‘Undercover Boss’ Cleans Up in East Chicago

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Television production crews from the CBS TV show “Undercover Boss” brought their cameras and lights to northwest Indiana to see a “new” employee at work at the Safety-Kleen re-refinery in East Chicago.

That employee was the chief executive officer of Massachusetts-based Clean Harbors Inc, which owns Safety-Kleen.

CEO Alan McKim wore a disguise to get an inside look at the operations of his company, which he started 40 years ago.

“Participating in ‘Undercover Boss’ gave me the opportunity to revisit my roots and see the company from the front lines again,” McKim told our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana. “I was able to engage directly with our employees, see firsthand what was happening inside the company and gain insights into our business from a unique perspective.”

McKim dressed up as blue-collar worker ‘Bill Anderson,” wearing a fake a ponytail and mustache to work alongside his employees at the plant in Chicago.

The Times reports McKim filmed scenes in East Chicago, where he helped clean out a confined-space rail tank in a hazmat suit.

Clean Harbors and its subsidiary Safety-Kleen is an environmental response team, cleaning up oil spills and other hazardous chemicals.  It also conducts planned work for a variety of chemical and manufacturing industries.

At the East Chicago plant, the company recycles used engine oil.

“The nature of our business requires difficult and potentially dangerous work, so I was proud to see our comprehensive safety training and protocols in action,” said McKim. “Safety is our company’s number one core value.”

The one-hour episode airs Monday night at 8 p.m. on CBS.

Click here to read the story from The Times of Northwest Indiana.