Starting this summer, McKinstry—a national leader in designing, constructing, operating and maintaining high-performance buildings—is teaming up with university and industry partners to bring exemplary safety to one of America’s most dangerous industries.

McKinstry is collaborating with Central Washington University (CWU), Oregon State University (OSU) and Comfort Systems USA Northwest on a project made possible by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries’ Safety and Health Investment Projects (SHIP) grant program. Funded at $199,944 over the course of 18 months, the grant team will collect, develop, refine and produce a collection of “Safe and Innovative Best Work Practices for Mechanical Crafts” in both English and Spanish.

“The mechanical contracting industry is one of America’s most dangerous—but it doesn’t have to be that way,” said Ali Vahed, a grant team member and safety risk analyst at McKinstry. “Mechanical contractors have developed innovative best practices to prevent injuries over the years, but there’s never been a common medium for compiling and sharing those innovations until now. We’ll be setting the bar for best-in-class safety.”

“CWU is excited to partner with McKinstry, OSU, and Comfort Systems USA Northwest to make a major impact in the world of construction safety,” added Sathy Rajendran, grant project manager and program director for CWU’s safety and health management program. “This kind of collaboration, thought leadership and proactivity is exactly what we need to truly enhance safety and health performance for construction workers across the state of Washington and throughout the industry.”

Administered by Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), SHIP’s purpose is to fund and support projects that prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities. This partnership is the first SHIP grant addressing occupational safety and health as it relates to the mechanical construction industry.

For more information, visit www.mckinstry.com.

For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.comfortsystemsusanorthwest.com.