Custom Air Products & Services Inc. (CAPS) is a company that manufactures, installs, and/or services industrial heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) products. In business since 2006, CAPS has years of experience serving in the multiple roles of owner, contractor and subcontractor.
As an owner, CAPS has a strong interest in the safety and health of its own employees and the environment in which it works, as well as the health and safety of neighbors, visitors to its site and those with whom team members interact as they go about their work.
When functioning as a contractor, CAPS must add a few layers of concern, and compliance, as it extends these interests upward to interface with the owner and downward to interface with subcontractors.
As a subcontractor, CAPS must meet its own requirements, those of the contractor under which the company works as well as those of the owner to which CAPS is ultimately responsible.
“When we go out and sell a product or service to a new industrial customer, we also have to keep in mind how much planning and effort it will take to prepare our technicians to fulfill the safety requirements of the contract,” said CAPS Industrial Account Executive Don Doss. “Ensuring our technicians are prepared to meet the needs of our customers is an important part of the planning process.”
According to CAPS Safety Director Robert (Covy) Covington, “The CAPS organization’s support of safety is essential for the prevention of injuries and illnesses in our workplace. Ensuring we also comply with the rules and regulations of the organizations we perform work for makes this process more complex but still an important part of what we do.”
In order to maintain a work force with individuals qualified to work in specific facilities, technician training and qualification activities must be planned, executed and tracked throughout the year. Planning ahead for the typical summertime increases in HVAC and Plumbing Services Division activities means the winter months are a prime time for initiating new technicians into the system, as well as updating existing technician training and qualifications.
CAPS’ health and safety affiliations
CAPS must maintain a number of memberships and affiliations in order to participate actively in maintaining and contributing to the industrial health and safety body of knowledge. For safety training, CAPS is a member/affiliate of Houston Area Contractors Safety Council; Contractors Safety Council of Texas City; Industrial Safety Training Council; Contractors’ Safety Council of Brazosport; and Oklahoma Contractors Safety Council. For drug and alcohol testing, CAPS is a member/affiliate of DISA (drug testing); Forward Edge; Psychemedics (vector hair follicle testing); and North American Substance Abuse Program.
For background screenings, CAPS is a member/affiliate of First Advantage; North American Background Screening Consortium; Kress Inc.; and LexisNexis. For compliance networks, CAPS is a member/affiliate of National Compliance Management Service; ISNetworld (contractor compliance); Global Risk Management Solutions; e-RAILSAFE Railroad Safety Management; PEC Safety SafeGulf and SafeLandUSA; TWIC; Houston Business Roundtable; DuPont Contractor’s Safety Network; NuStar Contractor’s Safety Committee; Celanese Contractor Alliance; and Bayer Contractor Safety Committee.
Communication
Once each cycle of safety pre-qualification/re-qualification is engaged in, the company must ensure all interested parties are kept well informed. Is this technician qualified to work at this facility? Does he have all of his site-required PPE and certification documentation on hand? Are his required trainings for working in this facility up-to-date? Will they still be up-to-date when the project starts next month? How about when the project ends in six months? These are the kinds of questions that drive the scheduling and communication of safety qualification information.
CAPS continues to strive for excellence. Providing high quality custom solutions for HVAC needs, while maintaining a high focus on safe operations in all workplaces, remains a high priority.
For more information, visit www.CustomAirProducts.com or call (713) 460-9009.
