"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always." - Robin Williams

Nearly 20 professionals attended The Unified Group’s 2023 Safety Directors’ Forum in Chicago, IL in early October. More than 15 companies sent attendees to learn about all-things safety, ranging from physical aspects to mental health. All companies are aware of OSHA regulations, but many lack mental health awareness. According to the CDC, individuals in the construction industry have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. As professionals in this field, we need to be better at not only empathizing but initiating conversations that could save lives.

“As a group, we face a lot of the same issues, whether it’s dealing with other contractors or even employees,” Joshua DeBurgo of Environmental Systems, Inc. said. “I got insight on issues I didn’t even know we had within our organization – it was definitely eye-opening.” 

On day one of the two-day session, Randy Nemchin of Radical Guidance Consulting received the highest ratings on the Creating a Safety Culture segment. During the duration of the morning, Nemchin covered relevant tactics regarding mindset, behaviors, processes, and overall culture. The true culture of an organization is what happens when the managers leave the room. Erika Wickstrom led the second half of the day in covering Raising Mental Health Awareness.

“The best part of the meeting was making new contacts within the mechanical community,” Melissa Melendez of Intech Mechanical said. “If I didn’t attend, I would have missed out on making new connections and their unique insight to how they approach issues within their company.”

The Effectively Communicating Safety Practices Within Your Company panel was the highlight of day two. Member MC, Brian Scott of Mechanical Services & Systems, Inc. facilitated, and panelists were Mike Eck of Dean E. Norris, Raymon of General Sheet Metal, Erica Peet of VHV Company, and Melissa Melendez of Intech Mechanical. These experts covered the various tips and tricks practiced within their company that have been successful and effective.

Overall, the 2023 Safety Directors’ Forum was a beneficial meeting, that has the ability to have a greater effect all over the nation. Through raising awareness and genuinely caring for each other, we have the ability to change the negative impacts of mental health and view safety practices in a positive light.

If you are interested in attending an upcoming session – Service Management, Technicians, Sales, Leadership, and more – or if you want to inquire about membership with The Unified Group, contact Janet Kelleher at KelleherJ@theunifiedgroup.com.