- Departmental approval for the space assignment.
- Satellite location(s) justification included in section H of the IACUC Protocol Form.
- Identification of personnel involved in animal care management and husbandry.
- Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), Radiation Safety Office (RSO) and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) approvals as needed if associated with use of a hazard.
- Complete mandatory training for personnel.
- Access or keys provided to the Attending Veterinarian.
- Final site inspection and approval by the IACUC
Checklist for Approval of Satellite Animal Facilities at IUB
Requirements for Satellite Animal Housing Space
- Room must meet standards applicable to IACUC and local policy, AAALAC accreditation guidance, the Guide, and federal laws, institutional policies and guidance.
- Facility must be accessible to IACUC and LAR representatives at all times. PI must provide keys/entry codes to facilitate veterinary staff access to animals in the facility.
- PI is responsible for maintaining and ensuring the area is secured at all times or explain limits to security.
- Environmental enrichment is needed to enhance animal well-being and encourage species specific behavior.
- Housing space requirements are as specified in the Guide, AWA and the Ag Guide and vary by species, number in group and size of animals.
- Indoor animal housing areas should be equipped with controlled lighting systems that provide regular diurnal cycles. Inadvertent light exposure during the dark cycle should be avoided.
- Investigators and research staff are responsible for proper disposal of conventional and hazardous waste following university guidelines.
- Purchase of animals must be approved by the IACUC and reviewed by LAR before ordering.
- The standard minimum acclimation time for rodents is 2 days and for non-rodent mammals is 7 days.
- Entry or departure from facility must be in accordance with IACUC, LAR and local policies. Movement of satellite facility animals to other facilities must be described in the protocol, SOP and approved by IACUC. PI must provide any potential biosecurity concerns.
- PI is responsible for creating and maintaining SOP’s that reflect activities and are based on current AAALAC, federal and local standards. SOP's must be reviewed and approved by the IACUC and be present in animal facility for training personnel conducting animal activities.
- An Animal/Room Daily Check List must be posted and completed every day animals are present. Records must be retained for 3 years and must be available to IACUC, federal regulatory agencies and AAALAC.
- Animals should be clearly identified to include the name of the responsible investigator(s), Source, species/strain/breed, number of animals per cage, approved IACUC protocol number, and information such as birth/age, arrival, and surgery dates.
- Research labs must keep track of numbers of animals ordered or produced through breeding.
- PI must ensure that each person providing care for animals is adequately trained by PI, LAR staff, LAR veterinarians, or their designees and training reflects available SOP's.
- PI is responsible for ensuring safety of personnel and ensure their enrollment in IUB Occupational Health and Safety Program; ensuring incident reports are filed in an accurate and timely manner; follow related requirements and recommendations from local, state and federal oversight entities.
- All caging, food, water, bedding, enrichment device(s), cage cards and cleaning materials necessary for proper husbandry and care need to be provided by the PI and approved by the IACUC. Stored materials need to be kept in sealed plastic containers, not cardboard. Milling date and date of expiration should be clearly indicated on all stored food, all short-term consumable items and must be discarded by the expiration date.
- PI is responsible for providing species-specific sanitation for the facility. Facility must be easily cleaned and sanitized. Use of any wood product is discouraged.
- All animals must be checked daily (including weekends and holidays) by the PI or designee and recorded on the room log.
- All veterinary care for animals must be provided through LAR veterinary services.
- PI must maintain and post accurate emergency contact information in the facility and must update LAR and IACUC with changes. Posting must contain contact information for the PI, lab contacts, AV, Clinical Vet and Vet Tech, and IACUC. PI or designee must be contactable at all times to respond to animal or facility emergencies.
- The following documents should be present in the facility: current animal protocol, current SOP's, safety signage (EHS), current Animal Welfare Concerns posting, Room/Animal Daily Check List and current Emergency and After Hours Contact List.
- PI is responsible for complying with all applicable documentation and recordkeeping requirements described in the Guide and other primary references.
- Drugs and related consumables must be used prior to their expiration date and stored according to applicable rules and regulations, including EH&S requirements.
- PI is responsible for complying with EH&S and all other applicable rules and regulations regarding any physical, radiation, biological and chemical hazards. PI is responsible for notifying all facility and lab personnel, and the IACUC of any hazards present and assure that personnel are trained for hazards.
- All Satellite Facilities must have an Adverse Event and Disaster Plan: a written plan that addresses potential adverse events, emergencies and disasters. Individuals responsible for daily animal care must have access and be trained on this plan.
- Room must have- temperature controls and alarm to user when temperature is out of range. Parameters outside of normal should be reported to Satellite facility personnel for correction.
- In general, the room must be able to maintain humidity between 30-70% and alarm if outside of range. Other humidity parameters outside of this range may be considered if appropriate for the species. Parameters outside of normal should be reported to Satellite facility personnel for correction.
- Room must be able to achieve 10-15 air changes/hr. unless it is a room for housing fish or frogs. Parameters outside of normal should be reported to Satellite facility personnel for correction.
Requirements for Satellite Surgery Space
- Clean dedicated space that can be dedicated to surgery only when surgery is conducted. Room must be cleaned before being used for major survival surgery.
- Ideally no objects above surgery area.
- Location separate from surgery area for clipping and prepping the animal.
- Sink for washing hands.
- Place for recovery of animals from surgery where they can be close and monitored.
- Anesthetic machine (annual calibration) and induction chamber with waste gas scavenging.
- Accessible autoclave (with routine efficacy assessment).
- Thermoregulation (warm water heating pad, microwavable heating pad, incubator).
- Recovery area with heating pads.
Requirements for Biological Hazards
- EHS Biohazard assessment and IBC protocol review if appropriate should be completed by the Biosafety group of EHS and IBC respectively.
- Hazard sign indicating type of biohazard used and precautions to take along with suggested PPE.
- Determine if any procedure requires use of a biosafety cabinet and if one is present and operational in the space.
- Ensure appropriate PPE is present, stocked and used.
- If N95 masks or respirators are required for use while biohazard is present, ensure personnel have undergone annual fit testing of respirator.
- Biohazards must be disposed of in biohazard waste and sharps in sharps container (no recapping).
Requirements for Other Hazards
- Identify any radiation hazards (radionuclides, x-rays, lasers).
- Identify any physical hazards (needles and syringes, heating pads, etc.).
- Identify animal related hazards (animal bites, exposure to allergens, chemical cleaning agents, wet floors, cage washers, lifting, ladder use, zoonoses, etc.)