- Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician Facility Environment and Management Flashcards
6 cards from real ALAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 - Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician Facility Environment and Management flashcards as text
What is the purpose of directional airflow in a laboratory animal facility?
Answer: To prevent cross-contamination by ensuring air moves from cleaner areas to more contaminated areas, never in reverse
Directional airflow ensures air moves from clean to dirty zones (corridors to rooms, clean rooms to soiled areas), preventing backflow of pathogens, allergens, and odors into clean spaces.
How does water quality monitoring apply to laboratory animal facilities?
Answer: Water quality must be monitored for microbial contamination, chemical contaminants, pH, and treatment effectiveness to ensure safe drinking water for animals
Water quality monitoring includes: microbial testing (Pseudomonas, coliforms), chemical analysis (chlorine, heavy metals, pH), verification of treatment systems (RO, acidification, chlorination), and water bottle/manifold sampling to check for biofilm contamination.
What is the significance of facility design for workflow efficiency in animal care?
Answer: Good design minimizes unnecessary travel, separates clean and dirty flows, provides adequate space for procedures, and reduces ergonomic strain on staff
Facility design directly impacts staff efficiency and animal welfare through: logical room arrangement minimizing travel between tasks, clean-dirty separation preventing cross-contamination, adequate procedure space, storage placement near point of use, and ergonomic considerations for staff health.
What maintenance tasks should ALAT technicians perform on IVC rack systems?
Answer: Check blower indicators, verify cage seating on manifold connections, inspect air hoses for damage, monitor filter status, and report alarm conditions
Daily IVC rack maintenance includes: checking blower operation indicators, verifying all cages are properly seated on the air manifold, inspecting air supply/exhaust hoses for damage or disconnection, checking filter differential pressure gauges, and responding to any alarm conditions.
What is the role of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in laboratory animal facility management?
Answer: SOPs are formal documents that standardize all procedures to ensure consistency, quality, regulatory compliance, and training, and any changes require formal review and approval
SOPs are formal, approved documents that standardize procedures across all staff, ensuring consistent care quality, regulatory compliance, and a basis for training. Changes must go through formal review and approval processes.
How should a facility respond to a confirmed disease outbreak in an animal colony?
Answer: Implement quarantine of affected rooms, increase health monitoring, consult the attending veterinarian for treatment and containment strategy, and notify the IACUC and affected investigators
Disease outbreak response includes: immediate quarantine of affected areas, enhanced health monitoring of exposed and at-risk populations, veterinary-directed treatment and containment strategy, notification of IACUC and PIs, investigation of the source, and implementation of additional biosecurity measures.