Volume 20, Number 9—September 2014
Letter
Worker Health and Safety Practices in Research Facilities Using Nonhuman Primates, North America
, Patricia V. Turner, Robert J. Mullan, and G. Gale Galland
Table
Health and safety practices reported by 26 research facilities that use nonhuman primates, North America, December 2012*
| Characteristic | No. (%) facilities |
|---|---|
| Average no. staff working daily with or near nonhuman primates | |
| 1–5 | 8 (31) |
| 6–10 | 3 (12) |
| 11–15 | 1 (4) |
| 16–20 | 3 (12) |
| 21–30 | 1 (4) |
| >30 |
10 (38) |
| Required personal protection equipment* | |
| Respiratory protection used | |
| Surgical mask | 21 (81) |
| N95 respirator | 8 (31) |
| Powered air-purifying respirator | 4 (15) |
| Eye protection | |
| Goggles/safety glasses | 19 (73) |
| Full face shield | 24 (92) |
| Protective clothing | |
| Laboratory coat/scrubs | 17 (65) |
| Reusable coveralls | 7(27) |
| Disposable coveralls | 15 (58) |
| Head covering/cap/bonnet† | 8 (31) |
| Extra gown layer/arm covers† | 5 (19) |
| Gloves | |
| Latex or nitrile gloves | 26 (100) |
| Double gloves† | 4 (15) |
| Leather gloves† | 2 (8) |
| Footwear | |
| Shoe covers | 24 (92) |
| Reusable boots | 10 (38) |
| Shoes designated for use in facility only† |
6 (23) |
| Handling of animals | |
| Manually capture conscious animals (“hand-catch”)‡ | 4 (15) |
| Handle conscious animals with special equipment (e.g., pole and collar, chair) | 21 (81) |
| Conduct tuberculin skin tests on conscious animals | 2 (8) |
| Routinely conduct necropsy on nonhuman primates that die or are euthanized§ | 26 (100) |
*Because respondents could select >1 option, percentages will not total 100% within each personal protection equipment category.
†This answer choice was not one provided in the answer options but was provided in the associated free-text field for “other.” The number provided reflects the number of respondents who volunteered this answer under “other.”
‡One respondent skipped this question. Percentages calculated with 25 facilities as the denominator.
§Five respondents provided a written caveat that all animals that die spontaneously or are euthanized specifically because of health concerns routinely undergo necropsy but noted that animals euthanized at study completion often undergo study-specific tissue collection that might not include a complete necropsy.
1Current affiliation: LandCow Consulting, Athens, Georgia, USA.