P1 Construction Sets New Benchmark in Construction Safety with Dual Innovation Programs

SMACNA’s 2025 Safety Innovator of the Year creates a safer, more supportive culture for workers.

Setting a new standard in construction safety by blending rigorous physical safety training with proactive mental health support, P1 Construction of Lenexa, Kansas, earned SMACNA’s 2025 Safety Innovator of the Year Award.

The award, presented jointly by Vincent Neglia of Milwaukee Tool and Dave Szymanski of Federated Insurance, honors innovative ideas that significantly improve safety culture and outcomes in the industry.

P1 Construction won for two key initiatives: the Second Orientation Program and the Peer Connector Mental Health Program. The Second Orientation targets a critical risk period by providing new hires with a refresher safety training session 60 days after they begin, based on data showing that nearly half of workplace accidents occur in the first year. This helps reinforce safety knowledge and reduces early-stage incidents.

The Peer Connector Program offers voluntary, peer-to-peer mental health support that breaks stigma and ensures judgment-free access to help. Trained employees serve as confidential resources, identified by distinctive hard hats and branding, who offer immediate assistance and connect colleagues to professional support as needed. Inspired by a P1 safety specialist and military veteran, this program addresses suicide prevention in both construction and veteran communities.

Don Campbell, P1 Vice President, says, “We always remain focused on our most important resources: the human ones. Through rigorous daily checklists, mental health resources, training and mentorship, P1 leadership, from the top down, is committed to ensuring our associates show up mentally and physically prepared to make the best decisions every day.”

In addition to the award, SMACNA and its partners donated $2,500 to The Battle Within, a nonprofit organization supporting veterans and first responders battling PTSD, chosen by P1 Construction. Michele Orpin, Director at The Battle Within, expresses gratitude for the donation. “Our entire team thanks you for this opportunity," she says.

Meet the 2025 SMACNA Safety Award Winners

The SMACNA Safety Awards Program celebrates members' commitment and inventive efforts to provide safe environments for their employees. The awards recognize past accomplishments and inspire a future dedicated to safety and health in the HVAC and sheet metal industry.

There are two award categories: Top Safety Performer and Zero Injury and Illness Incidence. All members achieving an incident rate 50% lower than the U.S. Department of Labor BLS incident rate for sheet metal contractors in the U.S., and the adjacent rate for Canadian members, will receive certificates as elite safety performers. All members demonstrating an outstanding safety record with zero reported incidents in 2024 receive certificates for safety excellence.

The 2025 winners are:

TOP SAFETY PERFORMER AWARD:

Airco Mechanical Inc.
Bel-Aire Mechanical
Control Air Enterprises LLC
Couts Heating and Cooling Inc.
Dee Cramer Inc.
General Sheet Metal
Goyette Mechanical
Harder Mechanical
icon Mechanical
JH Kelly
Leo J. Roth Corporation
MacDonald-Miller
Marina Mechanical Services
P1 Construction LLC
Poynter Sheet Metal Inc.
SSM Industries Inc.
Streimer
Tweet/Garot Mechanical Inc.
U.S. Engineering Construction
W.E. Bowers

ZERO INJURY AND ILLNESS INCIDENCE AWARD:

A T Industrial Sheet Metal
Accu Flow Balancing Co.
Apollo Mechanical Contractors
Crystal Heating & Cooling Service Inc.
D|B Solutions LLC
Dynamic Balancing Co.
Evergreen State Heat & AC
Fisher Balancing Co.
G.E.S. Sheet Metal Inc.
H & R Mechanical Systems Inc.
Hays Sheet Metal Inc.
Hunter Mechanical
Intech Mechanical Co. Inc.
Johansen Mechanical Inc.
Just Right Heating & Cooling
Leibold Inc.
McGowne Ironworks LLC
Modern Controls
Neudorfer Engineers
Optimum Performance Balancing LLC
Ortiz Contracting Group
PM Contracting
Precision Air Designs Inc.
Prime Sheet Metal Inc.
Restaurant Ventilation Design
S & Z Sheetmetal Inc.
Scoggin Mechanical Industries Inc.
TAB Systems Inc.
Total Comfort Solutions, Inc.
Tri-State Roofing & Sheet Metal Co.
Van's Industrial Inc.

Published: January 12, 2026

SMACNews November/December 2025

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