Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Research Animals (1997) / Chapter Skim
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PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS OF AN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAM
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS OF AN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAM
Pages 106-122
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From page 106... ...
Many institutions that maintain an animal care and use program have an environmental health and safety office that involves people with expertise in chemical safety, biological safety, physical safety, industrial hygiene, health physics, engineering, environmental health, occupational health, fire safety, and toxicology or have corresponding technical resources available under other arrangements. The environmental health and safety office generally provides technical consultation, risk assessment, accident reviews, training, emergency response, waste management, recordkeeping, inspections and audits, and compliance monitoring.
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From page 107... ...
FACILITY DESIGN AND OPERATION During the design of a new facility or the renovation of an existing one, hazards associated with the care and use of animals should be addressed in a collaborative effort involving investigators who will use the facility, the manager and other principal staff of the institution's animal care and use program, and environmental health and safety staff. The design process begins with defining the species of animals expected to be housed in the facility and the nature of the research programs that will use them.
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From page 108... ...
Some engineering controls commonly used in animal care and research are barriers and airlocks, chemical fume hoods, biological safety cabinets, and isolation cages. Barriers help to confine potential contamination to areas where it is generated and to control access to these areas.
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From page 109... ...
Biological safety cabinets are among the most effective, as well as the most commonly used, primary containment devices for work with infectious agents. Several types of cabinets are available, and authoritative references should be reviewed before a cabinet is selected for a particular experimental use (CDC-NIH 1993, Fleming and others 1995, Kruse and others 1991)
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From page 110... ...
Changing air continuously can reduce the concentration of airborne contaminants but does not replace the use of such containment devices as chemical fume hoods, biological safety cabinets, and filter top cages. A ventilation system that provides directional airflow can prevent the migration of airborne contaminants to unprotected space in the facility.
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From page 111... ...
• Practices to reduce exposure by inhalation. – Use chemical fume hoods, biological safety cabinets, and other con tainment equipment to control inhalation hazards.
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From page 112... ...
They should wash their hands before and after handling animals and whenever protective gloves are removed. There should be no eating, drinking, smoking, application of cosmetics, or other activities that can increase the risk of ingesting hazardous materials or contaminating mucous membranes in animal care and animal use areas.
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From page 113... ...
Personal Protective Equipment The use of personal protective equipment is the final measure for controlling exposures to potentially hazardous agents. Personal protective equipment provides a physical barrier to hazardous materials that might otherwise come into contact with employees' skin, eyes, mucous membranes, and clothing.
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From page 114... ...
The selection and use of proper respiratory protection equipment should be coordinated through the environmental health and safety staff. EDUCATION AND TRAINING Occupational health and safety objectives of an institution can be achieved only if employees know the hazards associated with their work activities; understand how the hazards are controlled through institutional policies, engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment; and have sufficient skills to execute safe work practices proficiently.
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From page 115... ...
Information provided to employees is developed through the interaction of several key people, including a veterinarian or other professional familiar with zoonotic risks presented by the research animals, a health and safety professional who has knowledge of occupational hazards common to animal care and use and relevant hazard control strategies, and scientists who can assess the health risks associated with planned experimentation or research protocols. This interaction will define the knowledge needed by employees to protect themselves from hazards associated with their work and point to needs for further training.
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From page 116... ...
Often, a laboratory manager oversees a laboratory's safety program and assigns specific aspects of the program, such as waste management or radiation safety, to other technical staff. The designated employees can serve as mentors and on-the-job trainers for new employees and provide guidance to more experienced workers as the need arises.
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From page 117... ...
The ANSI standards are excellent reference documents and provide relevant guidance for engineering control of hazards in the care and use of research animals. The following ANSI recommendations refer specifically to chemical fume hoods: • A routine performance test should be conducted on every fume hood at least once a year or whenever a substantial change has been made in the operational characteristics of the system.
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From page 118... ...
Documentation of occupational exposures, safety training, medical surveillance, and work related injury and illness is important for evaluating the occupational health and safety program of the institution, promoting health and safety, identifying new occupational risks, ensuring the cost effectiveness of program activities, and achieving regulatory compliance. On-line access to relevant health and safety information could improve the management and performance of occupational health and safety programs.
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From page 119... ...
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS OF AN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAM 119 TABLE 6-1 Occupational Health and Safety Information-Management Network Information Provided Information Received Activity by Activity by Activity Animal care and use Job profile List of employees at risk Project risk data Employment risk indicators Training records Exposure and monitoring data Health evaluation data Health surveillance data Health surveillance schedules Material safety data sheets Risk assessment data Training schedules Research Job profile List of employees at risk Project risk data Employment risk indicators Training records Exposure and monitoring data Health evaluation data Health surveillance data Health surveillance schedules Material safety data sheets Risk assessment data Training schedules Environmental Accident and injury List of employees at risk health and safety investigation data Hazardous materials Employment risk indicators purchasing data Exposure and monitoring data Health evaluation data Material safety data sheets Health surveillance data Risk assessment data Job classification and position Training schedules descriptions Job profile OSHA 200 log data Project risk data Training records Worker compensation data Occupational health Health evaluation data Accident and injury Health surveillance information investigation data Health surveillance schedules List of employees at risk Employment risk indicators Exposure and monitoring data Job profile Material safety data sheets OSHA 200 log data Risk assessment data Worker compensation data continued on next page
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From page 120... ...
The emergency response team for an animal facility should either include or have rapid access to health and safety, veterinary, and animal care personnel. Hazards related to the animal care and use program should be known to ensure
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From page 121... ...
Typically, the hierarchy for response will be to protect personnel, then animals, and finally the animal care facility and surrounding buildings. The plan should include provisions for moving or relocating animals to temporary housing facilities.
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From page 122... ...
That might well be a subjective assessment, but it is exceedingly important. Relevance and practicability influence attitudes, and positive attitudes toward the occupational health and safety program minimize risks.
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