FAQs ̽»¨ÊÓƵ OHS for Animal Researchers Program

  • Allergy prevention
    • Pulmonary function testing (as needed)
    • N95 or half-face elastomeric respirator fit-testing
  •  Risk-assessment and communication
    • Training
    • Noise testing
    • Workplace safety assessments
    • Chemical and biological hazard assessments related to animal research
    • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) selection guidance
  •  Work-related immunizations and/or appropriate antibody titers

Please email ehsohs@colorado.edu.

All individuals at ̽»¨ÊÓƵ who have exposure to live research and/or teaching animals must participate. 

These individuals generally include:

  • Veterinary staff associated with ̽»¨ÊÓƵ’s IACUC
  • Animal caretakers/technicians
  • Animal facility managers
  • Principal investigators on animal protocols
  • Graduate students, undergraduate students, post-doctoral fellows, visiting scientific personnel, other laboratory personnel who are listed on IACUC-approved protocols

It is the responsibility of the principal investigator, departments and facility managers to identify individuals who meet these criteria.

OHS personnel will initially talk directly to the patient about any reported work-related injuries, incidents, or exposures. OHS personnel will recommend PPE use, if applicable. OHS personnel may suggest further evaluation by the patient’s primary care provider. In rare circumstances, OHS personnel will restrict laboratory activities until a medical evaluation is completed. The health condition will never be communicated to the PI or supervisor. Recommendations for the individual may be communicated to the PI or supervisor.  (E.g., PPE recommendations for an individual will be communicated to a PI or their lab manager; diagnoses are not communicated.)

If a work-related illness, injury or exposure occurs, the affected individual is expected to report this to University Risk Management as well as to their supervisor. Reporting automatically allows at least an initial visit to a designated worker’s compensation provider.

The role of the Occupational Health and Safety Program in animal research is mainly to provide preventative services, training, direct patients to appropriate care, and to look for concerning health trends.

If you need to reschedule your appointment, you must do so more than 24 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment time, or you will be charged a missed appointment fee directly by the 3rd party Occupational Health Provider. The ̽»¨ÊÓƵ OHS for Animal Researchers Program will not cover this fee if you fail to make your scheduled appointment or if you fail to reschedule with sufficient notice to the 3rd party office.

  • No, the animal program OHS team does not. Researchers onboarding into the program sign the appropriate HIPAA release forms with our third-party medical provider, and the medical provider will then directly furnish the OHS team and the researcher with what is commonly called a Fit-for-Duty letter, the OHS office doesn’t hold any of your personal medical records or information.

Screenings for ̽»¨ÊÓƵ students, staff, and faculty are paid for by the OHS program. All third affiliates, such as private companies, using ̽»¨ÊÓƵ facilities must provide proof of occupational health coverage or screening.

Any further training is completed by individual labs or OAR (Office of Animal Resources).

All records for trainings for the OHS for Animal Researchers Program can be found at