Facilities

Facilities Safety

Cross-Contamination Isn’t Just for Cultures! Your Guide to Proper PPE, Glove Use

While the donning of appropriate safety equipment – gloves, lab coats/gowns, and safety glasses – is critical for safeguarding personnel and animal safety within the laboratory and animal care facility, NOT wearing this equipment outside of designated research spaces is just as important. Potential chemical or biological contamination may not always be visible. Removing Personal ...
Gloved hand grabbing handle with illustrated UV light showing cross-contamination

Drugs Facilities Guidelines Husbandry IACUC Policies Safety

Lessons Learned from Winter 2025 Semi-Annual Facility Inspections

The Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) completed its latest round of semi-annual facility inspections in mid-March. These routine inspections are one of the most important tools we have for assessing programmatic strengths and identifying areas for individual and collective improvement(s) in service to the animals entrusted to our care. Through this lens of ...
Multi-colored graph showing common deficiency areas identified during Winter 2025 semi-annual facility inspections

Facilities Husbandry Safety SOP

Recent Updates, Changes to Hazardous Substance Administration SOP

To ensure continued compliance with best practice standards in animal care and use and laboratory safety, the Animals Administered a Hazardous Substance Requiring Containment Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was recently updated. Updates and process changes are applicable to ANY individual who may perform procedures that involve the handling of animals and/or animal equipment contaminated with ...
Button listing expected May 2025 adherence date for new Hazardous Substance Administration SOP

Facilities Safety

Laboratory Hoods – What’s the Difference?

Many research and animal laboratories use containment devices to keep the user separated from the hazards they are working with. These devices are often referred to by many different names including cell culture hood, tissue culture hood, laminar flow hood, PCR hood, clean bench, or biosafety cabinet. An important thing to note, however, is that ...
Images of four different laboratory hoods

Facilities Policies Training ULAM

Training Requirements and Animal Housing Access: What You Should Know

To safeguard animal welfare, all personnel working with animals must complete mandatory training BEFORE they can begin their work. Expectations for Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) required training are outlined in the Policy on the Classification and Expectations of Personnel Involved with Animal Activities and are based upon: After an individual has been ...
Training Requirements clipboard icon

Facilities Husbandry Safety

What Makes a Good Research Neighbor? Best Practices for Animal Care Facilities

Regardless of role – student, faculty, staff, technician, administrator – all members of the U-M community can contribute to the development of a safe and secure research environment. Though these contributions inevitably vary between departments and job responsibilities, there are several best practices that any AND all individuals can follow to help ensure that they’re ...
Our Research, Our Responsibility, Our Michigan logo

Facilities SOP ULAM

How to Request Veterinary Care

Reporting animal health concerns promptly using the appropriate channels is critical for maintaining animal welfare. We ask that all research personnel review the following information carefully to ensure that they know how to obtain veterinary care during normal business hours and after hours, including weekends and holidays. When to Report Animals in need of immediate ...
Phone icon calling veterinary care team

Facilities IACUC

IACUC Semi-Annual Facility Inspections Start Monday, March 10

The Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) will begin its next round of semi-annual facility inspections on Monday, March 10, 2025. Inspections will run through Thursday, March 13, 2025, and include any animal rooms, surgical suite support spaces, and areas where procedures are conducted with animals. As a reminder, the Animal Care & Use ...
Facility inspection checklist reminder icon for Winter 2025 inspections

Drugs Facilities Guidelines Husbandry IACUC Policies Safety

Lessons Learned from Fall 2024 Semi-Annual Facility Inspections

The Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) completed its latest round of semi-annual facility inspections in late September, which included piloting a new one-week condensed schedule. This revised format more closely aligns IACUC processes with those used by external oversight bodies (e.g., AAALAC and the United States Department of Agriculture) and aims to reduce ...
Multi-colored graph showing common deficiency areas identified during Fall 2024 semi-annual facility inspections

Facilities Safety

U-M Research Safety Reminder: Reporting Incidents and Near Misses

Maintaining a strong research and academic safety culture is a central institutional value of the University of Michigan (U-M). To continually enhance this culture of safety, all members of the U-M research community – including faculty, staff, and students – are reminded of their responsibility to report any incidents and/or “near misses” that happen within ...
caution sign

Facilities Policies Safety

Sharps Waste Disposal Extended to 18 Months

Earlier this year, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a new law into legislation which extends the timeline for disposal of sharps containers. Previously, state law mandated that sharps containers must be shipped for disposal within 90 days of the Accumulation Start Date, regardless of whether the container had been fully utilized. State law now allows ...
red biohazard container