Routinely implement the following procedures when working with laboratory animals to prevent animal allergies:
1. When appropriate, perform animal manipulations in a ventilated chemical hood or biological safety cabinet. Never use a horizontal laminar flow hood (also known as a blow-out hood or a clean bench because it blows contaminated air toward the operator). If animal bedding is to be dumped in a laboratory, it should be done in the chemical hood, biosafety cabinet or laminar HEPA-filtered cage changing station to prevent exposure of personnel to the bedding and excretia.
2. Animal facility cage wash staff should handle all dirty cages according to vivarium standard operating procedures. This includes dumping dirty bedding inside a HEPA-filtered Dirty Cage Disposal Unit or other device approved by the vivarium for this purpose. If engineering controls such as HEPA-filtered dumping station or are not used respiratory protection (N-95 minimum) is required.
3. When not working in a hood or cabinet, make sure that the ventilation system in the room is working properly. If there is doubt, contact Facilities Management.
4. Animal Caretakers and Laboratory Animal Technicians wear uniforms or scrubs instead of street clothes. These are changed daily and laundered at or by the institution. Research personnel should wear lab coats over street clothes when handling animals or use disposable lab-coats to decrease contamination of street clothes and to avoid potential exposure of co-workers and/or family members.
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