If you are tasked with the job of making sure your company’s reactors and catalysts are handled and maintained properly, you may want to check this out. There are companies like Reactor Services International, Inc. (RSI) that specialize in that kind of thing. Because of the hazardous nature of what is involved, you definitely do not want to turn the project over to someone who is lacking in qualifications. In fact, you should go to the opposite end of the spectrum and choose an organization that is among the best of the best. The stakes are too high to do anything less because of the risk to human and animal welfare, as well as the environment itself.
To give you some assurance that the company with which you are about to enter into an agreement is capable of meeting your expectations, you should inquire about current certifications the company has achieved. To ensure that companies have an effective environmental management system in place, ISO-14001 certification is available. To achieve this certification, companies must pass regular audits by third-party evaluators. If any deficiencies are discovered, they must be corrected within a reasonable time frame with documented proof sent back to the auditing firm.
Companies that deal with products or have processes that have the potential of being extremely hazardous to the environment often go beyond the basic ISO-14001 certification and go after responsible care certification (RC-14001). The responsible care program is targeted toward processes that deal with things that could cause immediate and substantial harm if a release of the product should occur.
Because the company with which you have a service agreement will have its employees onsite at your place of business, you will want to make sure they are up to speed on all safety procedures as well. You don’t want them doing something that will get one of your people hurt. In addition, you don’t want them getting hurt either. They should be knowledgeable of the applicable OSHA standards as well. Otherwise, you could end up in trouble with the regulatory authorities.
In a similar way that audits and certifications ensure a system is in place to take care of the environment, there is a safety certification available as well. It is called OHSAS 18001. It follows the same basic guidelines as the ISO-14001 standard, except it is tailored for processes and procedures that impact the safety of the people as opposed to the protection of the environment. It is not as widely undertaken by companies as its environmental counterpart. For this reason, if a company has this certification, it means they have taken the steps to go above and beyond the regulatory requirements in order to build up their safety program.
Many states also recognize companies who have safety programs that are top-notch by awarding them a Voluntary Protection Program recognition. To qualify for this, companies are scrutinized by regulators who look for things like management commitment and employee involvement.
While there are many factors that go into choosing companies you entrust to handle some of your critical processes, looking for certifications that are held will give you a step up in your evaluation of them.
