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occupatonal health & safety/wsu animal contact program
Online Program Information and
Educational Links
This section of the WSU Animal Contact Program is designed to inform
individuals of the occupational health and safety concerns associated with working
with animals or being exposed to animal waste, unfixed tissues, dander, bodily
fluids, etc. Also contained in this section are guidelines to follow in order to
protect your safety and health while working with animals. Individuals 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,
students, time-slip and work study, 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 Mike Kluzik at (509)335-9553 or mkluzik@wsu.edu.
Information on Diseases and Other Health 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. Click here
to read about allergies to animals.
- 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 (509/335-3041) 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 at (509)335-4589.
- 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.
- Go to this link for more information on Zoonotic Disease (these are
diseases that can be passed from animals to humans!!)
- Check out this Link http://ehs.ucdavis.edu/aimal/health
(this will take you to the University of California-Davis web site). This
is a Risk Assessment Tool. You enter in the species you work with and you will
then get a summary of the health concerns you may encounter following contact
with those species.
- 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 individuals who handle animals are properly
trained. For more information on acquiring training for handling animals at WSU,
click on here.
- 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 in which individuals may eat which 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 Environmental Health and
Safety Office at (509)335-3041.
- Seek Medical Attention Promptly! If you are injured on the job, you
must promptly report the accident to your supervisor, even if it seems
relatively minor. All employees should be knowledgeable of the WSU
Accident Prevention Policy and the WSU
Accident Reporting & Follow Up Policy.
- 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
individual'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 Environmental Health and Safety. Please direct all inquiries regarding the Animal Contact
Program to Mike Kluzik at (509)335-9553 or mkluzik@wsu.edu.
- Questions pertaining to occupational health and safety at WSU can also be
directed to the Environmental Health and
Safety Office at (509)335-3041.
- Talk to your supervisor!
- If you have questions or concerns you would like directed to the WSU
Occupational Health Physician (Dr. Timothy Moody), please contact Mike Kluzik at (509)335-9553 and your concerns
will be forwarded to Dr. Moody.
Last updated on: March 7, 2002
URL: http://www.ehs.wsu.edu/animalprog.asp
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Revised
2/22/02
Reviewed
07/25/07
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