Institutions are responsible for maintaining an Occupational Health & Safety Program (OHSP) as part of their overall animal care and use program. This program must comply with all federal, state, and local regulations, and should focus on maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.
The Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) is responsible for overseeing a regular review of the OHSP as well as an ongoing assessment of any associated risks.
All staff identified as personnel handling animals on a protocol(s) require a Medical Surveillance Questionnaire (MSQ) to be completed, submitted, reviewed, and cleared for animal work by the U-M Occupational Health Services (OHS) Clinic, with some staff required to complete this task annually.
Starting January 20, 2020, the Animal Care & Use Office (ACUO) will begin holding up all protocol approvals for individuals not enrolled in the OHSP to aid the IACUC in accomplishing this goal.
Principal Investigators (PIs) and individuals listed on protocols can help avoid delays in their animal work by checking the ‘OHSP’ tab (formerly named “EHS Forms”) from their Protocol and Amendment Workspaces beginning December 16, 2019.
Within this tab, there will be a column labeled “ENROLLED.”
If the ENROLLED column says…
Then…
“YES” for each person listed as an animal handler
Protocol approval will not be delayed
“NO” for any individual
Follow-up is required via the MSQ form or the OHS Clinic
The protocol will not be approved until:
- Required follow-up is completed OR
- The affected individual(s) are removed from the protocol
Remember, workplace safety requires safe work practices from each and every employee; a safe workplace is everyone’s responsibility.
Questions or Concerns?
- If you have any questions or concerns about these processes, please contact the Animal Care & Use Office at [email protected].
- Information about the OHS Clinic can be found on the OHS website or by contacting the Clinic at [email protected] or (734) 764-8021.