Rationale

 To protect the biosecurity of the UT Southwestern animal facilities, the IACUC requires that visitors, vendors, and contractors to the animal facilities fulfill certain requirements. 

Definition

A visitor is someone who does not require badge access to the animal facilities in order to fulfill employment obligations, training requirements, or perform a service.  An example of a visitor would be a colleague accompanying a PI to observe a surgical procedure.

A contractor is any vendor or service person who requires access to the animal facilities to perform a service.  An example of a vendor would be Edstrom technicians coming to repair the watering system.  An example of a contractor would be a Zscan technician coming to recertify a fume hood.

Policy

 The following requirements apply to visitors who will be present at UT Southwestern Medical Center for less than two weeks.

• The visitor must not have entered an animal facility within 48 hours prior to entering a UT Southwestern animal facility.
• The ARC must be notified if a visitor will be entering the animal facilities.
• The principal investigator (PI) hosting the visitor or a member of the PI’s animal care staff must accompany the visitor while they are in the animal facility.
• If the visitor will be assisting with animal procedures or training on animal procedures on the PI’s protocol, a memorandum must be submitted to the IACUC from the principal investigator hosting the visitor prior to their visit.  The memorandum must include the following information:
• 1. The exact dates of the visit.
  2. Why it is necessary to bring in the visitor.
  3. The animal protocol number on which they will be working.

The following requirements apply to vendors or contractors who will be entering UT Southwestern Animal facilities.

• Badge access is given to select vendors and contractors who regularly enter the animal facilities, and have received approval from the ARC Director and Associate Director.  The remainder must be escorted and meet the following criteria:
• 1. They must describe any other animal facilities they have been to in the past 24 hours and if their equipment has been decontaminated.
  2. They must explain why they need access to the facility.
  3. They must tell how long they will be in the facility.
  4. They must be provided a copy of the WPP brochure.
  5. They must be accompanied to the work station.
• Individuals noted by supervisors repeatedly asking for access should be referred to Nick Krieter, Christa Gindratt, or Mark Moore to obtain badge access.

Applicability

This policy applies to all visitors, vendors, and contractors who will be entering animal facilities at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Contact Information:

For any additional questions please contact the IACUC Manager at 5-6420.