OHSS Process for Students in Classes and Students with Short Term Animal Contact

As part of the submission of an animal care and use protocol for teaching, the instructor/PI will complete the Exposure Assessment Form, which will be forwarded to EH&S by the IACUC office for review and risk category assessment.

The Exposure Assessment Form will include a brief description of the class/research, the species of animals involved, and a description of student contact with the animals.

If the contact with animals is determined to be a high risk (high probability of an adverse health effect, for example, a student working with wild-caught mammals or involved with lambing), the instructor must consult with EH&S to determine if completion of the OHSS medical screening for all students is necessary.

Risk categories:

• High risk—high probability of an adverse health effect, for example, students working with wild-caught mammals, or involved with lambing.

• Low risk—low to moderate probability of adverse health effects.

Each principal investigator or instructor will provide students enrolled in courses involving animals, independent study courses, or short-term student volunteers that will work with live, vertebrate animals with the following information:·      

• The availability of and the option to request medical evaluations and treatment

• Hand-outs or the link to: General Information: Potential Hazards (zoonoses, allergies, and injuries), Universal Precautions and Personal Hygiene, the Zoonosis Information by Species

• The link to the Hazard Analysis Tool

The instructor will also advise students to contact the Student Health and Wellness Center for consultation if they are pregnant, immunocompromised, diabetic, or have a history of allergies or other significant medical conditions.

A handout is attached which contains much of the generic information, but PIs are encouraged to work with EH&S (biosafety@ucsc.edu) to provide information relevant to the project.