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Animal
Contact Program
The
WSU Animal Contact Program is designed to inform employees of the
occupational health and safety concerns associated with working
with animals or being exposed to animal waste, unfixed tissues,
dander, bodily fluids, etc. Here are guidelines to follow in order
to protect your safety and health while working with animals. Employees
must read all information contained in this section prior to completing
the Participation/Declination Form when registering in the WSU Animal
Contact Program.
Supervisors
and principal investigators are responsible for ensuring ALL employees
(i.e. classified staff, faculty, AP, time-slip and work study),
students, collaborators, and volunteers exposed to animals are provided
the information contained in this section of the Animal Contact
Program. If individuals would like hard copies of this information,
please contact Jennifer O'Brien
at (509) 335-6246.
Information
on Diseases and Other Hazards Associated with Animal Contact:
- Working with
almost any type of animal exposes a person to hair, dander, saliva,
urine, and other bodily fluids. One of the most common occupational
disease associated with animal contact are allergies.
- Working with
animals can expose a person to physical hazards such as back injuries
due to heavy lifting, kicks, falls, animal bites, scratches, etc.
Physical injuries can occur through accidents in any workplace.
Supervisors and principal investigators should make certain that
workers are adequately trained and equipped to deal with the species
in question. The Environmental
Health and Safety office (EH&S) can provide training/information
on ways to avoid back injury, hearing loss (if you work in noisy
areas), repetitive motion injuries, latex glove allergies,
and other occupational related hazards. Everyone should be familiar
with the WSU
Accident Prevention Policy.
- If
you are injured while working with animals, notify your supervisor
immediately!! For more information on regarding what
to do if you get injured or become sick while on the job, contact
the WSU Benefits
Services.
- One of the
requirements of the WSU Animal Contact
Program is for persons to have been immunized for Tetanus
with in the past 10 years. This is based upon the recommendation
of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the American
Association for Laboratory Animal Science. If you need to
get vaccinated for tetanus, you can accept participation
in the Medical Health and Risk Assessment element of
the WSU Animal Contact Program and the immunization will be provided
to you at no cost. If you decline participation in the Medical
Health and Risk Assessment element of the Animal Contact program,
you should contact your private physician to be vaccinated.
- Another immunization
requirement of the WSU Animal Contact program is for individuals
exposed to unvaccinated dogs/cats or wildlife known to carry rabies
to receive a rabies vaccination series. If you need to get
vaccinated for rabies, you can accept participation in
the Medical Health and Risk Assessment element of the
WSU Animal Contact Program and the immunization will be provided
to you at no cost. If you decline participation in the Medical
Health and Risk Assessment element of the Animal Contact program,
you should contact your private physician to be vaccinated.
- Click below
on the species you work with for health risks associated with
contacting those types of animals. This takes you to the UC-Davis
site - good information!!
- More information
on Zoonotic
Diseases (these are diseases that can be passed from animals
to humans!!)
- Individuals
who have frequent and/or daily contact with animals are strongly
encouraged to accept participation in the Medical Health
and Risk Assessment element of the WSU Animal Contact
Program. This would include all animal care staff, veterinary
technicians and veterinarians. If you are exposed to nonhuman
primates (no primates are currently used in research/teaching
at WSU) , wildlife, unvaccinated carnivores, perform intrauterine
surgery on or work with pregnant sheep or goats, you are also
strongly encouraged to accept participation in the Medical
Health and Risk Assessment element of the WSU Animal
Contact Program.
Information
on How to Stay Safe and Healthy When Working With Animals:
The
Public Health Service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services directs research/teaching institutions to develop programs
that promote the health and safety of employees who have substantial
animal contact. Listed below are guidelines and policies to follow
in order to reduce your risk of being injured or becoming sick while
working with animals.
- Know
How to Handle Animals! Supervisors and principle investigators
are responsible for insuring all employees who handle animals
are properly trained. WSU Training
Seminars.
- Wash
your hands! The most common way to contract a zoonotic
disease (that is a disease that can be passed from animals to
humans) is to place infected material directly in your own mouth
(yuck!). ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING ANIMALS
or ANYTHING AN ANIMAL HAS TOUCHED! Never eat, drink,
smoke, apply cosmetics, insert eye contacts, etc. in an animal
room/facility. There should be a designated break room for employees
to eat that is separate from the animal housing area.
- Wear
Protective Clothing! The minimum dress requirement in
most vivariums is a lab coat. Other animal work may require a
dedicated set of animal facility clothing (i.e. scrubs), cover-alls,
etc. Protective clothing should never be worn home and must be
laundered either at the animal facility or by a commercial laundry
service. Protective clothing ensures you won't transport potentially
contaminated material between work and home (which could make
you, your family members or pets sick!).
- Use
Personal Protective Devices! Some types of animal work
require the use of personal protective devices such as gloves,
face shields, masks, hearing protection, goggles, respirators,
etc. Always wear personal protective devices where required
and follow your supervisor's instructions! For more information
on personal protective devices, talk to your supervisor and contact
the EH&S Office.
- Tell
Your Physician You Work With Animals! Whenever you are
ill, even if you are not certain the illness is work related,
always mention to your physician that you work with animals. Many
zoonotic diseases have flu-like symptoms, and your physician needs
this information to make an accurate diagnosis.
- Get
the Facts! All persons working in an animal facility
should receive appropriate training on that facility's particular
biohazards, precautions and standard operating procedures. If
there is something you don't understand, ask your supervisor!
All employees should have access to and be knowledgeable of the
WSU
Safety Policies and Procedures Manual.
- The
Supervisor's/Principle Investigator's Role: The supervisor
is responsible for teaching the workers what they need to know
to perform their job safely and effectively. Laboratory workers
and animal care personnel should know how to recognize hazard
warning signs, how to protect themselves and their coworkers against
each recognized hazard, and how to react properly in the event
of emergencies. Training should be appropriate for the employee's
education, experience, and language skills. Training sessions
should be documented. Everyone in the workplace should be aware
of their own safe work practices and those of others. Safety is
everyone's business.
Who
to Contact If You Have Questions Regarding the Your Health and Safety
At WSU:
- The WSU Animal
Contact Program is coordinated and overseen by the Office of Research
in close cooperation with the IACUC,
EH&S and
the Office of the Campus Veterinarian (OCV). Please direct all
inquiries regarding the Animal Contact Program to the OCV.
- If you have
questions or concerns you would like directed to the WSU Occupational
Health Physician (Dr. Timothy Moody), please contact the OCV
and your concerns will be forwarded to Dr. Moody.
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