Portable Sanitation Association International

W EEKLY EDITION MAY 30, 2018 Why Doesn't the PSAI Do Something about Bad Behavior? We Do! …continued By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director In mid - 2014, the Board asked the Standards and Guidance Committee to look into creating a document that would spell out, in a general way, the principles ethical portable sanitation companies follow. The resulting Code of Excellence was developed over many months, with numerous opportunities for industry feedback , and used an approach intended to be both aspirational and practical. The intended audience for our Code of Excellence included both industry members and non - industry members such as customers, e nd users, and government officials. We intended to paint a picture of what the best companies already do, what good companies are working toward, and stand them in stark contrast to the "bad actors" that harm the reputation of our industry. Each section o f the draft Code contains some broad statements that are intended to be idealistic and motivational. These are followed by specific, practical actions portable sanitation companies take (or should take) to achieve excellence in that domain. We don't just s ay that Excellence in Our Environment means, "We protect the health and safety of others." We back it up with statements like "We ensure our employees are trained on disease and infection control," and "We take all reasonable steps to conserve natural reso urces," among others. We intend this Code of Excellence to be something that is educational for both the industry and the public – a useful tool for attaining and recognizing excellence in the portable sanitation business. We hope the Code's widespread ad option will help companies improve their businesses. As the trade association champion of the portable sanitation industry, the PSAI uses the Code to position portable sanitation as worthy of greater respect and consideration for the important role we play in providing essential services. Over time, we believe our industry will be taken more seriously and valued more highly. This wi ll only happen, though, if the industry works together to make it happen – and an important part of that is following the Code. Because we take the Code of Excellence so seriously, there are some things you should know about how it works in practice. • The Code is a Company - level Commitment. A representative of each new PSAI Member company is required to sign the Code of Excellence prior to their membership being activated. Current PSAI Member companies are asked to reaffirm their commitment to the Code annually when they renew. By their signatures, the company leaders are saying, "My compa ny will abide by the Code of Excellence." If they fail to do so, the company can be sanctioned by the PSAI. More on that in a minute. • Certified Portable Sanitation Professionals Make a Personal Commitment. In addition to the company level promise, each per son seeking certification as a CPSP must also agree to follow a Code of Ethics that relates to his or her own conduct on the job. Importantly, it specifically states that CPSPs cannot absolve themselves of responsibility because "the boss made me do it." W hile it is always a tough spot to be in, history is full of situations where bosses, commanding officers, and others have ordered people to do bad things. Generally, no one is "off the hook" with that as their alibi. P AGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

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