With the theme of “Safety Through Innovation”, this award is open to all SMACNA members who participate in the SMACNA Safety Awards Program. In collaboration with SMACNA premier partners Milwaukee Tool and Federated Insurance, the award will be for the company that demonstrates an example of an innovate safety idea, concept, or best practice that provided a statistical improvement in the company safety program or culture.

SMACNA Safety Innovator of the Year Award 

• The SMACNA Safety Innovator of the Year Award recognizes members who develop a new and innovative safety program, project solution, or practice. This prestigious award is given annually to a member company demonstrating innovative approaches to hazard prevention and the creation of safe working environments. SMACNA also recognizes that mental health concerns, from addiction to suicide and everywhere in between, are major issues for the construction industry. In addition to the traditional safety focus, members are encouraged to apply if they have developed programs that have a positive impact on their employee’s mental health and wellbeing. 2024 Safety Innovator of the Year Award application closed on June 1.

Take a look at the video below of SMACNA's Safey Innovation Award Winner 

Application Process 

All Member Awards: 

Members must complete a SMACNA Safety Survey to apply for the awards.

Innovator of the Year Award: 

• We encourage members to share their unique narratives, to articulate why your company's “Safety Innovation” deserves recognition. Emphasize creativity and clarity in your submission. Your application should be limited to a maximum of two pages. All submissions will be assessed by the SMACNA Safety Committee Awards Taskforce based on creativity and the extent of added benefit to the company and its employees.

The narrative serves the purpose of enabling your organization to explain how it conceived and implemented innovative safety measures and their subsequent impact on safety within the organization. This is your opportunity to exhibit that distinctive quality that sets you apart from others.

 Criteria for Judging:

• All entries for the 2024 SMACNA Safety Innovator of the Year Award will be evaluated by the Safety Awards Taskforce and SMACNA Executive Committee based on the following criteria: 

Creativity: The taskforce will assess the level of creativity displayed in the safety program and its implementation. This includes innovative approaches, unique ideas, and creative solutions to safety and/or mental health challenges. 

Degree of Added Benefit to the Company: Entries will be evaluated for the extent to which the safety and/or mental health program has added value to the company. The taskforce will consider how the program has positively impacted the organization's overall safety culture and performance. 

These criteria will help ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all submissions, recognizing both qualitative and quantitative aspects of safety excellence.

Knowledge Sharing:

• SMACNA is committed to sharing ideas to help promote safe working environments. Submittal information may be shared with the SMACNA membership in SMACNA publications, on the SMACNA website, over social media, and in SMACNA podcasts. Submission Deadline: Submissions for the 2024 SMACNA Safety Excellence Awards were due by June 1, 2024.