Unified Group’s 2025 Safety Forum Highlights Mental Health and Workforce Safety in HVAC
Key Highlights
- The Unified Group Safety Forum focused on enhancing safety culture, leadership, and mental health awareness within the HVAC industry.
- The event included expert sessions on managing mental health, reducing workplace distractions, and establishing disciplinary procedures.
- The event also highlighted the importance of safety champions and effective communication to promote accountability and growth.
DENVER — The Unified Group’s 2025 Safety Forum brought together nearly 20 HVAC industry leaders from across the country in Denver to exchange ideas on fostering safety culture, strengthening leadership, and supporting mental health in the workplace.
Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional Becca Auen opened the event with a session on mental health in the HVAC industry. Her discussion covered managing distressing calls, maintaining composure under pressure, and ensuring teams have access to the right resources when challenges arise. The session encouraged open conversation among attendees on how to better recognize and respond to mental health issues across their organizations.
On the second day, participants joined small group discussions on reducing distractions and managing risk to improve overall safety performance. Panels included “One Safety Policy, Two Worlds: Aligning Standards for Service & Construction,” “EMR/Workmans Comp,” and “Establishing Disciplinary Pathways for Employee Violations.”
A presentation by J&J Air Conditioning’s Frank Quintanar, Chris Sandoval, and Alejandro Cortes explored how to identify and empower “safety champions” in both field and office roles. Additional sessions from Jon Whitehurst of Cox-Powell and Ken McFadden of Legacy Mechanical focused on building effective disciplinary pathways and corrective action plans that maintain accountability while promoting growth.
Attendees described the forum as an opportunity to reconnect with peers, share proven practices, and gain fresh insights into workforce safety and leadership. The event reinforced the industry’s collective goal of building safer, stronger, and more supportive HVAC workplaces.
Upcoming Unified Group events include the Design Build, Service Management, and Annual Meeting and Owners’ Forum. For information, visit theunifiedgroup.com
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