The occupational health and safety program (OHSP) for animal users is an essential component of the overall Program of Animal Care and Use, and is made available to all NYU Shanghai faculty, staff, and students who work with laboratory animal on campus, as well as to our Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) members. Our program was developed based on medical professional guidance, and risk assessment conducted by the dedicated Safety Officer assigned from the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) group in the Department of Campus Safety.
Pre-Employment
Managed by Human Resources (HR), all employees and students undergo health screening at designated medical clinics as part of NYU Shanghai policy. At minimum, health screening should include: general physical exam, general blood work, electrocardiogram, chest x-ray, and any other examinations recommended by the medical provider. Vaccinations against tetanus and hepatitis is available through designated clinics, and may be administered upon request after private discussion with the medical provider.
Post-Employment
All personnel approved to work with animals receive general orientation covering ergonomic considerations as well as animal and non-animal related injuries. Training topics covered will include animal bite/scratch safety, prevention of laboratory animal allergies, biosafety and chemical safety, and injury reporting procedures.
Annually, an Occupational Health Surveillance Questionnaire will be administered through EHS to all active animal users approved to conduct animal activities, and questionnaire responses evaluated by a designated medical professional. Anyone who works with nonhuman primates will need to provide proof of TB negative status (current within a year) to the Director of Facility Operations to keep on file.
Work-place risk assessment is done whenever the use of potentially hazardous materials are proposed within an animal study protocol. Final approval must be obtained from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before hazardous material may be used. A copy of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) should be maintained at the location of chemical usage. In addition, the Safety Officer assigned by the NYU Shanghai EHS group will perform regular safety equipment inspections, and conduct safety training as required.