As a partner in good standing of the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care® program, we are pleased and proud to present highlights from our Annual Responsible Care Management System® Report for 2022. Our Responsible Care Management System® (RCMS) guides our commitment to safety, sustainability, and continuous improvement. During the course of the year, our Founder and Chairman, Gary P. Hall, shared the following special message with all of WTS:
“What a fantastic journey we have experienced since joining the ACC to living & breathing the Responsible Care® Ethic in all that we do. Being Safe every day in all that we do is always our #1 priority and our RCMS® is our process that guides us there in all of our activities. The Audit serves as a checkpoint on our Road to Success & once again the WTS Team has performed at the highest level and for that we are sincerely grateful. Let’s continue on our Road to Success as we approach our 40 Year Anniversary this November & throughout the New Year.”
The following summarizes highlights from our 2022 RCMS® Annual Report.
Our Goal Zero Standard was achieved for the year – Zero Injuries, Zero Fines, Zero Compliance Actions, Zero Insurance Claims.
WTS was selected as Responsible Care® Partner of the Year by the ACC for the 8th time and we were honored at ACC’s Responsible Care and Sustainability Expo held in April. We also received awards for Innovative Recycling Programs in conjunction with two of our ACC member company clients. We celebrated our own Lisa Schley as the 2021 WTS RCMS® Employee of the Year.
Audits
WTS underwent a 3rd party RCMS® Internal Audit which included a review of our RCMS documentation, policies and procedures. Post audit comments included:
- “Management is committed to continuous improvement”
- “The CAR program is well documented and communicated”
- “Our emergency response and documentation is robust for our size”
We also underwent a 3rd Party Surveillance Audit from which there were no findings or non-conformances. The auditor included the following comments in his final report:
- “The level of commitment and pride of ownership was evident throughout the RCMS® discussions.”
- “High level of communication up and down the organization was evident during many of the topic discussions.”
Objectives
In the spirit of Continual Improvement we closed 4 distinct 2022 RCMS® Objectives including:
- Formalize and Document a new Customer Information Exchange Process
- Enhance Metrics Program in Support of ACC Goals and Selected Clients Goals
- Publishing our 2021 Annual Sustainability Report
- Participating in local Community Outreach Events (2022 marks the 10th year of this endeavor)
Our Lewiston office conducted a successful Electronic-Scrap Drive this past summer. 4+ skids of e-scrap from employees and others was collected for proper management in conjunction with a local E-Waste management company. Our partner subsequently makes a donation of a portion of the proceeds to a local camp for children.
WTS Employees voluntarily participated in the annual Buffalo Niagara Waterkeepers Shoreline Sweep on 04/23/22 at Beaver Island State Park in Grand Island NY.
Corrective Actions
Our Corrective Action program was once again robust and fueled our Commitment to Continual Improvement in all facets of our operations.
Suppliers
In 2022 we added 43 new suppliers to our approved supplier program. Our list of active suppliers currently sits at 455, which have all been managed through the RCMS®. It is also interesting to note that ~25% of our supplier base is involved in offering non-traditional Sustainable Solutions.
Training
We once again complied with all of the applicable Regulatory and Company training requirements as specified in our RCMS®.
Announcement
WTS is also pleased to announce that Brian Caliendo of our Arizona office has assumed the role of Responsible Care® Coordinator at WTS. Our RCMS® is in good hands for now and for the future.
