WSI* received its Responsible Care certification from the American Chemistry Council for its warehouse facility in Baytown, Texas, while the company’s overall chemical unit passed its recertification for the program. Certification was originally obtained in 2013 and the company is one of the few warehouse providers to commit to the program.
For more than 30 years, Responsible Care members and partners have demonstrated a commitment to environmental, health, safety, and security standards well above what is required by law. As a Responsible Care partner, WSI continues to take pride in joining chemical industry stakeholders in 68 economies around the world who take responsibility for reducing the release of hazardous materials into the environment, improving worker and facility safety, and driving energy efficiency across their operations.
RESPONSIBLE CARE A WAY OF LIFE
Some programs exist that allow companies to showcase their sustainability or safety credentials with a one-time analysis, fee, or a handful of promises that require limited follow-through but Responsible Care is not so easy. A partner cant pass recertification through luck or last minute preparation. WSI upheld its certification because adopting Responsible Care principles back in 2013 meant making permanent changes to the way the company operates.
Theres a whole qualification process to be a Responsible Care partner, but once you get it, the fact that there are going to be regular audits means you cant simply take a deep breath, wipe your brow off, and say okay, Ive got the certificate hung on the wall, now I can go back to doing what I was doing, says Bill Lindeke, vice president of operations for WSI. I think what makes Responsible Care very valuable is that people who are certified must keep up with it. They do whats advertised, they do what they say they’re going to do, and they do it regularly. We didn’t have to cram for the test, because we’re doing it day in and day out. The Responsible Care designation is not something you buy for 500 bucks in exchange for a certificate. This is real stuff for serious people, he adds.
While Responsible Care ensures WSI can have the best positive impact on the environment, it also contributes to making WSI a great place to work. One of the programs primary principles involves providing a safe work environment well above and beyond what OSHA and other safety regulations and standards require.
Responsible Care, it’s a way of life here, says Sam Rivera, manager of the Baytown facility. We’ve not had a lost-time accident specific to our warehouses going on six years. Expectations are: You walk through the door, you operate safely, and when you go home, you go home with all your digits.
A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE
With recertification under its belt, WSI expects to be a Responsible Care Partner for a long time to come. The company’s success relies on a commitment from employees at all levels of operation.
We have senior management involvement to make sure that this program is successful, says Tanya Rogers, environmental, health, safety, and sustainability manager at WSI. One thing about Responsible Care versus other program sits a very top-down approach. It starts with senior management. It shows their commitment and its filtered all the way down.
From the outside looking in, being a Responsible Care partner means that other stakeholders in the chemical industry can trust that WSI operates at a level above and beyond the average chemical handler.
The reason we signed up to do this is so we can better service Responsible Care members the manufacturers, says Rogers. By being a partner in this industry this community our customers know that we meet the ACC requirements, and we will go above and beyond regulatory requirements and service requirements to follow all the protocols.
*Responsible Care certified sites include Warehouse Specialists, LLCs chemical operations and Material Logistics & Services, LLC sites which are collectively referred to as WSI in this post.
