Animal Handling Exposure Incidents

Exposure Incidents Involving Direct and Indirect Handling of Animals

Since the implementation of the Laboratory Incident Notification Canada surveillance system from December 2015 to January 2026, 156 exposure incidents involving direct or indirect handling of animals were reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada. These incidents account for 20% of all exposure reports received. This is significant, given that only 2.5% of all Pathogen and Toxin licences authorize work with animals (i.e., small or large animal zones), highlighting the higher inherent risks of working with them.

From the 156 animal-related exposure incidents:

• 115 were mandatory, involving animals infected with regulated material
• 41 were voluntary, typically involving uninfected animals, wild animals or animals exposed to Risk Group 1 biological agents
• 5 were confirmed or suspected laboratory acquired infection, 3 of which had an unknown cause of exposure at the time of reporting

Most exposure incidents (n=116; 74%) involving direct or indirect handling of animals occurred in Containment Level 2 facilities. Another 29 or 19% of incidents occurred in Containment Level 3 facilities. The remaining incidents involved work with prions (7%).

Incidents involving indirect or direct animal work fell into 5 primary categories:

Sharps or Needles Use (43%)

This was the leading cause of animal-related exposure incidents, involving 67 incidents. Two laboratory acquired infections were linked to sharps or needle-stick injuries. Common contributing factors of exposure incidents included:

• unexpected animal movement
• distraction
• needle recapping
• dropped or improperly stored sharps
• injuries during animal pinning or dissection

Animal Handling (18%)

Exposures involving direct handling of animals were related to scratches (n=4) or a poke/bite (n=24), often due to:

• sudden animal reactions
• cuts or punctures during carcass handling

Personal Protective Equipment (10%)

16 incidents were linked to personal protective equipment failure or improper use. One suspected laboratory acquired infection may have resulted from inadequate personal protective equipment during a necropsy. Examples included:

• torn gloves caused by animal movement
• exposure to liquids or aerosols when eye or respiratory protection was insufficient

Containment Devices (6%)

Containment devices include biological safety cabinets and animal cages (for small animals).

Incidents involved:

• work performed outside of required containment
• containment device failures
• breaches in animal cages

Contributing factors include lack of awareness of containment requirements, equipment malfunction, or insufficient knowledge of an animal’s infection status.

Other Types of Exposure Incidents (23%)

The remaining animal-related exposure incidents stemmed from activities such as handling tissue samples, cage washing, or dealing with contaminated sharps or waste. Causes of exposure include:

• a distraction
• cut or needle stick during tissue or sample handling (homogenate preparation, blood transfer, tissue handling)
• cut or needle stick during sample preparation for injection
• cut or needle stick while handling a contaminated sharps instruments/needles/waste
• personal protective equipment failure (powered air-purifying respirator breathing tube disconnection)
• inappropriate personal protective equipment during cage washing

While most of the incidents were related to random or unplanned events, several strategies can help reduce the risk of exposure when working with animals. Conducting a thorough Local Risk Assessment is a critical element, as it will help identify potential hazards associated with the direct or indirect handling of animals. Once the risks are identified, the following should be considered to help mitigate the risks:

Personal Protective Equipment

• appropriate respiratory protection
• proper eye and face protection
• cut and bite resistant gloves

Engineering

• use of containment devices
• use of animal restraint equipment to minimize animal movement and prevent bites/scratches
• anesthetics or immobilization agents, when appropriate
• devices reduce sharps risk (blade protection, auto-retracting needles)

Procedural

• prohibition on recapping needles
• donning and doffing of Personal Protective Equipment: verification of the integrity of Personal Protective Equipment, including positive air-pressure respirators
• minimizing the usage of sharps and needles when possible

Training

• animal handling techniques
• cage handling
• proper use of restraint equipment and anesthetics/immobilization agents
• containment devices
• personal protective equipment donning and doffing, and verification procedures

Management

• ensuring manageable workloads to reduce fatigue
• ensuring availability and proper maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment, equipment, and containment devices
• review incidents and adapt procedures and training to mitigate the identified risks

Remember that if you are conducting controlled activities under the Act, it is your responsibility to inform the Licence Holder of exposure incidents involving regulated pathogens and toxins without delay as per section 15 of the Act. Failure to do so is considered an offence and may lead to enforcement actions.