Animal Research CUE Sheet - 08.25.2026

Why do we perform inspections?

Federal regulations require us to inspect our facilities and review our program at least once every six months. In addition to meeting our regulatory requirements, inspections allow us to ensure the highest quality safety and health of the animals and personnel engaged in animal research activities. 

These also provide us with an opportunity to identify programmatic and ongoing deficiencies before they become reportable non-compliance issues.

What spaces get inspected?

ALL areas in which live animals are housed, undergo procedures (such as surgery) or are euthanized and also…

ALL areas that are utilized for animal research support including storage areas, cage wash areas, corridors within dedicated large vivaria, imaging facilities, and more.

These areas include centralized and satellite facilities where animal care is provided by dedicated staff, as well as Principal Investigator, or PI-managed facilities where animal care is completely provided by the PI and/or other trained lab members. 

Who performs the inspections?

Generally speaking, at least two members of the IACUC must be present at the inspection of each space, and all members of the IACUC are invited to participate in the inspection of any space.

For larger spaces, like the farms or our larger vivaria, the IACUC may use larger groups or sub-groups of inspectors who will look at different parts of the facility.

How can I prepare for an inspection?

Broadly, inspectors look for findings pertaining to information found in regulatory documents like the Animal Welfare Act and the PHS Policy, as well as publications like the Guide, the Ag Guide, and others. We also have institutional standards and guidelines. 

UMD researchers and facilities personnel are expected to operate in compliance with these standards in an ongoing basis, so no special preparation should be required. We provide our Inspection Checklist publicly on our website and in IRBnet for all inspectors and researchers to refer to at any time, but it is especially important to familiarize yourself with the checklist before each inspection round.

Noted for the Spring 2026 Inspection:

• Nominal improvement in total number of findings (150 FA25  148 SP26)
  • Significant decreases in findings related to sanitation and corresponding documentation, feed storage temperature and humidity monitoring, expired drugs and labeling, controlled substances storage and recordkeeping, animal health records, and euthanasia equipment maintenance and corresponding documentation. The emerging theme for the above is records and documentation. Please continue checking inventories, labels, logs, letters, etc., in addition to corresponding tasks.
• Improved or no significant change in all categories except Safety/Cleaning/Sanitation +15 (n = 61)
  • Biggest contributor to increases for above category:
    • Eyewash flushing/documentation +9 (n = 13)
    • Pest control +3 (n = 10)
    • General cleanliness +3 (n = 7)
    • Expired first aid kits/bite kits +2 (n = 6)
    • Sharps/hazards containment +4 (n = 5)
  • The emerging theme with the above is cleanliness and organization, and these are particularly important with AAALAC coming to visit. Clutter, disorder, dust, and signs of pests are flags for deeper inspections. Discard expired items or label clearly, check corners, shelves, tables and other horizontal surfaces for signs of pests and dust, empty waste containers like sharps containers and trash cans prior to inspections, and make sure eyewash station flushing is documented WEEKLY for at least the last 6 month period.
• Ensure that all lab personnel who work directly with animals are appropriately trained and enrolled in Occupational Health (with letters/certifications submitted and kept in a log), and are listed on your ASP. You should receive an email with your full personnel roster in September and should plan to correct discrepancies accordingly.
• Refrigerators and freezers used for animal-related activities like carcass storage, special diets storage, etc., must have weekly documentation of temperatures with reliable, working devices. Provide information on the logs regarding temp thresholds and appropriate ranges.
• Individually Housed Animals: Per UMD IACUC Standards D.2 and D.3, justification for singly housing an animal and a plan for reintegration or removal from study are required. These notations may be provided on the animal’s cage card, or at a minimum, may be documented on other husbandry logs within the housing area. All individually housed animals must also be provided with 2 forms of enrichment unless otherwise documented in an IACUC-approved exception to policy. Check all cage cards for accuracy prior to inspections.
• Please check that previously cited physical plant deficiencies are repaired.

The schedule for IACUC Meeting Dates has been published on our homepage for your reference. The planned schedule is as follows:

Click buttons below lists to register!

New PI/Animal User Training is required for all new PIs, students, assistants, etc., who will work directly with animals. This includes all handling, husbandry, procedures, transportation, etc.

Click here to register for NEW PI/Animal User Training

NON-PI Refresher Animal User Training is required every 3 years in order to continue working with animals.

Click here to register for NON-PI Refresher Animal User Training

PI-SPECIFIC Refresher Animal User Training is required for all PIs with approved UMD IACUC protocols every 3 years in order to continue working with animals.

Click here to register for PI-SPECIFIC Refresher Animal Care Training