Who is primarily responsible for monitoring health and safety procedures in a laboratory animal program?

The animal care staff play a critical role in monitoring health and safety procedures within a laboratory animal program. Their responsibilities include ensuring that all animals are properly cared for, healthy, and living in environments that meet established welfare standards. This staff is typically trained to recognize signs of distress or illness in the animals and is responsible for implementing protocols that uphold both animal welfare and safety standards in the laboratory.

While principal investigators, IACUC chairpersons, and research technicians have important roles in the research process, they focus on different aspects. Principal investigators oversee the research program and ensure compliance with IACUC approvals but may not be directly involved in daily health monitoring. The IACUC chairperson leads the committee responsible for reviewing research protocols and ensuring ethical standards are met but does not perform day-to-day monitoring of laboratory conditions or animal health. Research technicians assist in carrying out specific techniques or experiments, but their role does not typically encompass the overarching monitoring duties that fall to the dedicated animal care staff.

Consequently, it is the animal care staff who are primarily responsible for health and safety monitoring, ensuring that procedures are adhered to in order to promote a safe and humane environment for the animals.