“Assume It is Outside and Forget It”
I’ve been thinking, compliance is invisible, non-compliance often gets the spotlight. Non-compliance provides the kind of attention we seek to avoid at WTS. Non-compliance, poor decisions, pressing the boundaries so to speak often take up the conversation and postings of the day, while compliance is thought to be boring and restrictive.
This month I am pleased to shine a bright light on the regulatory experts throughout our WTS team. They are the ones who seek daily to do the right things right. First to admit, by themselves, they do not know all the regulations, however collaboratively and through interactions with our stakeholders, including regulators, they seek to act and be seen beyond compliance. I think about one of our Environmental Managers, Barry Taggart, spotlighted this month working literally on an island. Yet, Barry is an example of one of my WTS teammates, often unseen, but staying connected and collaborative with compliance on the mind.
WTS was founded at the onset of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Serving as an extension of regulatory compliance for our clients and suppliers, we stay abreast of the changing regulatory landscape around Waste Materials, By-Products, Co-Products and Materials Management. We interact with the Department of Transportation, USEPA, State and Local Regulatory experts, and many other regulatory agencies while also abiding by Health and Safety Standards set by OSHA.
A never-ending quest to not only stay compliant but live, work and interact in the center of the court where there is plenty of space to enhance the sustainability of all those we serve. Remarkably, our commitment to compliance is not achieved through a large compliance department, but rather a culture that values integrity, stewardship, teamwork, safety always and a Responsible Care Management System that serves as our process to continuously improve and remain beyond compliance.
Here are a few plainly written excerpts from Warren E. Buffett’s, December 19, 2014, memo to Berkshire Hathaway Managers:
We must continue to measure every act against not only what is legal but also what we would be happy to have written on the front page of a national newspaper in an article written by an unfriendly but intelligent reporter…..There’s plenty of money to be made in the center of the court. If it’s questionable whether some action is close to the line, just assume it is outside and forget it.
Warren Buffett – December, 2014
Easier said than done, especially if it includes walking away from a business opportunity, or it seems everyone else thinks its ok. Together, may we act and serve within the letter and spirit of the law. Collaboratively WTS will continue to work with all our stakeholders to safely and compliantly transfer by-products, waste and other materials for re-use, reclamation, end use or end disposal over land or sea.
So please join me in a toast:
Cheers to the boring, invisible deeds of compliance. They matter and make a difference!
