University Mechanical & Engineering Contractors, Inc. (UMEC) was recently honored for its safety program with the highest level designation---a Platinum Award---from the Contractor Safety Assessment Program (CSAP), presented on behalf of one of the country’s leading microchip manufacturers, one of UMEC’s clients.

A leading full-service mechanical contracting company in the Southwest, University Mechanical & Engineering Contractors, Inc. is a subsidiary of EMCOR Group, Inc. a Fortune 500® leader in mechanical and electrical construction, energy infrastructure, and facilities services for a diverse range of businesses.

CSAP is an independent evaluation administered by ConstructSecure, Inc., which measures both historical performance and forward-looking factors within a company's safety program. A score of 95% or higher is considered outstanding performance and is recognized with a Platinum Award. UMEC’s score for both for 2009 and 2010 was a 99%.

“At UMEC, and across the entire EMCOR organization, we are passionate about the safety of our workers and have made a commitment to the goal of achieving zero accidents so they may return home safely everyday---we are, therefore, exceedingly proud to receive this prestigious recognition,” says Brad Thornton, President and CEO of UMEC.

“The ConstructSecure program represents a high standard of measuring safety practices in the construction industry; achieving a Platinum Award puts UMEC in the unique and elite category of companies that have demonstrated exemplary safety achievement,” Thornton says. UMEC’s safety practices include a "zero accident program," as well as a host of supporting initiatives, such as the "Be There For Life" program . This EMCOR effort is designed to educate employees and their families about the importance of safety through use of workplace posters and other creative tactics reaching employees and their families.

EMCOR also conducts regional "Target Zero" safety conferences, bringing together industry experts from its operating companies and partners to share information and successful strategies.

In May, UMEC received an “Innovators of the Year” award from DBO2 (DesignBuildOwnOperate) for its safety, quality and productivity (SQP) program.  A subsidiary of Industrial Scientific Corporation, DBO2’s mission is to “preserve human life on, above, and below the earth.”  A pioneer in the monitoring, measurement and management of risk indicators in the workplace, DBO2’s software and services are currently used daily at more than 10,000 worksites by some of the world's largest companies.