Housing of Animals in Laboratory Areas
Policy for Laboratory Areas
The Animal Welfare Act and Public Health Policy promulgate standards for animals housed in a location longer than 12 hours. In order to meet these standards, the general policy at OSU is that animals will be housed in University Laboratory Animals Resources (ULAR) facilities whenever possible. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) may approve housing in laboratory areas when scientific demands (such as requirements for behavioral testing) can not be met in ULAR facilities. Scientific justification for all laboratory housing must be provided to the IACUC. Laboratory housing should meet the standards of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (the Guide) and the Animal Welfare Act. Housing of animals (typically rodents and rabbits) should comply with the following conditions:
- housing units and area around them are sanitizable (e.g., walls, shelves, tables, floors),
- room or isolated enclosure rack has >10 air changes per hour,
- temperature and humidity range meet requirements in the Guide,
- air exhausted from the room or the isolated enclosure rack is not re-circulated into any part of the building,
- lighting is on a timer-controlled system,
- environmental monitoring system is present
- room able to be secured when laboratory personnel are not present, and
- access made available to ULAR veterinarian in case of emergencies
All animals must be observed daily (including weekends and holidays) with a record of the observation recorded in an appropriate log book. Observations to be documented include daily check of food and water, sanitation, daily high and low temperatures, as well as humidity monitored frequently.
Policy for Periodic Laboratory Housing
The IACUC defines periodic housing as more than 12 hours but less than 48 hours with laboratory housing usage such that animals are housed in the laboratory no more than 10 days of the month. Exceptions to the above conditions (such as automatic light timers, air changes and environmental controls) might be considered acceptable due to the limited time animals are in the room.
Standard Operating Procedures
Each laboratory that houses animals must have a set of standard operating procedures, readily available to all laboratory personnel. The following information and activities should be included in the standard operating procedures:
- daily observation of all animals for general health (including weekends and holidays);
- daily check of food and water;
- daily recording of high, low and current temperature;
- monthly recording of humidity;
- frequency of bedding changes;
- frequency of cage and cage accessory sanitization;
- frequency of sanitation and/or disinfection of secondary support structures (such as racks and bioclean units)
- frequency of floor mopping;
- process for disposal of waste including location;
- arrangements with ULAR facilities for support (such as cage changing, sanitization, carcass and waste disposal, etc.);
Documentation
An example of a form for documenting activities is available from University Laboratory Animal Resources (ULAR) and available for download here. Any days that animals are not in a room should be indicated on the form. Documentation of these activities is required. In addition, a census sheet needs to be filled out and submitted to ULAR each month as full per diem rates apply. These forms are available from ULAR Facility Management. Each room in which animals are housed must be posted with a contact list of principal investigator, clinical veterinarian, secondary veterinarian, and any one else who should be contacted in an emergency.
Approval Process
All laboratory housing longer than 12 hours must be scientifically justified, approved by the IACUC and requested in the Animal Use Protocol for Research and Instruction or an IACUC Amendment Form. Submission of the Housing Exception Request Form and a set of standard operating procedures for animal husbandry are required. The housing request form and animal husbandry procedures should be reviewed by a clinical veterinarian, ULAR Facility Management staff and an Environmental Health and Safety representative prior to submission. The facility will need to be inspected by either a veterinarian with IACUC members (sustained housing) or by the IACUC compliance staff (periodic housing) prior to housing any animals in the laboratory area. Any procedures that do not meet the standards of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and/or ULAR facility requirements will need to be justified and approved as a special exception by the IACUC.
Post Approval
Laboratories approved for housing of animals will be inspected on a monthly basis by the IACUC designated site visit evaluation team. For areas falling within the periodic housing definition, the laboratory will be inspected quarterly.
The IACUC may revoke permission for laboratory housing if the facility becomes unsuitable for continued housing of animals for any reason. Such reasons may include changes in regulations, non-compliance by research staff, deteriorating facilities, protocol termination or if scientific justification is no longer valid.
For any laboratory housing animals, any changes to the approved Standard Operating Procedures will need to be reviewed by a ULAR veterinarian and the information forwarded by the PI to the IACUC committee for approval.
