IACUC Semiannual Facilities Inspection

The remainder of the schedule for inspections is as follows:

November 5, 2003
10:00-1:00: Hunterian, Wood Basic Science (9th floor only), Preclinical Teaching Building, Nursing, MRI buildings and Bloomberg School of Public Health Ground floor to 3rd floor

November 6, 2003
10:00-1:00: Ross Research building 5th to 11 floor
1:00-4:00: Jefferson street building, Woods Wilmer, Maumene

November 7, 2003
10:00-1:00: Physiology, Biophysics and Wood basic Science (except 9th floor) buildings
1:00-4:00: Carnegie, Pathology, Blalock and Meyer buildings

November 10, 2003
1:00-4:00: Farm

November 12, 2003
9:00-12:00: Bloomberg School of Public Health 4th to 8th floors

November 13, 2003
10:00-1:00: CMSC, Park, Marburg and Nelson buildings

Deficiencies Commonly Found During Semiannual Facilities Inspections

Below are the most common deficiencies in laboratories identified by the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). They shouldn’t occur, are easily detected and corrected. Please review your procedures to make sure they have been addressed.

• Animals not checked daily. All animals should be checked daily including holidays and weekends and records kept. Room environmental temperature and relative humidity ranges in housing areas should be recorded daily.
• Insufficient post procedural monitoring. Animals should be closely monitored after procedures until they are fully recovered from anesthesia. The first 12 hours after a procedure is especially critical. Monitoring should be recorded. Wound clips or skin sutures should be removed after 10-14 days.
• Inadequate record keeping. Records should be complete, legible and accessible. Records should be kept for procedures, surgery, intra-operative, post-operative and post-procedural monitoring and care.
  
• Dirty surgical areas. Surgery areas should be clean, easy to sanitize, clean and free of clutter.
  
• Waste anesthetic gases not scavenged. Scavenge anesthetic gases using a dedicated system or through building exhaust.
  
• Vaporizers not serviced. Vaporizers should be serviced annually and the date recorded.
  
• Poor sanitation. Animal housing areas, surgeries, surfaces and equipment should be cleaned and sanitized regularly. Post a cleaning and sanitation schedule, and record dates done.
  
• Clutter. All animal use areas should be neat and free of clutter.
  
• Incomplete cage cards. Cage cards should include protocol number, source of animal, strain or stock, PI name, contacts of responsible individuals, and pertinent dates.
  
• Expired protocols. Protocols cannot be used once expired. Cage cards with expired protocol numbers should be updated.
  
• Overcrowded cages. Animals should not be housed in cages too crowded or too small for occupant(s).
  
• Improper feed and bedding storage. Bedding and feed should be stored on pallets away from the wall. Opened bags of feed and bedding should be stored in vermin-proof containers. Label containers with feed mill dates. Chemicals and other contaminants should not be stored in feed or bedding storage areas. Expired feed should be discarded.
  
• Controlled drug storage. Controlled drugs and their records should be secured.
  
• Unapproved housing. Housing animals outside the central facilities must be approved by the ACUC.
  
• Unacceptable euthanasia method. Carbon dioxide for euthanasia must be obtained from compressed gas cylinders and not from dry ice.
  
• Improper sharps disposal. Sharps should be disposed off in proper sharps containers. Containers should not be overfilled.
• Overfilled biohazard containers. Use proper containers to dispose biohazards. Containers should not be overfilled.
• Expired drugs and supplies. Outdated drugs and supplies should be identified and appropriately disposed of.
• Inconsistent personal protective equipment (PPE) use. PPE is your last defense against work place hazards. Uniforms, scrubs or laboratory coats should be worn as indicated. These clothes should not be worn in public places.
• Unsecured gas tanks. All gas tanks should be secured. Unsecured gas tanks are an injury hazard to people and animals.

Seminar Series

A Special Seminar sponsored by CAAT will be held Thursday, November 20, 2003 at 12:00 p.m. in BSPH (Bloomberg School of Public Health), W2030

An all-day “Rodent Handling” class will take place on Tuesday, November 18, 2003 at 9:00 a.m. in Ross 450. An all-day “Rodent Surgery” class will be held on Thursday, December 11, 2003 starting at 9:00 a.m. in Ross 403. Please register by sending an email to pmatos1@jhmi.edu.

For a list of other seminars, visit http://www.jhu.edu/animalcare/training4.html.

For additional information on all other animal care and use related information, visit http://www.jhu.edu/animalcare/.

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