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Program Information
How to Enroll in the WPP
To enroll, simply complete and submit the Health History Questionnaire or click the button below. Your health information will be reviewed by the WPP Occupat ional Health Department, who will screen your responses to identify any risks you need to be aware of and to advise you about required training, available precautions, and work restrictions (if applicable). The questionnaire needs to be completed at least annually. A reminder will be sent by email to each participant when it is time to update. Failure to enroll or update your questionnaire can result in withholding/revocation of IACUC approval or ARC badge access.
Species-Specific Information.
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Introduction
Many programs at UT Southwestern use animals to study the origin and treatment of disease and to better understand biology and life sciences. Although most research animals at UT Southwestern are rodents, we also use frogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs and sheep. This page contains safety information to help protect you from hazards associated with exposure to research animals. This program was developed using guidelines suggested in the
- Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Research Animals (National Academy Press, 1997)
Program Overview
The Worker Protection Program is administered by the UT Southwestern Occupational Health Department. It is designed to promote a safe work environment by minimizing the risk of illness or injury associated with working with or around research animals. The program includes initial registration and general education of all animal-exposed personnel, health history screening, routine and special immunizations, medical care, workforce health surveillance, and wellness promotion.
What are the Risks?
Working with or around research animals and animal wastes can expose workers to health and safety risks. The most common risk while working with or around research animals is development of or worsening of allergies. In addition, although humans usually are not susceptible to animal diseases, there are some important exceptions where transmission of an infection from an animal to a human can cause serious illness. The Worker Protection Program helps employees stay healthy by assessing each person's risk factors and by providing information and , when necessary, protective equipment to safeguard our employees.
Who Should Participate?
All faculty, staff, fellows and students whose duties involve exposure to animals, animal waste, or animal tissues are included in this program and are expected to participate in all associated data collection, training, and prevention activities offered to make the workplace safer. This includes personnel in non-research units, such as physical plant and campus police who, by virtue of their need to access all facilities on campus, may find themselves exposed to research animals.
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General Precautions
There are steps that you can take to reduce the risks of infection and injury when working with or around research animals. General cleanliness and hand washing after working with animals or animal wastes is essential. Do not eat, chew gum or tobacco, drink, store food, apply cosmetics or smoke in any laboratory or animal facility. Use extra care when using needles or sharp objects, discarding them directly into a "sharps" container without recapping.
All employees and students working with animals should be aware that laboratory animals may bite or scratch. In addition, handling of cages, pens and other equipment could cause cuts or scratches. Cuts, bites and scratches could potentially expose the employees to viral, bacterial, parasitic or allergic agents, which are transmissible from animals to humans.
Although the risk of bites and scratches is species dependent, there are a few simple guidelines, which, if followed will significantly reduce the potential risks of such incidents. These include:
- wearing gloves, lab coat or disposable gown, head cover/bonnet, mask, and shoe covers
- learning how to properly handle the species you are working with
- never re-capping needles
- observing all room signage
- immediately washing any animal bite or scratch with disinfectant soap
- seeking medical attention following injury
People who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant and people with compromised immune systems may be at increased risk. Please consult the Occupational Health Department right away for a private consultation.
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Risk Categories Based on Animal Contact
The Worker Protection Program has assigned four risk categories to animal-related hazards based on the amount of animal contact a job requires. Depending on your job's risk category, the WPP may require you to undergo additional training before you undertake your duties. If you do not already know your job's risk category, please consult your supervisor.
A. Risk Category 0:
Virtually no direct or indirect contact with research animals in anticipated.
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Examples: Managers, Administrators, and clerical staff.
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Required to read the Worker Protection Program brochure available from the Occupational Health Department.
B. Risk Category 1:
No direct contact with research animals, animal tissues or animal wastes. Any exposure to animals at work would be incidental and infrequent.
C. Risk Category 2:
Regular indirect exposure to animals at work due to duty station (working in an area where animals are commonly used.) No direct contact with research animals, animal tissues or animal wastes.
D. Risk Category 3:
Frequent direct contact with research animals, animal tissues or animal wastes.
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Hazard Categories
The general hazards associated with the care and use of animals can be divided into five broad categories:
A) Bites and Scratches
The potential for receiving a bite or scratch is an ever-present hazard that faces all employees working directly with laboratory animals and related equipment. Employees should be properly trained in handling and general restraint techniques of the species they are assigned to. Additionally, all staff should be familiar with first aid and procedures specific to each species.
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B) Allergens
One of the most common healthy concerns in the laboratory animal setting is a work-associated allergy. The risk of developing an allergy depends on parameters such as species, facility, ventilation and the employee's "base-line" health status.
The Committee on Occupational Safety and Health in Research Animal Facilities lists four overlapping Risk Groups:
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Normal: No evidence of allergic disease;
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Atopic: Pre-existing allergic disease;
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Asymptomatic: Antibodies to animal allergens;
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Symptomatic: Clinical symptoms on exposure to allergenic animal proteins.
Symptoms of allergic reaction vary depending on the severity of the reaction and include:
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Contact urticaria with symptoms such as: redness, itchiness of skin, welts and hives;
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Allergic conjunctivitis with symptoms such as: sneezing, itchiness, clear nasal drainage, nasal congestion;
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Allergic rhinitis with symptoms such as: sneezing, itchiness, clear nasal drainage, nasal congestion;
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Asthma with symptoms such as: cough, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath;
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Anaphylaxis with symptoms such as: generalized itching, hives, throat tightness, eye or lip swelling, difficulty in swallowing, hoarseness, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea.
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C) Protocol Related Hazards
Protocol-related hazards are defined as those specifically associated with either routine operational or experiment-specific protocols. Some general hazards also associated with protocols, such as the risk of fire in the use of Bunsen burners or torches, or electrical hazards in the use of experiment-specific equipment are not included in the category of protocol-related hazards. Protocol-related hazards are protocol-specific, for example: hazards associated with the use of a specific viral vector carrying a transgene for toxin production or with a piece of prototype equipment to perform an experimental task.
Experimental studies can involve any number of hazards such as the user of radioactive materials, infectious agents, toxins or toxic chemicals, flammable substance, etc.
Successful abatement of protocol-related hazards requires recognition and description of the hazards prior to the start of the experiments. this is primarily the responsibility of the campus technical safety committees, which are Biological Safety Committee, Chemical Safety Committee and Radiation Safety Committee.
The Radioactive and Biological Use Authorization programs identify relevant hazards associated with submitted protocols and work with the PI to abate these hazards by ensuring proper facilities, equipment, training and awareness to the staff involved in the study.
Note:
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If your work involves potential exposure to any biological agents, chemicals, radioactive materials or ionizing radiation, you must attend a training program prior to your exposure to any such hazards.
Investigators using biological, chemical or radioactive materials in animals must post a copy of the Animal Involvement in the Laboratory Animal Resource Center form on the door to the room housing their animals, All Special Conditions relevant to safety will be shown on the Animal Involvement form. This form must be approved by the appropriate committee (i.e., Biological or Radiation Safety).
There are some basic safety precautions that apply to all work environments regardless of the types of hazardous materials used. These include:
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Read and understand the protocol related procedures before you start the experiment. If necessary do a dry run;
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Avoid using sharps whenever possible; substitute manually operated pipettes for needles and syringes, and cannulae for needles;
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Do not recap needles; dispose of them in appropriate sharp containers;
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Use safety needles and sharp devices.
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Until you have washed your hands, keep them away from your mouth, nose and eyes;
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Do not eat, drink or store food in research areas;
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Do not handle contact lenses in the laboratory;
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Wearing gloves, lab coat or scrubs is required. Other personal protective equipment such as dust/mist masks or approved respirator masks (e.g., Type N95 by 3M company) are strongly recommended when working with animals;
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Please read and understand the special safety requirements of each work area (e.g. sheep containment facility) or animal species (e.g. non-human primates);
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Follow all safety precautions prescribed;
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Clean all spills immediately;
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Dispose of all waste materials into the appropriate waste stream;
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Report all incidents or equipment malfunctions to your supervisor immediately.
Additional information regarding various protocol-related hazard abatement programs may be obtained from the office of Environmental Health & Safety.
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D) Zoonoses
Zoonotic diseases are those that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
Although there are variety of zoonotic agents in addition to the Herpes B-virus that staff working in the environment should be aware of, it is more likely for a person to injure or contaminate themselves from an experiment mishap in the lab that to contract a disease from an animal.
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E) Inherent Hazards
There are some potential hazards inherent in any work environment. These include poor ergonomics, slips and falls, electrical safety hazards, etc. UT Southwestern has developed a wide rage of environmental health and safety guidelines to address these potential hazards. Additional information may be obtained from the Occupational Health Department.
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