Jim Harris
Director, Loss Control

Jim has 20 years experience in the safety profession, having worked in manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, construction and property/ casualty insurance environments. This experience gives him the ability to integrate a number of diverse work environments into a comprehensive approach to safety management.

Jim's extensive experience and formal education make him a key member of the Harritan team. He is a 1987 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a BS Degree in Safety and Risk Administration. He has enhanced his professional development with more than 65 individual seminars and courses beyond his undergraduate education, including certification in the OSHA 30-hour course for Construction Safety and Health. He has been a professional member of the American Society of Safety Engineers for almost 18 years, having served as President of the Colonial Virginia Chapter and being recognized as the Chapter Safety Professional of the Year, both in 1995 and 1996.

His primary task is to promote and maintain R.S. Harritan's Commitment to Safety. Duties include management of the company's safety program and conducting safety meetings and training specific to each job's unique needs - including, but not limited to, a range of subjects from lockout/tagout, confined space, fall protection, manual material handling, personal protective equipment, hazard communication, scaffolding, tool safety and similar topics.

As a safety professional, Jim knows you can't have a quality safety program of you're not "on the job" to see that a safe workplace is maintained. A majority of his time is spent at each of our job sites insuring employees and craftsmen are properly trained and understand any work hazards they may encounter, conducting safety audits, accident investigations, and coordinating other safety concerns with our general and/or subcontractor(s).

Jim understands that a successful safety program involves everyone and that 'safety' is more than one man's job. He is there to help others work safely, to teach and train, to assist our foremen and superintendents on site, and to promote a positive attitude. One of a number of ways to promote safety is with our monthly newsletter on timely subjects and issues relevant to the construction industry. Safety awards and suggestions also add to Harritan's goal of being a first class organization dedicated to a safe and healthful work environment.

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