BSL-3,Health and Safety,Engineering Controls

Medical surveillance programs protect both employees and institutions.

There are many reasons to implement medical surveillance programs for our animal care staff. This article discusses the regulatory requirements that drive the need for these programs and the other benefits and challenges to implementing a program in a lab animal facility.

Most of us are aware that, in order to conduct federally funded animal research, an institution must be in compliance with various federal laws concerning the use of animals. What some employers fail to recognize, however, is that these laws also require the protection of employees who support this research. Some of these guidelines and regulations are outlined here.

1. The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) requires that institutions using animals have:

• An effective Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
• A veterinary care program in place
• Qualified animal care staff
• Procedures for reporting concerns regarding animal welfare

2. The Public Health Policy on the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals outlines the requirements of an animal care and use program.¹ Each institution that receives Public Health Services support or that is covered under the AWA must have an occupational safety and health program and that program must be part of the overall animal care and use program (CDC, NIH 1993; CFR1984 a,b,c; PHS Policy). According to OLAW, elements of an occupational safety and health program include:

• Administrative procedures
• Facility design and operations
• Risk assessment
• Exposure control
• Education and training
• Occupational Health Care Services
• Personal protective equipment
• Equipment performance
• Information management
• Emergency procedures
• Program evaluation²

3. From the BMBL 4th ed. Section V Risk Assessment:

“Medical surveillance ensures that the safeguards decided upon in fact produce the expected health outcomes. Medical surveillance is part of risk management. It may include serum banking, monitoring employee health status, and participating in post-exposure management.”³

4. The BMBL 5th ed.

(“Occupational Health Support Service Elements”) identifies that pre-placement medical evaluations should be provided to workers who have the potential for exposure to human pathogens. The exam should cover: “ A description of the requirements for the position and an understanding of the potential health hazards present in the work environment, provided by the worker’s supervisor, should guide the evaluation. The healthcare provider should review the worker’s previous and ongoing medical problems, current medications, allergies to medicines, animals, and other environmental proteins, and prior immunizations. With that information, the healthcare provider determines what medical services are indicated to permit the individual to safely assume the duties of the position. Occasionally, it may be useful to review pre-existing medical records to address specific concerns regarding an individual’s medical fitness to perform the duties of a specific position.” ⁴