Management System Certification for Responsible Care Partners
A key component of each Responsible Care® Partner’s commitment is required certification of their Responsible Care Management System® (RCMS®) by an independent, accredited auditing firm within a specific time frame established at the time of joining the partner program. To achieve certification, partner companies typically undergo audits at company headquarters and a sample number of facilities based on a company’s size to verify compliance with the RCMS technical specification
All partner companies may choose from two certification options: RCMS®, which verifies that a company has fully implemented an RCMS that functions according to professional standards; or RC14001® which combines the requirements of RCMS and ISO 14001 certification into a single process. In some specific partner sectors, there are additional options for meeting the certification requirements.
Certification is a relatively new requirement for all Responsible Care companies (ACC members and Responsible Care Partners). Partners who were a part of the program prior to January 1, 2003 are required to attain initial certification by December 31, 2007. Partners joining between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2007 will be required to obtain initial certification by December 31, 2010.
Certification audit requirements can vary in scope based on a Partner Company’s operations. Thus guidance documents and supporting information to the technical specification are organized according to nine Business Sectors: Bulk Truck, Equipment Suppliers (primarily chemical containers), Logistics Management Companies, Marine (Barge), Non-Bulk (LTL) Truck, Rail, Service Industries, Terminals, and Warehouses. It is important to note that both the RCMS and the RC14001 technical specifications are generic in the sense that they define required management system components for consideration regardless of business or business sector.
Partner Certification Documents
Partner Certification Schedule (doc, March 2005)
Partner Certification Organization Chart (ppt, February 2005)
More information on the RCMS, including the RCMS technical specification, technical specification guidance documents and RCMS implementation modules.
Sector-Specific Certification Documents
Bulk Truck, Equipment Suppliers (chemical containers), Equipment Suppliers (hardware or components), Logistics Management Companies, Marine (Barge), Non-Bulk (LTL) Truck, Rail, Service Industries (field technical and central management services), Terminals, Warehouses.
CDI Activities
CDI-T Final MOA (pdf, June 2008)
Access CDI-T’s Inspection Documents (See: http://www.cdi.org.uk, click on “Download”)
CDI-T RCMS 101.01 Addendum (xls, July 2004)
CDI mpc Activities
CDI – mpc Final MOA (doc, August 2008)
Includes MOA plus following appendices
- B.1 CDI – mpc (freight forwarding company) audit reports cross referenced with RCMS® Technical Specification Requirements
- B.2 Addendum to CDI – mpc (freight forwarding company) element for Responsible Care – June 2008
- C.1 CDI – mpc (container freight station) audit report elements cross referenced with RCMS® Technical Specification Requirements
- C.2 Addendum to CDI – mpc (container freight station) elements for Responsible Care – June 2008
Access CDI – mpc Inspection Documents (See: http://www.cdi.org.uk, click on “Downloand”)
American Waterways Operators (AWO) Responsible Carrier Agreement
AWO Final MOA (doc, July 2006)
