Occupational Health & Safety
In fulfillment of federal regulations, the Animal Care & Use Program at UNC Charlotte maintains a program of occupational health and medical surveillance to minimize risks to personnel that have contact with laboratory animals. This program is intended to address risks for individuals with varying frequency and intensity of exposure to animals used in research or teaching on campus. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is an integral component of risk mitigation and is an absolute requirement when working in procedural/animal holding areas of the Vivarium and in laboratories where live animals are temporarily used or animal tissues/fluids may be handled.
An unaffiliated healthcare provider administers the Occupational Health Medical Surveillance Program (OHMSP). Per the Occupational Health Medical Surveillance Policy, all individuals who are exposed to animals or animal tissues at UNC Charlotte are required by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to enroll in the Occupational Health Medical Surveillance Program (OHMSP) prior to initiating their work or being granted access to the Vivarium. To enroll or update your enrollment in the OHMSP, use the forms provided in the table below. Consult the menu items on this page to review submission instructions for these forms and to learn more about the OHMSP.
IMPORTANT: If you will work with unconditioned mammals (e.g., in the field, wild animals, etc.), please complete the Rabies Vaccination Attestation Form in addition to your Initial or Annual Health Forms.
| Initial Health History Form – with fax cover sheet | Word |
| Interim Health Status Update Form – with fax cover sheet | Word |
| Annual Health Update Form – with fax cover sheet | Word |
| Rabies Vaccination Attestation Form – for work with unconditioned mammals | Word |
Initial Enrollment
All new enrollees must receive clearance from the Occupational Health Physician BEFORE commencing work with animals/animal tissue or accessing the Vivarium. The following steps will ensure initial enrollment into the OHMSP:
STEP 1: Electronically complete an Initial Health History Form. Print the completed form and fax cover sheet. Sign and date the last page of the form.
STEP 2: Fax your Initial Health History form using the completed fax cover sheet to the Occupational Health Physician, Fax (704) 381-1042 (HIPAA-compliant secure line).
STEP 3: The Occupational Health Physician will review your Initial Health History form and conduct a risk assessment.
STEP 4: The Occupational Health Physician will communicate the result of his medical evaluation via a Medical Clearance form to be routed to the following individuals: the enrollee; the Principal Investigator/Supervisor managing the enrollee’s animal lab work; the Director, Laboratory Animal Resources; and the IACUC Coordinator.
NOTE: Initial physical examinations are required for those who fall in the “High Risk” category, or as directed by the Occupational Health Physician as a condition for medical clearance to work in the Vivarium or other campus workspaces where animal use/exposure occurs.
PRIVACY NOTICE: This clearance determination will never include specific health-related information about the enrollee. Enrollees’ protected health information will not be disclosed. However, the clearance determination may include recommendations for immunizations, use of a respirator, and/or extra personal protective equipment, and the date of most recent tetanus immunization. Both the Occupational Health Physician and the specific UNC Charlotte units/employees identified above are legally bound to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.
Any self-reported information contained in the Basic Health History Form, the Annual Update to the Basic Health History Form, and/or the Health Status Update Form, as well as any other medical information generated by the Occupational Health Physician related to an individual’s enrollment and continued standing in the Occupational Health Program will become part of that individual’s confidential occupational health medical record retained at the office of the Occupational Health Physician.
Interim Health Status Changes
The Interim Health Status Update Form should be completed and routed to the Occupational Health Physician when an enrollee needs to report:
- Any changes in health status which could affect sensitivity to environmental exposure to animals and/or animal tissues (i.e. medical condition/drug regimen lowering immune status) or
- An increase/decrease in the amount of time spent working directly with or exposed to laboratory animals
Health status change notifications can be reported at any time or during the annual health update period. Fax your form using the completed fax cover sheet to the Occupational Health Physician, Fax (704) 381-1042 (HIPAA-compliant secure line).
Annual Health Status Update
Personnel associated with the Animal Care and Use Program are required to update their health information at least annually as indicated by their Risk Group Level status (see the matrix under “Medical Surveillance Requirements”) using the Annual Health Update form. This process is initiated and coordinated through the Office of Research Protections and Integrity. Correspondence detailing the time period for annual updates to be submitted and form completion and submission instructions will be sent in advance to all active occupational health program enrollees subject to this requirement.
Fax your form using the completed fax cover sheet to the Occupational Health Physician, Fax (704) 381-1042 (HIPAA-compliant secure line).
All Faculty, laboratory and/or technical staff, students, and UNC Charlotte employees with animal exposure as defined in the table below are subject to the Occupational Health Medical Surveillance Policy. Initial enrollment is achieved by completing and submitting the Basic Health History Form.
Risk Assessment by an Occupational Health Physician will be performed for each person enrolled in the OHMSP. Based on the responses provided on the Basic Health History Form, the Occupational Health Physician will evaluate the physical risks, work processes and hazardous materials related to the work and the working environment. For new enrollees in the OHMSP (effective 1/1/2014), the Occupational Health Physician will determine whether to grant medical clearance to access animal use areas of the University.
Initial physical examinations are required for those who fall in the “High Risk” category, or as directed by the Occupational Health Physician, as a condition for medical clearance to work in the Vivarium or other campus workspaces where animal use/exposure occurs.
Medical health surveillance will also include provisions for any required immunizations (e.g., Tetanus prophylaxis). Exposure to hazardous materials such as carcinogens, highly toxic chemicals or other items which could create health concerns may necessitate additional medical surveillance requirements.
PRIVACY NOTICE: This clearance determination will never include specific health related information about the enrollee. Enrollees’ protected health information will not be disclosed. However, the clearance determination may include recommendations for immunizations, use of a respirator, and/or extra Personal Protective Equipment, and the date of most recent tetanus immunization. The clearance determination form will be routed to the PI; the Director, Laboratory Animal Resources; the Office of Research Protections and Integrity; and the prospective enrollee. Both the Occupational Health Physician and the specific UNC Charlotte units/employees identified above are legally bound to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.
Research and non-research animals have the potential to cause injury, transmit zoonotic diseases, and/or cause allergic reactions in personnel with direct or indirect animal contact (e.g. passing through an animal housing facility).
Persons with these exposures should be trained to understand routes of disease transmission and the signs and symptoms of disease or allergy. Training should also include information on appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), safe waste handling, and what to do/who to contact in case of an emergency.
For more information regarding allergy concerns associated with working with animals click here.
On a semiannual basis coinciding with the beginning of each semester, the Institutional Official sends a zoonoses notice to all investigators working with live vertebrate or higher-order invertebrate animals to share with laboratory personnel about the potential health hazards associated with working with these animals.
For detailed information regarding zoonoses, refer to the Center for Disease Controls (CDC’s) Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases page.