Bryce Budleski, Safety Production and Quality Manager
Years as an ASSP member: 12 years
Since starting as the treasurer in my student safety organization. I have contributed to the San Jose Chapter as the Programs Chair and now the Greater Chicago Chapter Board as a Board and Memberships advisor.
3 Key Responsibilities of Your Job
1. Safety Training and Oversight
I enjoy developing and implementing comprehensive, site-specific safety plans with employees and project leaders. Safety starts with a good plan; it’s true that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I identify hazards during building walks even before a project is awarded because future challenges can arise when our company takes on a new project. Environmental issues, logistical challenges, and helicopter picks are just a few things that need to be planned out before the schedule is posted. Once the schedule is finalized, I supervise safety activities, conduct regular safety meetings, and document corrective actions to foster a culture of safety within the organization.
2. Risk Management
Data is crucial for safety. I develop checklists to identify risky situations before they lead to immediate problems, clearly linking safety with production and quality. Throughout my career, I have created risk mitigation tools and strategies that help bridge the gap between teams that may not know how to respond in certain situations and those that have time to learn before facing challenges. Some tools I particularly enjoy developing include SIF ID matrices, Safety Submittal Programs for subcontractors (submission packet site-specific), and Superintendent Pre-Phase Meetings to involve safety considerations before the schedule is drawn up.
3. Continuous Improvement and Program Development
I review safety inspections and reports to identify trends and suggest practical ways to improve workplace safety. I collaborate with our corporate safety team to update our safety policies and create useful programs like the Subcontractor Safety Submittal Program, which makes communication easier and helps everyone stay organized.
Recognizing that risk is an inherent part of construction, I focus on teaching Superintendents and Foremen how to identify factors that lead to incidents without blaming workers. Taking photos and drawing a clear description of what occurred.
What or Who Inspires You
Inspiration comes from many places for me, but it all starts with my family. Growing up with a dad who drove locomotives for 22 years and later worked in Hazardous Materials Safety with the DOT FRA, I learned early on just how important safety is. His work instilled in me a deep respect for protecting both workers and the public.
My career has taken me on an exciting journey across various industries—from massive manufacturing plants like Kohler’s Foundry in the Midwest, to tech giants like Facebook in Silicon Valley, large college projects, and now building ground up skyscrapers in the Chicago Skyline. Each experience has shown me how vital safety is in different environments.
Mentorship is pivitol. It has been the lifeblood of my career in Safety. Starting with the support of my dad and his excitement for Safety. To my first safety mentor in construction Jared Rodgers, who convinced me to learn Spanish. It’s crazy the relationships that you can build in this profession. My hiring manager in San Francisco still calls me to this day all the time providing support. When I took my next job to move on to San Diego. He drove me and my things in his truck 8 hours from SF to SD with me just to show his support for a younger safety engineer trying to cut his teeth in big construction. I have numerous other examples of exceptional safety mentors, including Patrick Hines, Dan Torres, Amir Vafaee, and Justin Harvey. Over the past years, I have witnessed how important approach and follow-up lead to fostering a culture of safety where people are truly bought-in to enhancing workplace practices.
Most Meaningful Professional Achievement
One of my most meaningful achievements was leading safety operations with my colleges for two $600 million projects in San Diego during the pandemic. I was part of the team responsible for the Chargers stadium demolition/new SDSU Aztec Stadium construction, and the UCSD North Torrey Pines Campus development.
Navigating new COVID-19 protocols was unprecedented, but our team, along with many others in the construction industry, proactively implemented innovative safety measures even before government mandates. On top of daily temperature check, oodles of signage, and 6 ft/mask mandates. We managed building outbreaks on a 8 building campus, conducting COVID tests for over 600 people for three consecutive weeks, working tirelessly as “essential workers.”
As an extrovert, the social distancing requirements were personally challenging. Our team had to relearn communication strategies step-by-step on a large site. To this day, I still don’t know what many of my colleagues from that time look like without masks.
Despite these challenges, our efforts kept the projects on track and resulted in a strong safety record with minimal COVID-19 transmission on-site. We performed over 10,000 COVID tests throughout the project’s duration, maintaining a remarkably low positivity rate.
This experience reinforced my belief in proactive safety management and its critical role in project success. It also highlighted the resilience and adaptability of construction professionals in the face of extraordinary circumstances. The lessons learned during this time continue to shape my approach to safety management and crisis response in construction.
Future Career Goal or Aspiration
I know this sounds very far into the future, but my career goal is to integrate cutting-edge technology into safety practices to prevent physical injuries and health issues. Construction workers are athletes (Go grab your apple watch of the future!); it takes training and technique to perform their tasks safely. For instance, a mason lifting an 80-pound mason block with one hand can easily lead to injury depending on conditioning.
I envision in todays information society, wearable devices that monitor vital signs and muscle strain can definately be apart of safety for the future, alerting workers to risks like heat stress or improper lifting techniques. Additionally, AI-powered systems could analyze body movements in real-time, providing feedback on ergonomics and technique, similar to how professional athletes are assessed.
Smart PPE is another area I’m excited about. I want to create intelligent protective equipment that can identify hazards in real-time and even translate different languages on the spot. Imagine a hard hat that not only detects overhead dangers but also facilitates clear communication between workers who speak different languages, breaking down barriers that can lead to misunderstandings and accidents.
By focusing on these innovative technologies, we can proactively tackle physical risks and significantly reduce workplace incidents related to overexertion and stress. Integrating AI into health and safety will not just be a trend; it will redefine how we protect our workforce. Ultimately, my goal is to elevate the health and safety of construction workers, empowering them to perform at their best while fostering a more connected, secure, and efficient work environment. Together, we can transform the construction industry into a safer place where technology and human ingenuity work hand in hand for a brighter future.
Go-to Comfort Food
Quesabirria Tacos with a Consume Soup
Hobbies/Enjoy Doing Outside of Work
I am an avid traveler and have been to +20 countries. Learning about different cultures excites me. I picked up Spanish and have probably traveled back in fourth to Mexico over 100 times now. One of my favorite trips I just went on was traveling to Japan. I loved the food culture, there is soo much more than just sushi. Also, since Japan I have really love watching anime films and korean style films. I feel these films reach into your senses to make you feel like your actually in the film.
Last year before my 30th birthday I took a DNA test to track my parents Polish heritage and to see if I could reconnect with my relatives back in Europe. Through a lot of cold messaging Budleski’s in Poland on facebook and communication with Whatsapp in a completely different time zone. I finally found my family in Europe, last year before turning 30 years old I hopped on a plane with my father and reunited him with family that he met over 45 years ago when he was only 19 years old. The family picked us up in Warsaw and took us for a 2 week trip discovering Poland’s rich history.
I am also a musician: Drums, Guitar/Bass, Percussion Instruments. Dancer: I’ve taken classes around Latin America learning: Salsa, Bachata, Merengue. I love dancing as I feel like it is somewhat a lost art in the United States. It helps loosen up your muscles. I believe with how stiff and businesses we can get, the United States needs to dance more than ever!
Recommended TV Series to Watch or Book to Read
Friday Night Lights, La Rena Del Flow – Colombian Tele Novela about vengeance, Emily in Paris – Guilty
Grew up in (city, state)
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
College Attended / Degree Major
UW-Whitewater – Occupational Health and Safety -Emphasis in Environmental Safety -Certificate in Sociology: Corporate Social Responsibility