The overall goal of an Occupational Health and Safety Program in a Research Animal Facility is to reduce to an acceptable level the risk associated with using materials or systems that might have inherent danger. The simplicity of the goal belies the complexity of the task.
Basic principles guide the development of an occupational health and safety program.
At a worksite, knowing the hazard leads to good protection, and avoiding hazardous exposures in the best approach for risk reduction. For the workforce, trained employees are less vulnerable to risks, but rules are necessary, and consistency is vital to a good program. For the institution, good records are useful to measure program effectiveness, and commitment and coordination are necessary. To accomplish the overall program goal, it is useful to enlist the collaborative participation of the five key institutional activities related to the care and use of research animals. These include the animal care and use activity, the research activity, the environmental health and safety activity, the administration and management activity, and the occupational health activity.