UW-Platteville facilities staff gets help in training

Interior Ullsvik Hall

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville facilities staff is undergoing extensive training to proactively prepare for any possible COVID-19 infections.

Mark Miner, an assistant professor in Industrial Studies who is the program coordinator for two university safety programs, is lending his assistance to about 50 staff members.

Although there has not been a documented case on the university’s main campus, Director of Facilities Management Pete Davis said it is good to be prepared for whatever comes their way.

“We’re trying to keep our staff safe and keep our campus community safe at the same time,” Davis said. “My custodial staff really stepped up. They said, ‘what do we need and what can we do?’”

Davis said the staff underwent refresher courses on personal protection as well as updates on treating COVID-19.

Our hard-working dedicated custodial and maintenance staff needed some extra attention,” Miner said. “They protect all of us and they typically are not noticed except when something isn't done right or good enough. We all put our heads together and came up with a game plan to provide an opportunity for training/education and venting.”

Relying on his 30 years of experience, Miner stressed several things to the staff, including how the COVID-19 virus can enter the body and how it can spread throughout our community, emphasizing the importance of using the proper disinfectants, personal protective equipment, consistent operations and the importance of communicating procedures.

 “I cannot say enough about how these folks are responding to this crazy time we are now experiencing,” Miner said. “They are scared like everyone and more so as their job is to ‘seek and destroy’ which means they are on the front-lines cleaning and disinfecting for all of us. They are not only reviewing protocol for standard operations, but they are preparing for situations where there may have been someone who was symptomatic or in fact tested positive for the virus. This requires a whole different set of procedures and a higher level of personal protection equipment. To put it in a nutshell they have been awesome! It is a pleasure for sure, and I am excited to continue to work with them as long as necessary.”