Ben Anzelc, the Facilities and Safety Coordinator for the School of Art, Art History, & Design at the University of Iowa, has dedicated 20 years to fostering a safe and innovative environment for students, faculty, and staff. With a background in sculpture and metal fabrication, Anzelc initially joined the art department as the Jewelry and Metals studio technician. His primary role was to maintain the space and establish safe work practices for students. Over time, his responsibilities expanded, and he became an advocate for other staff members.

The Iowa flood of 2008 forced the art department to relocate to the old Menards building while FEMA and the university assessed the damage. During this period, Anzelc played a crucial role in designing and planning the new space. This experience provided him with an extensive amount of institutional knowledge. Once the new building was completed, it because apparent that there was a larger need to oversee the facilities and safety protocols in a centralized way. His role further expanded to manage the facilities’ growth, ensuring they met the evolving needs of the department.

Today, Anzelc supervises the instructional services specialist team, providing them with the resources needed to support the institution, staff, and the overall research mission. A significant part of his role involves determining best practices for safety, developing policies and procedures, and much of the training every student should recieve on how to use the facilities safely. “In the art department, we train students on how to use the equipment and tools. They come here with an initial idea and learn everything they need to execute the concept,” Anzelc explains.

As a liaison to the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) department, Anzelc ensures that the department meets safety standards, has appropriate systems in place, and provides necessary training. His efforts allow faculty and students to focus on their research without worrying about facility management.

The School of Art and Art History is unique on campus due to the potential hazards associated with its coursework. Students work with various tools and equipment, including power saws, drill presses, kilns, and welding booths, which can be dangerous if not used properly. Anzelc identified the need for more equipment-specific training and accurate tracking of student qualifications.

Historically, safety practices were passed down from instructor to instructor, at times lagging behind modern standards. The School of Art and Art History addressed this by using Lean process improvement methodologies to identify gaps in safety practices. He developed a series of safety modules to train students and collaborated with Jennifer Graham, Senior Application Developer, to create an app that ensures all students complete the required safety training. The app also supports open studio hours, tracking student compliance and usage of the space and resources.

His multifaceted approach included developing safety-specific content for online courses, partnering with IT to automate student enrollment in necessary courses, tracking completion progress, and tying this information to student ID cards. This system ensures that students cannot use facilities until their training is up to date, resulting in an extremely low injury occurrence for students, faculty, and staff.[i] There have been no reportable injuries since adopting the new safety compliance system.

Creating this training framework was a years-long project that required extensive preparation, support, and organizational buy-in. The goal was to establish a culture of safety and communicate its importance. Despite the challenges, Anzelc and his team succeeded in getting everyone on board, and students have embraced the safety protocols as a fundamental part of their education.

Since implementing these innovations, other departments and external organizations have shown interest in adopting similar practices. The School of Art and Art History has become a leader in facility design, offering a breadth of instruction and resources thanks to a dedicated team of competent, kind, and caring staff members. “I’m proud to support those people,” Anzelc says.

In 2022, Anzelc received the SAFETYmatters - Innovation in Safety Award for his work.