TSE Large Animal and Post Mortem Facility Checklist

This questionnaire is provided to you as a tool to be used in conjunction with the Containment Standards for Laboratories, Animal Facilities and Post Mortem Rooms Handling Prion Disease Agents, 1st edition 2005, as well as the Containment Standards for Veterinary Facilities (CSVF), 1st edition 1996.

TSE material:

This checklist is intended to assist TSE Large Animal and Post Mortem Facilities in determining their compliance with the Containment Standards for Laboratories, Animal Facilities and Post Mortem Rooms Handling Prion Disease Agents.

Please provide YES, NO, N/A (not applicable) to indicate the answer to each of the criteria listed. For "NO" or "N/A" answers please contact the Biohazard Containment and Safety Unit immediately to discuss and provide a brief clarification/justification. For "YES" please provide any additional relevant information (i.e. type of biological safety cabinet, decontamination procedures used, etc.).

This questionnaire is subject to change by the Biohazard Containment and Safety (BCS) Unit at CFIA. The BCS Unit will make any changes or updates available to the regulated parties via our website, email, mail or other.

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Physical Requirements

1 - Location & Access

Questions	YES/NO/NA (see above if NO or NA)	Comments	Mandatory Recommended
Is the laboratory separated from public areas by a door?
Is access limited to authorized personnel?
Do doors provide restricted access by a controlled access system (eg. key card, locking hardware) or equivalent? Does not apply to areas within the facility.
Do room doors have appropriate signage (i.e. biohazard sign, containment level, contact information, entry requirements)?
Is entry provided via an anteroom?
Does entry allow for separation of personal clothing from dedicated facility clothing (i.e. "clean" change area separated from "dirty" change area)?
Are office areas located outside of containment perimeter? Paperwork stations for data collection can be within containment provided they are located away from laboratory work areas.
Do door openings allow passage of required equipment (i.e. may be greater than standard width and height in accordance with equipment size)?

 

2 - Surfaces Finishes

Questions	YES/NO/NA (see above if NO or NA)	Comments	Mandatory Recommended
Are doors and frames non-absorptive and have solid finishes (i.e. unfinished wood is not acceptable)?
Are hollow doors be sealed?
Are interior surfaces (eg. floors, walls, benches, casework, etc.) non-absorptive and able to withstand decontamination methods (eg. sodium hypochlorite or sodium hydroxide)?
Are interior coatings cleanable?
Are interior surfaces continuous (flooring with welded seams is acceptable)?
Do interior surfaces provide impact resistance in accordance with function?
Are surfaces continuous and compatible with adjacent and overlapping materials to maintain adhesion and a continuous perimeter?
Is continuity of seal maintained between the floor and wall (a cove floor finish up the wall is recommended)?
Are floors slip-resistant?
Are bench tops continuous?
Can bench tops contain spill of material (eg. with marine edges and drip stops)?

 

3 - Containment Perimeter

Questions	YES/NO/NA (see above if NO or NA)	Comments	Mandatory Recommended
Are all mechanical, electrical and service piping penetrations sealed at and below the work surface?
Are windows positioned on containment perimeter sealed in place?
Is the autoclave capable of achieving at least 134°C or 121°C if a two-step (chemical then heat) process is used?
Is a double door autoclave located on the containment perimeter?
Is an autoclave located within containment perimeter?
If it is not possible to locate the autoclave at or within the containment perimeter, then are strict waste control procedures implemented for the transport of waste and equipment in leakproof and impact resistant containers to a suitable autoclave within the facility?
Is the body of autoclave located, for ease of maintenance, outside of containment?
Is the autoclave located at the perimeter equipped with an interlocking mechanism to prevent both doors from opening at the same time?
Is the autoclave equipped with a cycle log recorder (i.e. to record time, temperature, and pressure)?
Are area for chemical decontamination of materials and equipment available?
Are other accepted technologies for decontamination, (eg. incineration, chemical dunk tank, alkaline hydrolysis) provided at or within the containment perimeter?
If not possible to install other accepted technologies on the perimeter or inside, then are strict waste control procedures implemented for the transport of waste to such systems?

 

4 - Air Handling

Questions	YES/NO/NA (see above if NO or NA)	Comments	Mandatory Recommended
Is the appropriate ventilation provided for use of caustic chemicals?
Is exhaust air system independent of other areas?

 

5 - Facility Services

Questions	YES/NO/NA (see above if NO or NA)	Comments	Mandatory Recommended
Are drains and associated piping (including autoclave chamber condensate) separated from lower levels of containment (i.e. connected to a liquid effluent treatment system as appropriate)?
If effluent treatment is present, are drains connected to effluent treatment sloped towards treatment system to ensure gravity flow? Is consideration given to the installation of valves to isolate sections for decontamination? Is piping heat and chemical resistant consistent with application? Are joints made by thermo/chemical fusible means or welding to ensure integrity of entire system in accordance with pressure decay testing specified in the Containment Standards for Veterinary Facilities?
Are floor drains installed only when essential?
Is the water supply control valve located outside the facility?
Is domestic water branch piping provided with backflow prevention, in accordance with CAN/CSA-B64.10-01/B64.10.1-01? Is the isolation valve located in close proximity to the containment perimeter?
Are compressed gas cylinders (with the exception of fire extinguishers) located outside the containment perimeter?
If required, are portable vacuum pumps provided with device to minimize internal contamination of vacuum pump (eg. equivalent of HEPA filtration of vacuum line, use of disinfectant traps)?
Are handwashing sinks provided near the point of exit or in anteroom?
Are handwashing sinks provided with "hands-free" capability?
Are emergency eyewash stations provided in containment in accordance with activities and applicable regulations (i.e. ANSI Z358.1-2004 )?
Is an emergency shower equipment provided in containment in accordance with activities and applicable regulations (i.e. ANSI Z358.1-2004)?
Are water seals maintained in drainage traps through regular sink usage, seal primer, or by filling traps in areas that are not used regularly?
Are plumbing vent lines heat or chemical resistant consistent with application?
Are supply conduit and wiring sealed at and below the work surface to ensure surface decontamination is possible?
Are power system circuit breakers located outside containment perimeter?
Are life-safety systems, lighting, BSCs and other essential equipment supported by emergency power? If BSCs are not supported by emergency power then are procedures in place for exiting the facility?
Is a communication system provided between inside and outside of containment perimeter?

 

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Operational Requirements

Large Animal Facility Requirements

Questions	YES/NO/NA (see above if NO or NA)	Comments	Mandatory Recommended
Do personnel entering facility remove street clothing and jewellery, and change into dedicated facility protective clothing, equipment and footwear (eg. face protection such as face shields or safety goggles with masks, rubber boots, outer gloves, disposable coveralls)? Is this layer removed on exit from contaminated area? Where dedicated facility clothing is used (eg. scrubs or farm clothing) then a complete clothing change may not be required if a secondary layer of dedicated clothing is worn in the animal facility.
Is appropriate decontamination or change in protective clothing, equipment and footwear done when entering more than one animal cubicle from a clean corridor? Entering more than one animal cubicle from a dirty corridor may be acceptable depending on the project (eg. moving between contaminated areas of equal status).
Are face shields and safety goggles decontaminated after use?
Are hands washed after removing gloves and before leaving the facility?
Where dedicated eye glasses are not worn, are eye glasses decontaminated at the containment perimeter?
Are animal cubicle doors kept closed to control access?
Is each animal cubicle labelled with unique hazards and entry requirements (eg. additional PPE or other requirements)?
Are proper methods of restraint used to minimize kicks, crushing injuries and accidental self-inoculations?
Are exterior surfaces of containers of biological samples to be removed from contaminated animal rooms decontaminated? Heat sensitive samples can be chemically decontaminated (eg. immersion in disinfectant on the perimeter).
At the end of the experiment, are all supplies remaining in the animal cubicles removed and decontaminated? Is feed remaining in the animal cubicles decontaminated and destroyed appropriately?
Are animal carcasses and tissues incinerated or processed through other effective technology? Are carcasses transported from the animal cubicle for disposal via the dirty corridor (alternatively, leakproof containers may be used for transport)?
Are animal cubicles and the dirty corridor cleaned and decontaminated at the end of an experiment using an appropriate procedure?
Are animal faeces and bedding decontaminated using appropriate methods?
In the case sheep are used in scrapie experiments, are they held in containment while lambing? Is bedding, placental fluids and any other waste collected and decontaminated? Is the lambing area decontaminated upon removal of the ewe and lamb?

 

Post Mortem Facility Requirements

Questions	YES/NO/NA (see above if NO or NA)	Comments	Mandatory Recommended
Is full protection clothing (eg. scrubs, disposable impermeable suits, waterproof aprons, head covers, dedicated footwear or disposable impermeable footwear) and double gloves (when using sharps also use cut proof gloves) worn while working with infectious material. Is exposure to mucous membranes or accidental ingestion of contaminated tissues prevented by use of full face shields or safety goggles and surgical masks?
Where a PM room is not equipped with an effluent treatment system, is work with infectious tissue done in an isolated area where fluids and tissues can be contained and treated appropriately before release?
Is equipment that will minimize the generation of aerosols used (eg. manual saws)?
Is gross contamination on equipment and surfaces removed and treated appropriately prior to decontamination of surfaces?
Are procedures in place where decontamination of personnel is required? Showering must not be used as a method of decontamination where liquid effluent treatment is not available.