Safe work practices

What is an animal safe work practice?

An animal safe work practice (SWP) describes the minimum health and safety infrastructure and operational practices for research involving animals. The SWPs are intended to assist researchers with the HSE portion of the animal use protocol (AUP) application and to simplify and expedite the process.

Why use SWPs?

  • Standardizes HSE safety requirements
  • Simplifies and expedites the HSE approval process
  • Expedites the entire AUP application: hazard assessment and mitigation occur at the beginning of a project

Who should use the SWPs?

The SWPs are intended for Principal Researchers (PIs) and their research personnel.

How can I get started?

  1. Read the introductory document, 
  2. Select the SWPs that are appropriate to your research.
  3. Review the SWPs with research staff.
  4. Complete a hazard assessment for your project based on information provided in the SWPs.
  5. Create SOPs for your work using information provided in the SWPs.
  6. Attach your hazard assessment and SOPs to your AUP application.
Safe Work Practices (SWPs)