Site Inspections

As per federal regulations, the ACUC semi-annually inspects animal housing facilities, procedure rooms and laboratories (9CFR §2.31,c,2). Two ACUC inspectors and a representative from the Office for Animal Care and Use (OACU) make up the site inspection team. In addition, a veterinarian from the Office of Laboratory Animal Care (OLAC) and a staff member from Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) may join the ACUC inspection team. To complete these inspections, the inspection team follows the Semiannual Facility Inspection Checklist provided by the Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW). Please refer to this checklist for details on the type of items that the ACUC site inspection team is looking for during these semiannual visits.

In addition to semiannual inspections by the ACUC, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) annually conducts unannounced inspections of all of the housing facilities, procedure rooms and laboratories where animals that are covered by the USDA are used.

Post-Inspection Follow-up

If any deficiencies are found during the site inspection, the PI will be informed via email and given a time frame for correction as determined by the ACUC. At the end of this period of time, a representative of the OACU will generally return to your housing facility, procedure room, or laboratory to ensure that the deficiency has been corrected.