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Animal Use on the UIUC Campus
Policies Pertaining to the Care and Use
of Animals in Research and Teaching
Policy on the Exposure
to Animals Used in Research and Teaching
Individuals who work with animals may be exposed to certain hazards such as zoonotic infections, noise, bites and scratches and allergens. The National Institute of Health's "Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" and the National Research Council's "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" require institutions to develop and implement occupational health and safety programs for all individuals involved in animal care and use and anyone with potential animal exposures. The National Research Council has also published a guide called "Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Research Animals" to help institutions develop and implement occupational health and safety programs.
To meet the requirements of the "Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals", the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a campus-wide web-based occupational health and safety program for all individuals with direct or indirect exposure to teaching and research animals. The program assesses each participant's animal exposure risk on an individual basis and provides information regarding ways to protect health and safety. All individuals who have potential exposure to teaching and research animal must participate in the program. All PIs and research staff must enroll into the program before protocols will be approved. All other university employees needing to enroll will be instructed to do so at the time of hire.
Enrollment into the program can be done by visiting
http://www.research.uiuc.edu/OHS and clicking "Enroll Now" on the left menu. Once the risk assessment is completed and submitted, a person is enrolled in the program. If you have any questions about the OHS Program, please contact the OHS Specialist, Sara Myers, at 244-0781.
In addition to an exposure risk assessment, participants may also wish to complete the health screening questionnaire to further evaluate their risk based on health history. The health screening questionnaire is completed and submitted confidentially online to the Animal Care and Use Program Registered Nurse at McKinley Health Center. The nurse will confidentially contact a participant if additional recommendations need to be given regarding animal exposure due to health status. If you have any questions about the health screening program, please contact Michele MacLeod, RN, at 333-2711.
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