Construction Safety & Compliance: An Interview with Glen Hartmann Foreman, R. M. Pacella, Inc.
UCANE’s Construction Outlook magazine editors recently caught up with Glen Hartmann at a busy construction site in Dedham, Massachusetts. Glen is a foreman with UCANE member firm R. M. Pacella, Inc. of Plainville, MA. We were able to get a few minutes of Glen’s time to talk about the importance of Safety in today’s heavy construction industry. What is your background in construction, and how long have you been with R. M. Pacella, Inc.? When I was very young, I began working for my uncle who owned and operated a large earth moving company. Even at a young age, I was always interested and fascinated with spending as much time as I could on jobsites. After graduating from Massachusetts Bay Community College with a degree in Engineering Design, the economy and work relating to heavy construction was very sparing. This led me to spend almost 8 years working in the waste industry operating heavy equipment, and later taking a role as an Environmental Engineer. Fast forward to 2018 when I was fortunate enough to be offered a job with R. M. Pacella as a Field Engineer. In my current role as a crew foreman, keeping my site and my crew safe is obviously at the forefront of my dayto-day operations. What type of work does R. M. Pacella focus on and what are some of the safety training methods/techniques that you emphasize for your field employees? R. M. Pacella’s main focus of work would be roadway and drainage improvements. I believe the key to a safe workday/workplace is good communication. Before each shift, I explain the day’s goals to each person on my team. This provides an opportunity for individual questions pertaining to each task at hand, as well as a chance to identify any specific NOVEMBER, 2021
safety related concerns before the task has started. In my opinion when everyone feels informed, it raises your threshold of success. The COVID-19 Pandemic continues to require contractors and their safety professionals to react quickly to a changing array of safety protocols in order to protect employees. How did you and your company adapt to this unique situation and keep the employees informed and focused? continued on page 49
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