Employees Encouraged to Recognize Hazards, Recognize Peers
Storyknife, September/October 2025 edition
Brice Environmental is a subsidiary of the Calista Brice holding line with 50 years of experience, and this past April it received national recognition for its accomplishments in environmental, health and safety (EHS).
The organization took home first in the Alaska Governor’s Safety and Health Conference and third in the Associated General Contractors of America National Conference.
What’s the secret behind these wins? Brice Environmental attributes these wins to its safety programs, employees with a safety centered mindset, and leadership that supports effective training.
One of Brice Environmental’s safety programs is called SLAM, which stands for stop, look, assess and manage.
“SLAM encourages employees to pause and evaluate potential hazards before beginning a task. This simple practice reduces the chance of injury and empowers our employees to take corrective action when there is risk,” says Jamey Smith, the EHS manager at Brice Environmental.
Brice Environmental often handles complex projects in rural areas that add risk in the work zone. Because of that, employees are encouraged to use their Stop Work Authority to intervene when there are unsafe conditions.
“We are aligned with Calista’s core values, and we’ve built our own strong culture that encourages proactive reporting, helping us stay ahead of incidents instead of reacting to them,” says Smith.
Success in safety isn’t only in the programs but rooted in the work culture at Brice Environmental.
“The President [of Brice Environmental] Jamie Oakley shows every single day that safety is a daily priority, and that mindset trickles down to all the employees,” says Smith.
We are aligned with Calista’s core values, and we’ve built our own strong culture that encourages proactive reporting, helping us stay ahead of incidents instead of reacting to them
Jamey Smith, Environmental, Health & Safety Manager at Brice Environmental
Oakley does this through a program called Atta Boy that helps promote the company’s core values that are family built, excellence delivered and uniquely agile. Employees praise their peers anonymously through Atta Boy for upholding these values, keeping their employees focused on being safe.
“Atta Boy nominations are recognized at company-wide meetings, which shows our appreciation for our employees’ dedication to our core values and the safety of everyone,” says Smith.
Following an increase in preventable strains and sprains in employees over the past few years, Brice Environmental implemented a Flex ‘n’ Stretch program. It is now part of the workers’ daily routines, and participants are given free T-shirts and stickers to promote participation. Flex ‘n’ Stretch posters are placed throughout worksites to raise awareness for safety.’
“The Flex ‘n’ Stretch program reflects Brice Environmental’s commitment to promoting safety, fostering teamwork and reducing workplace injuries one stretch at a time,” says Smith.
The EHS team at Brice Environmental is small but mighty. With only three employees, the team transformed the work culture at Brice Environmental to prioritize accountability and made safety a shared responsibility among the employees.
While a lot of work has been done, the EHS team still strives to make their operations better. Ideas for future improvements include new hire onboarding with a focus on safety, combined with annual refreshers on safety and project-specific safety training for jobs that are more complex.