Share this
QUESTION: What resource is the most appropriate to use and the most well-defined for insuring that the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design will qualify for AAALAC accreditation? Are there any checklists you would recommend?
RESPONSE:
AAALAC International has several resources available to assist in the design and construction of animal facilities. Animal facilities must first and foremost meet the recommendations set forth in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NRC, 1996), where there is significant guidance provided on animal environment, housing, and physical plant requirements. Other resources include The Handbook of Facilities Planning: Volume 2, Laboratory Animal Facilities which was published in 1991, but contains detailed information which is still relevant. The order form for this book can be downloaded on the AAALAC International website (www.aaalac.org/resources/available.cfm) and a searchable CD ROM purchased for $25.00, or a hardcopy spiral bound book for $35.00. At the same website address you can also download, for free, a copy of a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Facilities and Operations" which discusses many aspects of AAALAC International's expectations for animal facilities from a construction and operational viewpoint. A copy of a Connection Newsletter article entitled "Animal Facility Design and Renovation: Things to Consider Before Breaking Ground" can also be downloaded for free at www.aaalac.org/connection_1su1998.htm. You can also download a free copy of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) publication "NIH Design Policy and Guidelines" (Nov 2003 edition) at http: //orf.od.nih.gov/policy/ which contains a section on animal research facilities on pages 138-213. While this document is intended to provide guidance on design and construction requirements for animal facilities built for NIH, it contains a wealth of useful information. The Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories handbook (CDC/NIH, 1999, 4th Edition) provides details on physical plant requirements for biocontainment facilities designed to house animals for research utilizing hazardous infectious agents and biological toxins.
While many of these resources speak to technical details of animal facility design and construction, AAALAC International uses a performance standard approach for evaluating animal facilities during the site visit process. The Guide provides a multitude of performance standards for animal facility design and construction. For example, rather than AAALAC