Breyan (Brie) Paske

Position

Safety Administrator

Organization

The Boeing Company

Year Graduated

2008

Degree

BS

Profile
By Laura Cooley

Worker safety resonates for Breyan (Brie) Paske, in part because members of her family are employed in the manufacturing industry. Paske is a safety administrator with The Boeing Company in Everett, where the commercial airplanes are assembled. Her parents work at the Renton location on the Boeing 737 line—her mother in the "Wings Area" and her father in "Final Assembly." "So I feel like I'm working for my family," said Paske.

She works in the Environment, Health, and Safety Department at the company. Paske supports employee safety for a shop area known as "Final Body Join." "That's where the parts of the fuselage—the main body section of the plane—are joined together," explained Paske. Her job involves a range of tasks, including incident investigations, compliance audits, and hazard assessments. Paske identifies existing or potential hazards, ensuring that equipment is set up correctly and that safety measures are properly followed. "This could include making sure that lanyards are attached at the right point and that body harnesses are worn," she said.

At times, Paske consults with senior experts in her department about compliance regulations or a specific worksite issue. She works alongside environmental engineers, senior industrial hygienists, disability specialists, senior safety specialists, and ergonomists. Internal compliance audits are done regularly to ensure company employees are following Washington State Department of Labor & Industries standards and other important compliance measures concerning safety, such as for confined spaces or for fall protection.

While Paske was an undergraduate at the University of Washington, her academic advisor suggested that she take an introductory course in Environmental Health. She did, and was instantly hooked. Paske interned one summer with Tacoma-Pierce County's pool compliance program, where she gained first-hand experience in environmental public health safety. She helped inspect public swimming pools at schools, hotels, and gymnasiums to ensure properly functioning filtration systems, chemical balance in the water, removal of objects to prevent accidental falls, and adequate fencing around pool properties.

After graduating from the department with a BS in Environmental Health in 2008, she interned again, this time at Boeing, and the connection led to her current position.

When asked what type of plane she would be taking on an upcoming vacation trip overseas, she replied without any hesitation: "It'll be a Boeing plane. I always look for them," noting that the 777 and 737 are two of her preferred models.