The Van Brunt Logistics facility in Elizabeth, N.J., earned the Responsible Warehousing Protocol accreditation through the IWLA Checmical Council.

The IWLA Chemical Council recently issued a new accreditation under the Responsible Warehousing Protocol (RWP) verification program to Van Brunt Logistics, based in Elizabeth, N.J.

Modeled after the National Association of Chemical Distributor’s (NACD) Responsible Distribution (RD) compliance program, the RWP focuses on best practices for legal, safe and efficient storage and handling of chemicals.

IWLA Chemical Council members are required to conform to the RWP through an on-site verification process or by demonstrating verification under the NACD or the Canadian Association of Chemical Distributors RD program, or the American Chemistry Council Responsible Care Management System.

Van Brunt decided to attain the RWP accreditation through IWLA’s program because the program was more in line with a third-party logistics business structure. “The benefits from the RWP surpassed the RD, which has a stronger focus on chemical distributors,” says Anthony Scocco, managing partner of Van Brunt Logistics.

Scocco says the process was time consuming and extremely detail-oriented. The Responsible Warehousing Protocol and Guidance Document outlines best practices covering all areas of warehousing and logistics: Handling and storage; job procedures and training; compliance review and training; emergency response and public preparedness; document and data control; risk management; internal audits; corrective and preventative action; community outreach; waste management and resource conservation; and carrier selection.

Through the accreditation process, Scocco says, the company found the meaning and benefits behind the verification stretch beyond increased safety and security.

“We recognized the IWLA Responsible Warehousing accreditation was an excellent means of evaluating the competence of our company and our staff,” Scocco says.

Scocco reports that Van Brunt values the internal feedback the process provided. This feedback addressed the quality of the company’s processes and procedures; identified areas where improvement was needed; and identified high-quality areas already in existence. These benefits, Scocco says, get passed on to the company’s stakeholders as well.

“This acknowledgement of quality strengthens Van Brunt’s ability to market its services,” Scocco says. “It has the added benefit of aiding various regulators in verifying the qualifications of our staff.”

Scocco credits this successful accreditation to the hard work of Van Brunt President Dennis LaSalle and the direction provided by IWLA Chemical Council Chairman John Kiser, CWLP, president of Belmont, N.C.-based Kiser Harris Chemical Distribution Centers and Dennis Zito, verifier with the Baton Rouge, La.-based Compliance Solutions Group.

Learn more about the IWLA Chemical Council and the path of accreditation under the Responsible Warehousing Protocol program.