Facility Animal Care Committee

A.L.P.H.A. Audit Checklist

Alternate Laboratory Animal Procedure/Housing/ Holding Area

Date(dd/mm/yy): ______

Audit Team: ______

PI Name: ______

Animal Use Protocol #: ______Category of Invasiveness: ______

Purpose: Research Teaching Testing

Emergency Contact:

Name: ______Phone:______E-Mail: ______

Location: Building: ______Room: ______

Specialized Area: N/A Aquatics Reptile Amphibian Avian Surgery

Species: ______

Type of Facility: Procedure HousingHolding

Location
  • Animal areas separate from personnel areas
  • Separation of species
  • Separation by health status

Comment:
Security
  • Security measures for access during and after regular hours
  • Access security
  • Are doors leading to public areas kept closed and locked at all times
  • Visibility by the public
  • Easy access to fire extinguisher, phone and emergency numbers

Comment:
Drug Storage and Control
  • Appropriate drug storage, control, expiration date monitoring
  • Safe, secure, storage arrangement
  • Record keeping meets Health Canada Regulations and McGill University SOPs

Comment:

PROCEDURE AREAS, NON-SURVIVAL SURGERIES, LABORATORIES, RODENT SURGERIES -

General Considerations
  • Location minimizes traffic/contamination
  • Functional components (surgical support, animal preparation, surgeon scrub, operating room, postoperative recovery) are designed and separated (physically or otherwise) according to and CCAC Guidelines
  • Safe sharps disposal system
  • Adequate records of intra-operative and peri-operative care
  • Aseptic procedures in use for all survival surgeries
  • Drug storage, control, and expiration dates
  • Anesthetic monitoring
  • Gas cylinders immobilized
  • Scavenging of anesthetic gases
  • Hazard signs
  • Carcass disposal

Comment:
Operating Room
  • Rodent survival surgery clean, uncluttered anddedicated space
  • Effective contamination control procedures
  • Effective cleaning procedures
  • Surfaces are smooth and impervious to moisture
  • Appropriate pressure differentials
  • Lighting safe and appropriate
  • Outlets safe and appropriate
  • Hazard signs posted where needed
  • Fixed equipment is sanitizable

Comment:
Surgical Support
  • Facility for washing, sterilizing, storing instruments & supplies
  • Autoclave monitoring procedures are implemented
  • Storage of autoclaved materials maintains sterility
  • Cold sterilization procedures are appropriate

Comment:
Postoperative Recovery
  • Appropriate observation (e.g. frequency, unobstructed view, accessibility)
  • Easily sanitized
  • Supports physiologic functions
  • Minimizes risk of injury to the animal

Comment:
Additional concerns for survival surgery
  • Records of peri-operative care
  • Aseptic procedures

Comment:
OHP
  • Personal hygiene procedures (e.g., work clothing, eating/drinking/smoking policies)
  • Personnel training (e.g. zoonoses, hazards, pregnancy/illness/immunosuppression precautions)
  • Procedures for use, storage & disposal of hazardous biologic, chemical, and physical agents
  • Procedures for reporting and treating injuries, including bites, etc.
  • SOPs, MSDS

Comment:
Preventative Medicine/ Animal Procurement/ & Transportation
  • Procedures for animal procurement, evaluation of animals, & transport
  • Procedures for quarantine, acclimation
  • Policies on separation by species, source, health status
  • Policies for isolation of sick animals
  • Program of surveillance, diagnosis, treatment and control of disease
  • Availability of diagnostic resources for preventive health program
  • Contingency plan for research staff to provide emergency, weekend and holiday care

Comment:

HOUSING

Infrastructure
Corridors, Doors, Windows, Floors, Drainage, Walls, Ceilings, HVAC, Power & Lighting, Noise
  • Ease of access (including door size) facilitates use
  • Sufficient space for workload
  • Safety precautions/clothing/equipment used for bedding disposal/prewash/acid wash
  • Traffic flow clean to dirty with no contamination of clean equipment by dirty equipment
  • Insulation and/or sound attenuation present as needed
  • Utilities are appropriate
  • Ventilation meets heat and humidity load requirements is in accordance to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
  • Safety features (SOP’s, hazard signs, eyewash station) are in use
  • Appropriate clean cage storage

Comment:
Room: Are the environmental parameters appropriate for this species?
Temperature:
  • Frequency of temperature monitoring
  • Maintenance of temperature logs

Relative Humidity:
  • Frequency of monitoring
  • Maintenance of relative humidity logs

Ventilation:
  • Are air changes adequate

Light intensity:
  • Appropriate for this species
  • Are light cycles controlled

NOISE:
  • Are noise levels acceptable

Comment:
Cage
  • Sanitation
  • Food/water access
  • Security, safety
  • Allows undisturbed observation
  • Size/ rationale for CCAC Guidelines/Meets physiologic, behavioral, social needs

Comment:
Behavioral Management
  • Environmental enrichment
  • Social grouping
  • Animal activity

Comment:
Food/ Bedding
FOOD:
  • Feeding schedule & procedures
  • Contamination
  • Vendor quality control
  • Storage in sealed containers
  • Expiration date labeling
  • Vermin control (regularly scheduled, documented program including control of rodent pests & insecticideuse)
  • Rotation of stocks
BEDDING
  • Species appropriate
  • Keeps animals dry and comfortable
  • Quality control procedures

Comment:
Water
  • Ad libitum unless scientifically justified
  • Quality control procedures

Comment:
Emergency/ Weekend/ & Holiday Animal Care
  • Provision for accessible contact information
  • Monitoring of backup systems
  • Crisis Management and Communication Plan

Comment:
Animal Identification and Records
  • Cage/rack cards contain required information
  • Clinical records accessible and appropriate

Comment:
Additional Comments:
Recommendations:
Commendations:
FACC_ A.L.P.H.A Audit Checklist _ Draft, V. 5_ April14, 2011 / 1