Construction Safety & Compliance

Construction Safety & Compliance: An Interview with Harry Carlson

Director of Safety and Field Operations, OHS Training & Consulting, Inc.

UCANE’s Construction Outlook magazine editors recently caught up with Harry Carlson on a construction jobsite in Boston. Harry is the Director of Safety and Field Operations for UCANE company member OHS Training & Consulting, Inc., based in Brighton, MA. We were able to get a few minutes of Harry’s time to talk about the importance of safety in today’s heavy construction industry.

Can you give us your background in Construction Safety and how you eventually landed with OHS?

I started out 32 years ago as an EMT on board an offshore drill rig. An OSHA and Coast Guard inspection team arrived on the rig and asked the Superintendent “Who is the Safety Officer?” He pointed to me, and a new career began. After the rig, I went to the third harbor tunnel as Safety Manager for Modern Continental Construction. Overall, I have more than 30 years of safety and risk management experience in a variety of different industries including trucking, construction, marine, petroleum, and distribution. Services I have provided include corporate risk assessments, on site safety consultation and surveys, safety program evaluations, safety training and program development. I am a certified OSHA 500 instructor for construction and achieved the LEED AP designation in 2008, which I have maintained. I am an active member of the Construction Safety Roundtable of Eastern Massachusetts and I share my experience there, as well as being a safety trainer for OHS Training & Consulting, Inc., the Gould Construction Institute, and the Construction Safety Academy.

I believe continued training is essential and I train extensively on crane safety management, confined space, fall protection, lock out/tag out, and many other areas.

What type of clients does OHS Training and Consulting work with and what type of services does the company provide to contractors?

OHS strives to be a one-stop-shop for clients, both large and small. With a focus in the construction industry, we aide contractors in a large variety of onsite services including safety personnel, first aid and medical response, respirator fit testing, medical monitoring, air monitoring, CPR & First Aid certification training, as well as substance abuse testing.

We also opened an Occupational Health Clinic,

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OHS Total Care, in Brighton in 2020 to further assist our clients with DOT exams, asbestos and lead physicals, and injury care for their employees. OHS’s latest endeavor includes a confined space rescue team that is currently servicing multiple contractors in the Boston area.

What is the Safety Culture at OHS Training & Consulting and what is your role at the company?

We maintain a high-level safety culture throughout the organization driven by ownership and staff. Continued hands on training and relationships created within the industry allow us to stay relevant in the industry.

My role at OHS is working with field personnel to maintain that high-level safety culture, seeking improvement in our safety and health services to clients and providing clients, with safety and health consultation services to reduce incidents.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face in trying to assist contractors in creating a “Zero Incident” jobsite?

There are several challenges that come to mind, most notably are the pressure of schedule, diversity of age, experience or lack thereof, and the culture within an organization.

Another large challenge is getting contractors to embrace culture change rather than priority change. Creating the kind of necessary culture to have a “Zero Incident” jobsite is a process that takes time, training, and effort. You cannot just flip a switch or send out a memo and it’s done.

There is also the additional challenge of overcoming the “excuse” that most accidents are the result of unsafe acts or behaviors on the behalf of the worker and not taking into account when the company system and culture may also be contributing factors.

What advice would you have for high school graduates or “career changers” that might be considering a career in construction safety?

It is a challenging and, to me, a very rewarding career. Safety professionals, especially in the construction industry, are in high demand. Many colleges offer multiple options in Safety Management Degrees. I would definitely recommend a career in Safety to college students, as well as to “career changers.”

My advice as a new safety employee would be to listen, learn, and understand your role within the organization. You will have an opportunity to learn many facets of an industry and how you can contribute to the betterment of workers’ health and safety, as well as the organizations’ health and safety culture. Always respect the hard work and skill of the tradespeople.

The work can be challenging and sometimes you may have to make unpopular decisions, but so do other supervisors on the project- or in any industry for that matter. One benefit of working in the Construction Safety Industry is that every day you get to see how structures are built and you’ll forever be able to look at the finished bridge, building, or roadway with pride knowing you had a part in it. n