Cornell University Office of Research Integrity and Assurance

• Policy & Guidelines
• Procedures
• Risk Assessment
• Risk Management
• Participants
  • Risk Assessment Form
• Medical Surveillance
• Safety Education
• Hazard Identification
• Infectious Risks
• Glossary
• Special Health Concerns

Introduction to the AUHSP

Regulatory Requirements | Components

Cornell University's Animal Users Health and Safety Program (AUHSP) is a shared responsibility among four principal units: the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), the Cornell Center for Animal Resources and Education (CARE), Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) and Gannett: Cornell University Health Services (Gannett). The AUHSP Coordinating Committee, comprised of the directors of the four principal units, administers the program. The Coordinating Committee has responsibility for establishing institutional occupational health and safety policy and procedures for animal users and other individuals having direct and indirect contact with animals used in research and teaching.

The objective of the AUHSP is to identify and track persons having direct or indirect contact with animals used in research and teaching, for the purpose of evaluating the human health risks associated with that contact and taking steps to ensure that health risks for each individual are managed to an acceptable level. The AUHSP is predicated on the assessment of risk.

Regulatory Requirements

The Public Health Service Policy through the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals requires that "An occupational health and safety program must be part of the overall animal care and use program." It also suggests that "An effective program relies on strong administrative support and interactions among several institutional functions or activities, including the research program, the animal care and use program, the environmental health and safety program, occupational-health services, and administration."

Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NRC, 1997), defines that the main goal of an occupational health and safety program is to prevent occupational injury and illness by the control of hazards and the reduction of risks.

Components

Central to this program is a complete safety and health evaluation of individuals participating in this program. Evaluation involves three components:

• Risk Assessment involves a thorough review of the type of work, materials used, degree of animal contact, facility controls and other potential hazards of significance that need to be addressed.
• The Safety Education component of this program provides specific information related to animal contact, related health and safety precautions, and promotes safe working practices.
• Medical Surveillance is the process of monitoring the health of employees as it relates to their potential occupational exposures to hazardous agents and animals and their products. Since exposure to animals may result in allergies or disease transmission, monitoring procedures are based on individual health status and on the type and frequency of hazard exposure.

EH&S works closely with CARE veterinarians to jointly administer this program. Gannett is also a program partner responsible for the medical surveillance aspects including maintenance of medical records.

The AUHSP Program represents a source of information for individuals having substantial contact with research animals. It also includes the mandatory procedure for risk assessment, process for reporting injuries, and links to resources for additional information.