4 minute read
Construction Safety & Compliance
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 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?
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Throughout the course of the pandemic, management has worked to implement new and revised policies and procedures to ensure safety and compliance in the workplace. After each revision to federal and state mandates, we would have a company management meeting to ensure everyone was informed of the changes and had the proper equipment at their disposal. This information would then be distributed to the remaining employees during our tailgate talks before each shift.
As a member of UCANE’s Safety Committee, do you think contractors as well as their workers can benefit from participating in industry organized and OSHA endorsed events like Trench Safety Week and other similar Safety Stand Downs?
The Federal Government and some state governments have issued mandates that will require many private employers and all Federal contractors to have 100% of their employees vaccinated against COVID-19. Do you think these mandates will impact your company operations?
The heavy construction industry was struggling to find enough tradesmen before the pandemic and our company, like many others, continues to see a shortage of young workers entering the construction field. I believe these 100% mandates will be challenging for the industry and especially for small businesses like ours. Further reducing the available workforce is the last thing we need right now and could lead to some project completion delays or possibly higher prices at bid time. Any reduction in experienced workers will certainly increase jobsite safety concerns. As difficult as the mandates may be, our company will have to meet the challenge, adapt as may be required, and complete our projects both on-time and safely. Absolutely. Safety is always evolving in our industry and staying informed is one of the best methods to set yourself and your company up for success. We always need to be critiquing ourselves and trying to do better, and that starts with organized events designed to help capture the attention of every crew member. n
Aside from COVID related safety issues, what other safety issues/concerns received the most focus by you and your company in 2021?
There is no shortage of safety concerns that apply to our industry on an everyday basis. Trench safety is usually in the forefront of any excavator’s daily and weekly planning. By having every team member know what the work entails, not only for tomorrow, but for next week allows both the crew and the foreman to make sure we have the proper safety equipment on hand. Forethought and planning ahead
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