Florida Atlantic University
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Section A - General Subjects
Table of Contents
1 Organization (02/03)
2 Mission (02/03)
3 Personnel (02/03)
3.C New employee briefing (02/03)
3.D Training requirements (02/03)
3.E Absenteeism (02/03)
3.F
Tardiness (02/03)
3.G Work day, weekend and holiday, and overtime. (02/03)
4 Security (02/03)
5 Transportation of Animals (02/03)
5.A From Room to Room (02/03)
5.B From Building to Building (02/03)
5.C Transport of equipment, caging, shelving, etc. (02/03)
A. Oversee all animal care and use at the Florida Atlantic University and to provide veterinary care. Ensure that all animal uses are in full compliance with federal, state and local regulations. Provides the necessary elements in direct support to the University's research and teaching programs that uses animals.
A. Position descriptions
a. Director
i. Reports to the Institutional Official (Vice President for Research) and works with the IACUC.
b. Clinical Veterinarian
i. Reports directly to the Director
ii. The Clinical Veterinarian requires training and experience in the care of laboratory animals and management of a laboratory animal program. The individual is responsible for the animal care duties related to veterinary care such as health and disease control, quarantine and stabilization, isolation, safety, treatment, nursing care, and research protocol compliance according to federal regulations. The individual will also have numerous other duties associated with veterinary care such as conducting training courses, quality assurance program, serve on the required federally mandated committees and other University committees as appointed by the Vice President. The ability to communicate effectively with all levels is imperative. Reports directly to the Director and provides veterinary care and program monitoring in his/her absence.
c. Facility Manager (Senior Laboratory Technician)
i. Reports directly to the Director
ii. The Facility Manager requires extensive training and experience in the care of laboratory animals and management of a laboratory animal program. The individual is responsible for all the animal care duties related to husbandry such as selecting and ordering animals, health and disease control, quarantine and stabilization, isolation, safety, treatment, nursing care, sanitation, and research protocol compliance according to federal regulations. The individual will also have numerous other duties associated with husbandry such as conducting training courses, quality assurance program, serve on the required federally mandated committees and other University committees as appointed by the Vice Provost. The ability to supervise others and communicate effectively with all levels is imperative.
d. Animal Caretaker (ALAT)
i. Reports directly to the Facility Manager.
ii. The Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) requires training and experience in the care of laboratory animals. The individual is able to perform animal care duties related to sanitation, health and disease, safety, treatment, nursing care and research protocol independently under the guidelines and direction of the assigned supervisor. The individual will also be responsible for evaluating animal care. The ability to communicate effectively with the investigative staff is imperative.
4. Responsibilities
A. See next page
Table of Responsibility
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Veterinary Services |
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Tasks |
Sub-Tasks |
Director |
Clinical Veterinarian |
Facility Manager |
Comments |
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1. General administration |
Advisor |
Primary |
Secondary |
Secondary |
Secondary each in their specialty |
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Consultant |
Primary |
Secondary |
Secondary |
Secondary each in their specialty |
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Personnel |
Primary |
Secondary |
Primary |
See organizational structure |
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Overseeing the overall operation |
Primary |
Secondary |
Secondary |
Secondary each in their specialty |
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2. Record Keeping |
Protocols |
Primary |
Primary |
Primary |
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Animal |
Secondary |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Drug |
Primary |
Secondary |
Secondary |
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Institutional |
Primary |
Secondary |
Secondary |
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Instructional |
Primary |
Secondary |
Secondary |
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Misc. |
All |
All |
All |
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3. Budget |
Planning |
Primary |
Input/oversight |
Secondary |
Fac. Man. does all of husbandry area. Dir. combines office and husbandry for final submission |
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Accounting |
Final Responsibility |
Input/oversight |
Primary |
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Input/Output |
Secondary |
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Primary |
Staff input/output, tracking |
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Tasks |
Sub-Tasks |
Director |
Clinical Veterinarian |
Facility Manager |
Comments |
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4. Veterinary |
Pre-Operative |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Duties would be divided |
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Surgery |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Duties would be divided |
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Post-Operative Care |
Secondary |
Primary |
Reporting abnormal only |
Duties would be divided |
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Prevention |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Disease Control |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Treatment |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Radiography |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Physicals |
Secondary |
Primary |
Secondary |
Caretakers do initial arrival physicals with veterinarian do the complete arrival physical and others as needed |
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Euthanasia |
Secondary |
Primary |
Primary |
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5. Diagnostic |
Clinical |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Microbiology |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Gross (Necropsy) |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Histopathology |
Secondary |
Primary |
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6. Quality Assurance |
Quarantine |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Sentinel Program |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Includes health status/ surveillance program |
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Food Testing |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Water Testing |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Equipment Testing |
Secondary |
Primary |
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Tasks |
Sub-Tasks |
Director |
Clinical Veterinarian |
Facility Manager |
Comments |
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7. Health Checks |
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Secondary |
Primary |
Primary |
Caretakers look at each animal, report status thru supervisor to veterinarian |
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8. Husbandry |
Purchasing |
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Primary |
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9. VS Inspections |
Receiving |
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Primary |
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10. Training
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Sanitation |
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Primary |
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Incineration |
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Primary |
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Scheduling |
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Primary |
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Space Assign |
Secondary |
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Primary |
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Disposal |
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Primary |
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Facilities |
Secondary |
Primary |
Secondary |
Caretakers included |
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Records |
Secondary |
Primary |
Secondary |
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Drugs |
Secondary |
Primary |
Secondary |
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General |
Primary |
Secondary |
Primary |
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11. Teaching
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Surgical |
Primary |
Secondary |
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Laboratory |
Primary |
Secondary |
Secondary |
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AALAS |
Secondary |
Secondary |
Primary |
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12. Community Service |
Academic Courses |
Primary |
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State |
Primary |
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Veterinary Association |
Primary |
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School Talks |
Primary |
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Secondary |
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13. IACUC |
Review Protocols |
Primary |
Primary |
Primary |
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Primary =
Person primary responsible to ensure task is completed
Secondary
= Other persons assigned task, performs task, assists, etc. as requested by the
Primary Person.
A. Prior to starting work with animals
a. See paragraph 5
B. General training
a. General training is required of all animal care personnel annually. It will be scheduled by the Facility Manager/Supervisor with the Director
C. On-the-Job (OJT) training
a. OJT will be scheduled and coordinated by the Facility Manager, working through all tasks.
b. As a task is successfully completed, the trainee and trainer will initial off and date it
c. Once all tasks have been demonstrated / performed, the OJT check list will be turned into the Facility Director.
d. A file will be maintained on each employee that will include their training records.
e. All animal care personnel will be scheduled to work under more experienced personnel initially, rotating through all tasks.
f. AALAS training and certification
i. All animal care personnel will be encouraged to prepare for and take the AALAS certification tests.
ii. Some work day time will be allotted for this when preparing/taking a test for the first time.
iii. Some or all of the expense of preparing and taking a test for the first time will be provided by the facility.
A. It is the purpose of this policy to state the procedure that will be applied to control absenteeism.
B. Employees will be expected to work as scheduled.
C. The definition of Absence is: Any unscheduled time lost from work regardless of the reason, including sick time.
a. The term "unscheduled" excludes vacations and holidays scheduled in advance. It also excludes time lost when at Occupational Health, for patient protection, advises that an employee be sent home due to a suspected infectious disease (e.g. chicken pox).
D. VS has the discretion to grant a period of immunity for employees who are under medical supervision for conditions of limited duration such as pregnancy and chemotherapy.
E. A Physician's Certification may be required in such cases. Absences are to be reported on a daily basis to the Facility Manager/Supervisor prior to the start of the shift. Only in cases of hospitalization or extended illness, beyond one week, and at the discretion of the Facility Manager, may the daily notification of absence be waived.
F. The Facility Manager may require that clearance to return to work be given by Occupational Health before the employee returns to duty after being absent.
G. Absence will be considered by occurrence rather than length. Absence for two consecutive work days or longer will be considered one occurrence. Absence for two non-consecutive work days will be considered two occurrences except when an employee returns from an illness and goes out again within five calendar days due to the same illness. In this instance, the absences will be counted as one occurrence. Guidelines: Upon the fourth occurrence of unscheduled absence in any sliding twelve-month period, the Facility Manager will provide counseling to the employee. The Facility Manager will notify the employee that any additional occurrences of absence in the next 60 days will lead to a departmental written warning. The policy for absence control will be reviewed at this time. Upon the next occurrence of unscheduled absence within 60 days, the employee will again be counseled and a written warning will be placed in the file. Upon the next occurrence of unscheduled absence within 60 days, the employee will again be counseled and an official warning will be placed in the Personnel File. If the next unscheduled absence occurs within 60 days from the previous occurrence, the employee will be given a three day suspension without pay. Should another unscheduled absence occur within 60 days, the employee will be terminated. NOTE: If the employee does not incur any additional unscheduled absences within the 60 day time frame, the level of discipline for absenteeism remains the same upon a subsequent occurrence. For each 60 days period in which there is no occurrence, the level of discipline moves back one step. Any questions regarding this policy may be referred to the Facility Manager.
A. It is the purpose of this policy to state the procedure that will be applied to control lateness.
B. Employees will be expected to work as scheduled.
C. The definition of Lateness is any arrival after the beginning of a scheduled shift.
D. Upon the sixth occurrence of lateness in any sliding twelve-month period, the supervisor will provide counseling to the employee. The supervisor will notify the employee that any occurrence of lateness in the next sixty (60) days will lead to a departmental written warning. The policy for lateness control will be reviewed at this time. Upon an occurrence of lateness within the next sixty (60) days, the employee will again be counseled and a written departmental warning will be placed in the personnel file. Upon occurrence of lateness within the next sixty (60) days, the employee will again be counseled and an official written warning will be placed in the personnel file. If the next lateness occurs within sixty (60) days from the previous occurrence, the employee will be given a three-day suspension without pay. Should lateness occur within sixty (60) days, the employee will be terminated.
a. NOTE: If an employee does not have a lateness within the given sixty (60) day time frame, the level of discipline for lateness remains the same upon a subsequent occurrence. For each additional sixty (60) day period in which there is no occurrence of lateness, the level of discipline for lateness moves back one step. Any questions regarding this policy may be referred to the Facility Manager.
9. Work day, weekend and holiday, and overtime.
A. All animal care staff are expected to be at work at 8:00 AM and leave at 5:00 PM with a 1 hour lunch break at 12:00 Monday through Friday. Exceptions have to be approved prior to taking the exception by the Facility Manager.
A. Normal work day is from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with only one break from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Monday through Friday. (Two 15 minutes breaks are approved and will be coordinated/scheduled with the Facility Manager.)
B. Work schedules are made up as far in advance as possible. Changes are to be kept to a minimum, however, changes should be expected with changes in resources and situations.
C. Personnel requesting time off during the normal work day should do the following:
a. Emergency situation
i. Death or illness in family
ii. Notify Facility Manager in writing with the request for time off
iii. Normally will be approved but with repeated requests of similar nature, may require some proof with subsequent requests
b. Short notice situations
i. Family plans change or materialize, doctors appointment for routine or non-emergency care
1. Notify Facility Manager in writing with the request for time off
ii. Normally will be approved but with repeated requests of similar nature, may require some proof with subsequent requests
c. Routine situation
i. Annual vacation, compensation time, or other time off
1. Notify Facility Manager in writing with the request for time off
2. Approval will be based on first-come-first-serve, other resources and situations, etc.
A. Disapproval will be with a written explanation
3. Should normally be submitted prior to the work schedule being activated for that period
ii. Time off when scheduled for non-regular work week (holiday, weekend, etc.)
1. Switching is permitted if the following procedures are followed
A. Submit to Facility Manager , in writing, your request
a. Include reason
b. Your signature
c. The signature of person agreeing to replace you
2. After trying to find some one to switch with you and you could not, you may submit in writing to the Facility Manager the request which will include
A. Reason
B. Your signature
C. This request will be reviewed but probably denied if not in one of the first two categories
3. Time off on the day before and after a non-regular work day
A. Communication is essential for proper animal care
B. Two people have to work together on non-regular work days.
C. One person has to be at work the afternoon before the non-regular working day and one has to be at work the morning after
a. The person before has to have complete knowledge of all happens and communicate that with the other worker prior to starting to care for the animals. The person after has to communicate all with the Facility Manager after caring for the animals
D. The person not present the day after has to call in on the day after at 9:00 AM
D. Emergency exceptions: Anyone with a legitimate excuse such as sick and can not make it to work on time or has to leave early will notify the Facility Manager at the beginning of the absence or as soon as possible there after. The Facility Manager will report the incident at the next Health Check Meeting.
a. Just as important as arriving and leaving on time is the order of work. Health checks, feed and water the animals, and clean cages all come first, in that order. Once those are completed, then record keeping, maintenance requests, etc. should be completed. Any assign work that can not be completed by the end of the 8.0 hours, will be immediately reported to your supervisor, and ultimately, to the Facility Manager for evaluation.
b. Work is assigned based on a 8.0 hour day. All tasks should be completed within that time frame. Persons having trouble meeting this will immediately notify the Facility Manager for directions.
c. Overtime is not authorized without prior approval by the Director through, in turn, the Facility Manager. All overtime repayment will be at the discretion of the Director.
i. Emergency exception: When an emergency arises such power failure, hurt animal requiring non-elective, emergency care, etc., the overtime is authorized with the following requirements:
1. The overtime will be kept to a minimum that is absolutely required. If it appears to be an excessive amount of time required such as more than an hour, then the person will try to contact the Facility Manager or Director for further authorization. The next working day, a full report of the situation will be presented at the daily Health Check Meeting.
d. Lateness and leaving early is addressed in the above paragraph, but for further clarity, lateness has to be reported as soon as possible that day. Leaving early has to have an approval as stated above.
e. Weekend schedule is made out as far in advance as possible by the Facility Manager. Persons with desired free weekends may submit their request to the Facility Manager. These request will be honored if possible but not at the expense of the animals or other workers.
f. Once the schedule is made out, it is final. All changes have to made as far in advance as possible but no later than one week. Requests for changes require the following in order:
i. A written statement for the date changes
ii. A written explanation for the change
iii. The above signed by both parties
iv. Approved by the Facility Manager in writing
v. Until all of the above are completed, a change is not approved and the person assigned the weekend, will be required to work.
g. Compensatory Time
i. All time over 40 hours in a week will be considered overtime and will be calculated at 1 ½ of the regular salary.
ii. Exception is when the University declares pay to be calculated at 2 times regular pay such as special holidays and one has to work.
iii. Receiving animals after hours.
1. Compensatory time will be the time over the normal 8 hours worked in a day.
2. The time will be taken the following Wednesday as the last hours of the day equal to the 1 ½ time.
iv. Working weekends and regular holidays
1. Two people will work together
2. Start time will be agreed by both persons on the day before but if later than 9:00 AM, special approval is required by the Facility Manager.
3. The total time worked that day will depend on needs of the animals. (Normally 2-3 hours.)
4. Compensatory time will be paid in overtime wages at 1 ½ times regular pay for all hours over the 40 hours required for a normal week.
A. All facilities housing animals, animal equipment, or animal supplies will be under limited access security.
a. These facilities will be locked at all times to the extent possible.
i. Only authorized persons will be issued access to the facilities or that part of the facility that they are involved with.
B. Signs will be posted identifying the areas of limited access. (e.g. "No Unauthorized Personnel")
C. Visitor's Log
a. A visitor's log will be maintained at the entrance to the facility. All visitors are required to sign in.
i. Visitor is defined as any person except persons employed to work in the facility, research personnel not on a protocol, IACUC members, University Veterinarian, or physical plant personnel who are assigned to monitor the facility. (It is assumed that these persons will be on a schedule that will be maintained as a record for future tracking of persons exposed to the facility that day. If not, then they too, should register.)
b. It acts as a record if required of zoonotic exposure.
D. Security during normal work day hours
a. All doors to animal rooms will be maintained locked
i. Access normally will only be given for the minimum number of doors required by the PI. Access will be controlled by the Facility Manager. A record will be kept of approved personnel.
ii. It is the responsibility of the PI to ensure that access to the animal areas is limited only to those on the protocol. Where animals are maintained in study area (such as animal rooms next to lab areas and out of the "animal" facility), the PI is responsible for the complete control of the acccess and the security of the room.
b. The access code will be changed as necessary.
E. Security after normal hours
a. All personnel entering the animal facility after hours will have to go through the security system employed by the building.
b. Access into the animal facility will be the same as for normal hours.
A. From Room to Room
a. Animals should only be moved from room to room when absolutely necessary and when approved by facility manager. Taking animals from one colony to another could lead to transfer of diseases between personnel and animals.
i. The animals should be properly isolated during transfers. (e.g. Cages will be covered with a filter or placed in a special enclosed transporter.)
B. From Building to Building
a. Animals should only be transported from building to building when absolutely necessary and according to the protocol and with the facility manager’s approval.
i. The movement of animals with the changes in their environment and routines could put undue stress on them and lead to inaccurate results in the research.
ii. Cages will be designed for transport with some form of filter to protect from exchange of pathogens.
iii. The transport vehicle has to be of an approved type that will be properly prepared by cleaning prior to and following the move. It must provide adequate ventilation and temperature control. Special care must be taken with the method of transfer from building to vehicle and to new building when the ambient temperature is out of the 60 - 80E F. range.
iv. Following any move from building to building, animals should be allowed to stabilize prior to any use. The stabilization period will be determined by the PI in consultation with the University Veterinarian.
C. Transport of equipment, caging, shelving, etc.
a. Care should be taken in transporting animal related equipment to prevent contamination of the equipment or the exposure of personnel to the equipment.