The Mechanical Contractors Association of Indiana, Inc. is a statewide trade association established to represent and service its members in the mechanical industry. It acts as the industry’s voice in dealing with the public, state and local government, other construction industry groups, and labor. The MCAl focuses on education, labor relations, and multi-employer collective bargaining.
With June underway and summer rolling in, our industry once again enters the most dangerous season of the year for construction and maintenance workers. We as construction professionals have and will continue to put job safety at the forefront of everything we do, but dealing with heat is trickier than equipping the jobsite with quality PPE or upgrading to the safest and most effective equipment.
The basics are easy – providing water, shade, places to cool off, and time for breaks are key to helping mitigate the dangers of working in high-heat environments. But what else can be done?
It may be less of a question about what can be done, and more of a question of how to properly assess a situation that could be dangerous. Is temperature still the standard by which we should judge the risk of heat, or are there better indicators? Is heat index the more accurate measure? And how does humidity factor into the equation?
Luckily, we have tools more effective than mercury thermometers to judge the safety of a particular environment. One such tool, an app developed in conjunction with OSHA and NIOSH, serves as an on-the-go resource for managing and mitigating heat danger. The app includes a real-time heat index and associated risk levels specific to your location and the current forecast, as well as signs, symptoms, and first aid for heat related illnesses.
As is so often the case in all aspects of construction, it is less about having one tool for the whole job and more about utilizing multiple tools to achieve the best possible outcome – and this rings especially true when it comes to safety. Water and breaks in the shade are necessary, but when combined with top of the line technology and weather monitoring, they become even more effective.
We as an industry have some hot months ahead of us. With knowledge and action, we can mitigate as many risks as possible to ensure our industry beats the heat this summer.
The Wabash Valley Contractors Association is seeking applications for two scholarship programs it offers.
The first scholarship program is for upper-level college students whose parents are currently working for a membership company of the Wabash Valley Contractors Association. Applicants must be attending a four-year college and entering their junior or senior year in fall 2025 or be attending a junior or vocational college and entering their senior year. An overall grade point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 grading scale is also required, along with a copy of their most recent transcript. Applicants should complete the scholarship application form available at: wabashvalleycontractorsassociation.com/awards.html. The deadline is July 1. The scholarship amount is determined each semester by the WVCA board. Questions may be directed to Sally Julbert, WVCA executive secretary, at 812-232-2527 or by email at sjulbert@ohdth.com.
The association also offers the Wabash Valley Mechanical Contractors Scholarship, which is awarded through a component fund of the Wabash Valley Community Foundation. This scholarship is for students starting or continuing their collegiate career this fall who intend to pursue a degree in the mechanical construction field, such as engineering, construction management, or a field related to mechanical construction.
Applicants must be from one of the counties served by the Wabash Valley Mechanical Construction Association which includes Benton, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Fountain, Greene, Montgomery, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Vigo and Warren in Indiana and Clark, Crawford, Douglas, Edgar, Richland and Vermilion in Illinois.
Up to three $1,000 scholarships are available. For more information, call the Wabash Valley Community Foundation at 812-232-2234 or visit: www.wvcf.org. Applications for this scholarship are available at www.wwcf.org/wvmca. The deadline is 2 p.m. on August 28, 2025.
MCAI offers specialized expertise and services to help members stay up to date through education, safety, and labor relations.
