Facility Inspections

IACUC is required to inspect all animal housing areas (where animals are housed for more than 12 hours) and surgical areas at least once every six-months. We will reach out to PIs with active protocols via email to notify them of upcoming scheduled inspection(s). Important note: All animal housing and surgical areas listed on active protocols are required to have semi-annual inspections even in there are no research animals present at the time of the inspection.

Initial facility inspections are required for all new animal research spaces (this applies to new protocols and major modifications that include a space that is not currently used for animal research/care). These inspections must be completed before the committee will issue a determination for a new protocol or major modification. 

Read more about guidance for identifying appropriate spaces for animal research.

Questions about facility inspections should be directed to researchintegrity@wwu.edu.

How to Prepare for Semi-Annual Inspections

• PI should inform all personnel of the planned inspection date
• PI and personnel should confirm that facilities are clean and in good condition (See Summary of Faculty Inspection Criteria)
• PI should arrange to be present personally or designating a well-informed colleague to be their representative for the inspection
• PI should ensure that up-to-date paperwork (protocol, emergency contact information signage, contingency plans, care logs, etc.) are easily accessible to personnel in the lab space
  • Important Reminder! This includes having current and past care logs available and ready for the committee's review at time of inspection.
  • A sample laboratory contact sheet is available on the Resources For Researchers page.
• PI (or lab representative) should be prepared to answer standard questions from the IACUC inspection team

Given the nature of the inspection process, we cannot give each lab an exact arrival time. However, the inspection team will try to accommodate special scheduling requests; if you have time constraints, please respond to the notification email promptly to request scheduling arrangements.

Summary of Inspection Criteria

IACUC members will use a standard inspection form. A sample checklist is available on Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) website (site inspection information can be found on pages 11-19). It is strongly recommended that all PIs and staff review the OLAW site inspection checklist to prepare in advance of the inspection. A simplified version of the inspection criteria is included below for quick reference, see the OLAW checklist for further details.