In light of an accident-related death of a University of Wisconsin employee last spring, UW Facilities, Planning and Management reviewed their safety procedures and will be taking further precautions regarding safety on campus.

The safety enhancements have been an ongoing process for many months, with an added push to review procedures after physical plant employee, Kenneth Newman, died last spring after a loading dock fell on him, FPM Director Bill Elvey, said.

An investigation on the incident concluded that an inappropriate method used to block the life and a safety mechanism was not used, a UW statement said. The investigation said the university did not effectively train or document the training of staff on correct procedures, the statement said.

Fatalities are not common at FPM; Elvey said he is only aware of one other fatality that occurred in 2011.

It is FPM’s responsibility to ensure that work is done safely and that there are no potential hazards, Elvey said. FPM will not leave any stone unturned, he added.

Elvey said FPM is conducting a job hazard analysis on all job order and procedures before it will assess the results and outline procedures and protocols for the tasks, he said.

FPM will institute a safety observation program to ensure safe practices are observed in all jobs, and it will take additional steps to assure written training instruction is offered and documented, the statement said.

FPM has very skilled and experienced technicians, but that is not enough, Elvey said.

“We need to create the culture of safety that we’re talking about so that it will be first and foremost on everyone’s mind, all the time, every day, every task, every job, every conversation; Safety first,” Elvey said.

Elvey said FPM needs to make sure their work is done safely and the workers return home every night, as safety is job number one.