Building a culture of safety and long-term success

By Jenny Yu. 

In an employee profile video, IKO’s environmental health and safety coordinator shares why he recommends working for IKO. 

James Harrison didn’t plan on a career in environmental health and safety, but the opportunity arrived early in his tenure at IKO’s Hagerstown facility in Maryland. After starting as a production manager, James was asked to step into the environmental health and safety coordinator role, and he accepted the challenge.  

As an environmental health and safety coordinator, James’ job is to ensure that the facility stays in compliance with city, state and national regulations including OSHA and EPA regulations. “We take safety very seriously here,” James shared in an employee profile video.  The role requires consistent attention to evolving standards, but James says the work is rewarding because of the direct impact it has on employees and operations. 

“The best part of my job is that I feel like I've made a difference and that our incident rates are low,” he said. He credits the whole team’s input and participation in safety practices. “We don't manufacture safety here; we safely manufacture commercial roofing supplies, and with that mindset we get a lot more buy-in from the team.” 

James added that IKO’s long-term approach and commitment to its values are things he deeply admires about the company. “IKO is focused more on making sure that we are safely conducting our business and that we're not shortsighted for the immediate returns,” he stated. “Everyone really embodies the core values and tries to include them in their daily decision making, and that's refreshing. You don't really feel like you're working for a company — you feel like you’re contributing to greater success.” 

When he’s not working, James enjoys spending time with his family and traveling across the United States. He only has three more states to visit! 

Watch the video to learn more about James’ role and experience at IKO.