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Animal Research And Service Center  |  Main Campus | Health Campus

Policies & Regulations

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESEARCHER, LECTURER AND STAFF

All research, teaching and activities based on laboratory animal conducted at this centre must receive the approval from the USM Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (USM IACUC).

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
  1. All researchers, lecturers and staff are required to log out each time dealing at the centre.
  2. All researchers, lecturers and staff are required to wear safety equipments such face mask, rubber glove, lab coat/scrub suit during animal handling.
  3. All researchers, lecturers and staff are required to wear a covered shoes during animal handling or when in the laboratory.
  4. Children below 12 years old are prohibited from entering the research area.
  5. All researchers, lecturers and staff are required to attend to the animal under their care daily to detect for any sickness and to report any abnormalities to the veterinarian for further action.
  6. Research animal is not allowed to be transported from one room to another or to any laboratories inside or outside of the institution without permission and its where about needs to be recorded.
  7. All researchers, lecturers and staff are required to change the bedding in the cage according to the schedule to ensure that the animal is in a clean and dry environment.
  8. All researchers, lecturers and staff must ensure that all laboratories and lab animal room are clean, neat and tidy at all times.
  9. In case of a sudden animal death, the veterinarian officer in charged should be notified for post-mortem and sample extraction. Delayed post-mortem can cause autolysis thus deter further testing.
  10. All researchers, lecturers and staff have to take care of their self hygiene by washing their hand thoroughly after handling the animal or laboratory equipments.
  11. Food and drinks are not allowed in the laboratories and at the animal shelter.
  12. Smoking is prohibited.
  13. In case of accident during animal handling, immediately report to supervisor/attending veterinarian and seek medical treatment at the emergency unit HUSM (Health Campus) or at the Emergency Unit, USM Sejahtera Centre (Main Campus). The Occupational Safety and Health Unit needs to be informed as well.
SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Application for animal must be handed in 3 months before the required date.
  2. Animal provision will only be provided after the researcher and lecturer have obtained the approval from USM IACUC.
  3. Application to house research animal at ARASC has to be handed in at least a month before the required date.
  4. Modern technological research equipments placed at this centre must be recorded and the usage status must be dictated in the log book.
  5. Researcher must fill in the research / teaching information form with detail information on the research/teaching and placed it at the specific area by the door outside of the animal house.
  6. Researcher and academician must feed their research animal on their own daily. If the experiment procedure involves feeding restriction, please place the "NO FEEDING/ DRINKING" label.
  7. The wellness and welfare of the animal is the responsibility of the researcher, lecturer and staff during the period of research, teaching and testing. It must be adhere to the rules and regulation, act and policies of laboratory animal care.
  8. Reusing of the animal after the project would require a written approval from USM IACUC with clear stated justification.
  9. Researchers, lecturers and staff have to adhere to the regulation on the number of animal in a cage according to species and cage space.