Contractor Q&A with Clow Darling Limited
Clow Darling Limited is the largest full-service mechanical contractor in North Western Ontario. They are locally owned and based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and have been members of ContractorCheck since 2014! We caught up with them recently to find out a bit more about their business, what sets them apart, and why H&S is so important in their line of work. Since we’re heading into a long weekend and will all be cranking the AC this weekend – we thought this was a good time to share! Have a happy and safe long weekend, and we’ll see everyone next week.
We loved seeing this picture of a Clow Darling truck rocking a CC Accredited Member Sticker!
ContractorCheck: Tell us about your business; what does your company do? How long have you been in business?
Clow Darling Limited: We started our journey in 1937, making this our 82nd year in business. We are a full-service mechanical contracting firm. We offer residential, commercial, industrial, mobile HVAC, and building control services. Our Residential services include; air conditioning, heating and boilers, ductwork cleaning, and plumbing. Our Commercial services include; HVAC, hydronics, AC/refrigeration, radiant in-floor heating, and plumbing. Our industrial services include vessels, millwrighting, piping, and industrial design. Our mobile HVAC services (AKA automotive services) include; AC service, heating, automotive and truck, and transport refrigeration repair. We also offer building control services through a partnership with Distech Controls.
CC: Why is health and safety important in your line of work?
CDL: Construction is a dangerous business with various hazards encountered daily. By putting a priority on Health and Safety, we have seen a terrific return in quality and production by safeguarding our most important assets, our people. An accident does not just slow down production; morale goes down, retraining another worker is time-consuming and costly. Working safe and ensuring all our employees go home to their families at the end of the day, has generated a fantastic return to our organization.
CC: Why was it important for your company to pursue a ContractorCheck accreditation, and what value does it hold for you?
CDL: Partnering with ContractorCheck has allowed us to upload our various training records and certificates easily and quickly. By allowing our customers access to our information, it has created a transparent window into our safety standards. Customers know that our information has been vetted by a non-biased third party and should give them the peace of mind to know they have hired a responsible contractor with a priority placed on safety.
CC: How has health and safety changed since your company was founded?
CDL: H&S is not just a small part of Construction today. H&S is an important aspect of every part of the job. Taking the time to conduct hazard assessments and reduce risk factors is now a normal part of the job. We have an excellent workforce, and it’s important for us to take the necessary precautions to ensure we don’t lose good people to injury or illness.
CC: Is there a particular time of year that’s busiest for you? Why or why not?
CDL: We are busiest in the fall months as most folks are updating their heating before the cold winter sets in. New furnaces are required, and people are turning on their furnaces for the first time in several months only to find out they don’t run properly.
CC: Are there seasonal health and safety tips you can share with us for individuals or businesses to keep in mind this time of year (or if you have specific tips for warmer weather)?
CDL: We make sure to remind our people about the importance of hydration in the summer. Drinking water and protecting yourself from the sun are important when working outdoors.
CC: Are there any recent company accomplishments or announcements you’d like to share?
CDL: Clow Darling is very excited to offer Building Control services. We have recently partnered with Distech Controls to offer building controls for your office or building. With the Distech line, you have the capability of controlling the temperature in the room, the blinds, and the lights all from your Smartphone. It is a very powerful technology that we can tie into our heating and cooling equipment.
Many thanks to the CD team for catching up with us on this #SafetyFocusFriday !
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