The University of Washington
inspects all locations where animals may be housed or where procedures involving animals may be performed, including vehicles used to transport animals. Regular inspection of these spaces is a regulatory requirement. The IACUC uses The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals as a basis for its evaluation.
Frequency of IACUC Inspections
Every housing and procedure location (including transport vehicles) must undergo an initial inspection and approval by the IACUC before animals can be present in that space. Following initial approval, the IACUC performs ongoing inspections every 6 months. A small subset of procedure locations may be eligible for annual inspection. To be eligible, these procedure spaces must meet the following conditions: (1) Not used to perform procedures involving USDA-regulated species, (2) Not used for survival or non-survival surgery procedures (with the exception of terminal perfusion), and (3) A clean inspection record (i.e., no deficiencies identified) during the previous two site visits.
How to Prepare for your IACUC Inspection
Your lab should be inspection ready at all times. To help you accomplish this, please review the guidance documents below. We recommend reviewing these documents with your research team on a regular basis to help you maintain a space that is safe for you, safe for the animals, and in compliance with all applicable regulations.