Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
prevent human infection (
Centers for Disease Control,
1987b
) as well as the Institute for Labortory Animal
Research (ILAR) publication, Occupational Health and
Safety in the Care and Use of Nonhuman Primates (
Murphy
and Roberts, 2003
).
primate research, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and
animal care staff perform much of the hands-on animal
work. Laboratory personnel must be properly trained as
well because many are exposed to blood and tissues.
Most institutions, particularly the larger ones, have
a director of biosafety, and often the occupational health
program is administered through the office of that person.
The director of biosafety works closely with institutional
officials, boards, committees, and individuals to ensure
compliance in this area of responsibility. An institution may
have a medical advisory board to formulate policy for
working with specific etiological agents and other issues
requiring medical expertise. Infectious disease physicians
and occupational healthcare personnel must work closely
with institutional officials and employees to ensure a func-
tional and effective occupational health program.
The animal facility director/attending veterinarian has
a major role in institutional biosafety. This individual
reviews and approves standard operating procedures and
ensures that the facility, programs, and activities conducted
within the facility are compliant with institutional and other
policies. This director is usually involved in the institu-
tional policy-making decisions affecting the animal facility.
The attending veterinarian, who may also be the animal
facility director, is involved in all aspects of health care for
the nonhuman primates. This service must be provided on
a daily basis, including weekends and emergencies. This
individual must be knowledgeable about the natural path-
ogens transmissible from nonhuman primates to people and
of the established routes of transmission. The attending
veterinarian must also have close interaction with the
institution's physician in attendance, whether this is
a physician on site or a local contact with knowledge of the
unique issues associated with nonhuman primates research.
It is also a good practice to provide periodic training of
healthcare personnel to reinforce specific issues and to
capture newly added support personnel. A veterinarian is
required to serve on the animal care and use committee, as
a voting member, and to review each proposal before its
approval. Principal investigators should be encouraged to
consult with the attending veterinarian or staff veterinarians
in the early stages of protocol development. The attending
veterinarian must also be knowledgeable about the special
attributes of various species of nonhuman primates that can
pose hazards to workers.
The animal facility manager and supervisory animal
care personnel should be involved in writing standard
operating procedures. They play an essential role in
implementing and enforcing standard operating procedures
(SOPs). Training animal care workers in proper techniques
to ensure safety of individuals is normally their responsi-
bility and is a continual process. Animal care workers have
the responsibility of understanding and implementing SOPs
and complying with any other
Responsibilities
Although many aspects of an institution's occupational
safety and health program involve the combined responsi-
bilities of numerous parties, senior officials at the institu-
tion have ultimate responsibility of providing a safe
working environment for employees. Each institution
should have one key official, usually the institutional offi-
cial, the director of the laboratory animal care program, or
the attending veterinarian, who has the responsibility for
administering all aspects of activities involving laboratory
animals, particularly nonhuman primates. Although ulti-
mate responsibility rests with one individual, the key to
a successful occupational health and safety program is the
integration and effective communication of many institu-
tional components including the biosafety officer, institu-
tional animal care and use committee (IACUC),
occupational health office, environmental health officials,
veterinarians, and senior administration. Many larger
institutions also have an institutional biosafety committee
that can be instrumental in connecting laboratory safety
with safety in animal care facilities. This responsibility
includes the development and implementation of policies
and procedures concerned with nonhuman primate care and
use. Some institutions, particularly larger ones having
animal facilities in different locations and/or more than one
animal care and use committee, may have an animal policy
board that acts in an advisory capacity to the key institu-
tional official. Every effort should be made to direct
appropriate resources to create a safe work environment
especially for nonhuman primates programs.
Animal care and use committees have a major role in
ensuring that health and safety requirements are imple-
mented and followed. If institutions have nonhuman
primates, it is advisable to have an individual on the animal
care and use committee who has expertise in biosafety
concerning nonhuman primates. Principal investigators are
responsible for understanding and applying established
policies and guidelines for animal use (
Centers for Disease
Control, 1987d; Richmond, 1991
). These investigators
should be thoroughly familiar with the biohazards of
working with nonhuman primate models and with poten-
tially hazardous experimental agents
e
microbiologic,
toxic, or chemical
e
that they may be using with nonhuman
primates. The researchers also should ensure that they, their
laboratory personnel, and others adhere to appropriate
practices and procedures when working with nonhuman
primates.
In larger
facilities dedicated to nonhuman
institutional
safety
