Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals - Office of ...

PhySICAL PLANT13Animal Room DoorsDoors should be large enough (approximately 42 × 84 in.) to allowthe easy passage of racks and equipment and they should fit tightly in theirframes. Both doors and frames should be appropriately sealed to preventvermin entry or harborage. Doors should be constructed of and, whereappropriate, coated with materials that resist corrosion. Self-closing doorsequipped with recessed or shielded handles, sweeps, and kickplates andother protective hardware are usually preferable. Hospital or terminatedstops are useful to aid in cleaning (Harris 2005). For safety, doors shouldopen into animal rooms; if it is necessary that they open toward a corridor,there should be a recessed vestibule.Where room-level security is necessary or it is desirable to limit access(as with the use of hazardous agents), room doors should be equipped withlocks or electronic security devices. For personnel safety, doors should bedesigned to open from the inside without a key.Doors with viewing windows may be needed for safety and other reasons,but the ability to cover these windows may be considered if exposureto light or hallway activities would be undesirable (e.g., to avoid disturbingthe animals’ circadian rhythm). Red-tinted windows, which do not transmitspecific wavelengths of visible light between corridors and animal rooms,have proved useful for mouse and rat holding rooms as both species havea limited ability to detect light in the red portions of the spectrum (Jacobset al. 2001; Lyubarsky et al. 1999; Sun et al. 1997).Exterior WindowsThe presence of windows in an animal facility, particularly in animalrooms, creates a potential security risk and should generally be avoided.Windows also create problems with temperature control of the area andprevent strict control of the photoperiod, which is often required in animalrelatedprotocols (and is a critical consideration in rodent breeding colonies).However, in specific situations, windows can provide environmentalenrichment for some species, such as nonhuman primates.FloorsFloors should be moisture resistant, nonabsorbent, impact resistant,and relatively smooth, although textured surfaces may be required in somehigh-moisture areas and for some species (e.g., farm animals). Floors shouldbe easy to repair and resistant to both the action of urine and other biologicmaterials and the adverse effects of hot water and cleaning agents. Theyshould be capable of supporting racks, equipment, and stored items without