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Using the Facilities

Investigators should contact the ARP office if they wish to house animals in PSU facilities. Investigators must have a PSU IACUC-approved protocol to acquire and use animals. Prior to initiating a lab animal research project, investigators are encouraged to discuss plans with the ARP coordinator so an appropriate animal care program can be planned.

Security and Visitors

To ensure the security of the animals, it is requested that animal room doors and animal facility doors be kept closed and locked. Some facilities are secured with a card access system. Your university identification card will provide you access, after the ARP enters it in the system.

Please notify the ARP office if unauthorized personnel request access or are present in the animal facilities. After regular work hours and on weekends and holidays, Campus Police should be notified (phone number 863-1111 or 911 if emergency).

Animal Care Services

ARP personnel provide routine daily care (365 days a year) for all laboratory animals housed in ARP facilities unless otherwise specified by the investigator. Animal care technicians provide daily observation and provision of food and water. Environmental conditions for each species are maintained as specified in the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and the United States Animal Welfare Act. Temperature, humidity and light cycles may be modified if required by experimental design. However, the PSU IACUC must approve modifications that fall outside recommended environmental conditions.

Personnel Protective Equipment

PSU Institutional Animal Care and Use (IACUC) policy on Attire for Work with Laboratory Animals requires all personnel to wear appropriate protective clothing and equipment while working with laboratory animals. Certain animal facilities and animal rooms have strict entry requirements for either bio-safety or bio-security purposes. Entry requirements to these areas supersede the requirements described below and are posted at relevant entry points.

  • Disposable shoe covers are required for entry into all animal rooms (except rooms housing fish or amphibians). Shoe covers should be removed upon exiting the room.
  • If animals or animal samples are to be handled in a facility animal room or procedure room dedicated outerwear (laboratory coat or disposable gown) and disposable gloves must be worn.
  • This attire should be donned upon entry into the animal room and removed before leaving the facility or entering another animal room. Disposable shoe covers, gowns, gloves, caps and facemasks are available for use in each animal facility.
  • Personnel should wash their hands after handling animals or animal samples.

Procedure Room Use

Rooms are available in each animal facility for the use of investigators during experimental procedures. Gas anesthesia equipment is available in many of these rooms along with sharps containers and other material needed for waste disposal. Investigators are responsible for maintaining the room in clean and uncluttered condition and appropriate waste disposal. The following guidelines apply to procedure room use.

Routine waste: Discard waste in the regular trash receptacle. Do not use biohazard bags to dispose of routine waste. Rodent blood is not a biohazard and may be discarded in the regular trash receptacle. If the trash can is full, remove and seal the bag. Place the bag in the corridor and ARP personnel will take it to the dumpster. A replacement bag should be present in the bottom of the trash container.

Biohazard Waste: If biohazard bags are used for any reason, they should be removed and taken to a biohazard collection site when vacating the room. Please do not leave biohazardous material in the room.

Glass Waste: Glass waste such as used pipettes should be placed in the glass recycling bin.

Sharps: Sharps such as needles and scalpel blades must be placed in the red sharps containers located in the procedure rooms. If the sharps container is full contact the ARP office at 865-1495 to request a new container.

Animal Carcasses and Tissue: Place dead animals and discarded animal tissues in a plastic bag and place in the facility freezer or refrigerator for disposal. Plastic bags are available in the procedure room.

Work Surfaces: Work surfaces in the procedure room should be cleaned and disinfected prior to vacating the room. A spray bottle of disinfectant is available for use in each procedure room.

Anesthetic Equipment and Hoods: Clean and thoroughly disinfect equipment that has had contact with animals. It is recommended that each investigator purchase their own modified Bain unit (anesthetic mask unit) to protect their animals from the potential spread of disease.

Floors: Sweep all debris from the floor and clean up spills and splashes. ARP personnel will mop the floor on a regular basis.