J U LY/AUG UST 2015 VOLU M E 13 NUMBER 5
www.ALNmag.com
Overcoming Compassion Fatigue Liquid Diet Usage for Gastrointestinal Studies Designing for Hot and Humid Climates
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July/August 2015 | Volume 13 | Number 5 | www.ALNmag.com
. IN THIS ISSUE
10
. DEPARTMENTS
A novel liquid diet for use in swine Liquid diets can be useful in gastrointestinal studies. Amy F. Kilpatrick, RLATg, CVT CPIA, Misty J. Williams-Fritze, DVM, MS, DACLAM, and Alison Hayward, DVM
12
Overcoming compassion fatigue in the biomedical lab How four top managers are managing burnout in the vivarium.
6
From the Editor
8
Trending on ALNmag.com
19
Advances in research and industry Teresa Woodger
19
Stand-alone lab science building for hot and humid climates A case study at the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. Kannan Rengarajan, P.E and Lutfi Mized, P.E.
20
How it Works Compensated vs. non-compensated flow meters
Helen Kelly
16
Updates from the ATA
22
Up and Running Risk control and the IACUC Stacy Pritt, DVM, MS, MBA, CPIA, DACAW
23
Product Focus Enrichment
Ultraviolet light for disinfection A reliable and viable contamination control method for the vivarium.
24
Tools for Training Setting priorities is good time management Ann Marie Dinkel, RLATG
Kevin Lorcheim
25
Ask Dr. Marty Management by crisis Martin Seidenfeld, Ph.D.
page 17
26
Vivarium Pulse
26
Ad Index
page 11
page 22
4
JULY/AUGUST 2015 b ALNmag.com
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FROM
THE
EDITOR |
Elizabeth Doughman
Enrichment for People uring the panel on the Future of the Vivarium at the 2015 TurnKey Conference, one of the panelists C had a great thought that really h ccaught my ear. “We think a lot aabout animal enrichment and welffare, which is great, but I think in tthe future, we’ll think more about enrichment for people.” What does this mean? Much like in animal models, enrichment for people means ensuring that people can express their natural behaviors. This might mean that during a redesign, you make sure that windows and natural light are planned for, which has been shown to improve worker mood, satisfaction, and productivity. Or, enrichment for people might mean scheduling regular breaks for workers in rooms that must be kept hotter or cooler than what we typically think of as comfortable due to animal model needs. This allows people to cool off or warm up, as well as rehydrate if necessary. Now, this doesn’t mean forgetting about animal enrichment. I’m certainly not suggesting that we forget about trying to find ways to help encourage nesting or foraging or social interaction. That’s all still really important. It’s all about finding a balance that minimizes stress to both animals and staff. In this issue, our cover story discusses one important way to think about enrichment for people: addressing compassion fatigue in the vivarium. Compassion fatigue is especially a concern in fields such as laboratory animal science where we ask people to invest time and care into ensuring the well-being of another creature, yet also to maintain their distance when necessary, and sometimes fatal, medical procedures are performed. Our cover story offers tips and suggestions for helping the staff at your vivarium deal with the feelings of grief, sadness, and exhaustion that is possible in their jobs. Hopefully, as we continue to grapple with this and other challenges unique to the laboratory animal science industry, enrichment for people moves into focus, resulting in happier, healthier animals and staff.
D
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❯ ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:
Heat Illness Prevention in the Lab Animal Workplace It used to be that only people who worked outside in hot weather or lived in hot climates had to worry about heat illnesses. What many institutions don’t seem to realize is that heat illness can affect the animal care staff in almost any situation. We wear personal protective equipment (PPE) that doesn’t breathe, or cover our heads and faces so we can’t lose heat, or work in hot rooms because the ambient temperature is over 80˚F due to a PI request. Then there is the staff that works with rack washers, tunnel washers and autoclaves. Constantly around steam, hot water and high humidity. Yes, heat illness can affect all of us.
http://bit.ly/1fmAFMF ❯ INFOGRAPHIC:
Majority of Lab Users Want Input on Vivarium Design Process The majority (95%) of respondents to an October 2014 ALN survey want architects/lab designers to take vision from current lab users and create a working plan during the design/build or renovation of a vivarium, showing that collaboration is an important skill sought after in the design process.
lead to better treatments for neurodegenerative disorders in people. The international team of researchers, from the University of Bern and the University of Helskinski, performed genetic analyses on donated blood samples from dog owners that revealed that a single nucleotide change in the ATG4D gene showed up in affected dogs. This is the first time the ATG4D gene has been linked to an inherited disease, which makes it an excellent candidate for study in human neurodegenerative disorders.
http://bit.ly/1TbUQN1 ❯ INDUSTRY NEWS:
Homes for Animal Heroes Finds Homes for Retired Research Dogs Over the past year, the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) has partnered with key members of the laboratory animal science industry to form the first and only nationwide, research-friendly rehoming network for adoptable dogs, called Homes for Animal Heroes. Go online to read my exclusive interview about with Cindy Buckmaster and Paula Clifford, two of the driving forces behind this new initiative.
http://bit.ly/1IvLWE7
http://bit.ly/1e3CsG0 ❯ ❯ RESEARCH NEWS:
Cause of Rare Neurodegenerative Disease in Dogs Identified French and Swiss scientists have pinpointed the gene mutation that causes a rare neurological condition in the Lagotto Romagnolo dog breed. The findings, published in PLoS Genetics, may
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GENERAL MANAGER David A. Madonia 973-920-7048 david.madonia@advantagemedia.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Bea Riemschneider bea.riemschneider@advantagemedia.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Elizabeth Doughman elizabeth.doughman@advantagemedia.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ernest Austin ernest.austin@advantagemedia.com
ADVERTISING/SALES Denise Phillips 973-920-7657; denise.phillips@advantagemedia.com
FOR SUBSCRIPTION RELATED MATTERS Contact: ABM@omeda.com or phone them at 847-559-7560 for assistance. REPRINTS/E-PRINTS For reprints and permissions, contact The YGS Group 1-800-290-5460 reprints@theygsgroup.com LIST RENTALS INFOGROUP TARGETING SOLUTIONS Senior Account Manager, Bart Piccirillo, 402-836-6283; bart.piccirillo@infogroup.com Senior Account Manager, Michael Costantino, 402-863-6266; michael.costantino@infogroup.com
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BIOMETHODOLOGIES |
Amy F. Kilpatrick, Misty J. Williams-Fritze, and Alison Hayward
A novel liquid diet for use in swine Liquid diets can be useful in gastrointestinal studies. ccording to the Guide and Animal Welfare Act Regulations, a diet must be provided that is palatable, uncontaminated, and meets the nutritional needs of the research animals.1,2 Modifying diets involves meeting the requirements of the study as well as the needs of the animal. Swine are a common animal model used in gastrointestinal research due to their anatomical and physiological similarities to humans.6 Studies requiring access and visualization of the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract (GIT) to facilitate device or equipment evaluation need the target area in the GIT devoid of ingesta. Standard diets may not allow for clearance of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) for some procedures which require visual access. Swine GIT transit times can vary greatly based on the type of diet, size, age, and life stage of the animal but on average the stomach empties between 2 and 6 hours after a meal and the colon between 24 and 48 hours.6 The preliminary method used for ensuring an empty GIT is to withhold food based on the average transit times, however, prolonged fasting periods can be stressful to the animal, especially highly food-motivated species such as swine. In addition, standard fasting times do not always empty the GIT sufficiently for study requirements. Other methods for emptying the gastrointestinal tract include enemas, laxatives, and liquid diet formulations. Administration of enemas and laxatives can be beneficial but may require sedation of the animal and/or create challenges in administering the most effective doses. Finally, swine are sensitive to dietary content and consistency; improper formulations of liquid diets can lead to the development of such problems as diarrhea or gastric ulcers.
A
10
Table 1: Liquid Diet Formulations
Ingredient
Amount
kcal
Pig Chow (pre-soaked in 8oz water and Boost PlusÂŽ)
16oz (2 cups
1240
Boost PlusÂŽ
40 oz
1800
Whey Protein
1.35 oz (10ml)
70
Amino Acid Powder
1.35 oz (10ml)
23
Whole Milk Yogurt
16 oz
340
TOTAL with Pig Chow
1.44 kcal/ml
TOTAL without Pig Chow
1.24 kcal/ml
Sudden changes in diet, diets high in energy, low in fiber or protein, deficient in vitamin E and selenium, and diets with small particle size (<approximately 600 Âľm) have be shown to increase the risk of gastric ulcers as well.3,4,5 Considering these challenges and the need to provide an appropriate diet given the requirements of the study, an assessment of current practices and potential refinements was initiated with the goal of creating a liquid diet that could provide appropriate nutrients, meet caloric requirements, and allow animals to maintain their body weight and body condition. METHODS
The diets are made in-house using store bought ingredients that are readily available and cost effective. Diets are formulated by a veterinarian to provide adequate nutrition (Table 1). Substitutions may lead to inadequate amounts of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Liquid Diet Use in Survival Procedures
A survival study assessing esophageal devices, utilized Yucatan swine. All animals underwent an endoscopic procedure to implant an esophageal device and had weekly endoscopic follow-up procedures
to assess the implant for up to three weeks. The liquid diet was formulated to be complete in calories, nutrients, and fiber. The base of the diet was a standard commercial pig chow, providing the appropriate particle size and minimizing the effects of a change from solid to liquid feed. These animals received a liquid diet consisting of calories comparable to that of the pig chow ration for their given weight range (Table 1). Liquid diet was used post-operatively to allow healing of the esophageal area. Liquid Diet Use in Non-Survival Procedures (Formulation 2)
A non-survival study assessing gastric and colonic access, utilized Yorkshire swine. Liquid diet was used on six studies involving endoscopic gastric access and five with colonic access. Animals undergoing procedures involving access to the stomach were fed a single meal of liquid diet 24 hours prior to the scheduled procedure. Animals undergoing procedures involving access to the colon were fed three days of liquid diet in addition to a cathartic (oral magnesium tablets or oral magnesium citrate) and enema immediately prior to surgery. The liquid diet was modified to exclude the pig chow to further decrease the presence
JULY/AUGUST 2015 b ALNmag.com
Non-survival Studies
Figure 1: Endoscopic view of Yorkshire stomach with one feeding of liquid diet 24 hours prior to surgery
Providing a liquid meal prior to the 24hr fast for non-survival procedures consistently results in an empty stomach (Figure 1) and feeding a liquid diet for three days prior to surgery along with the cathartic and enema can successfully empty the colon (Figure 2). Complete emptying of the colon is difficult in swine due to their unique anatomy (spiral colon) and slow transit time,6 however, the combination of fasting, liquid diets, and cathartic/laxative medications reliably produce good visual access. CONCLUSION
The lack of a commercially available liquid diet for swine poses challenges for many facilities. Researchers may unintentionally provide inadequate Figure 2: Endoscopic view of Yorkshire colon after 3 days of diets or choose not to liquid diet with laxative and enema pre-operatively use liquid diets at all due to lack of availability and information in of ingesta in the GIT. Animals receiving the literature. These inadequate diets can liquid diet received calories comparable create additional health issues for study to that of the pig chow ration for their animals and may compromise valuable given weight rang. RESULTS Survival Studies
Preliminary data from the survival studies suggests swine on this diet can gain weight at a normal rate, maintain body condition scores, and normal blood values for up to 3 weeks (Table 2). The Yucatan swine gained an average of 2.7% per week, typical of the growth rate reported for the breed. All animals readily consumed the liquid diet and animals did not develop any GIT abnormalities.
JULY/AUGUST 2015 c ALNmag.com
data. Feeding a nutritionally complete liquid diet prior to or after surgery when needed for gastrointestinal procedures has been a positive refinement for laboratory swine at our facility. The liquid diet used in these studies proved to be very effective by producing the desired results without compromising animal health. However, due to small sample size, our data has little statistical power. Further research is needed to promote the use of complete and balanced liquid diets where indicated. To view the references for this article, go to www.alnmag.com/ articles/2015/07/novel-liquid-diet-useswine. Amy Kilpatrick is the IACUC and Training Coordinator at CBSET, Inc., a CRO with expertise in surgery, medical devices, and novel technologies. Misty Williams-Fritze is the Clinical Veterinarian at CBSET, Inc. Dr. WilliamsFritze volunteers on national planning committees for AALAS, AVMA, and ACLAM. Alison M Hayward, DVM, is the Director of Veterinary Services and the Attending Veterinarian at CBSET, Inc. Alison has over 19 years of experience in both research and clinical veterinary medicine with a strong focus on surgical models and model development, regulatory compliance, animal welfare and program management.
Table 2: Summary of Yucatan Health Parameters
% Change in Body Weight from Baseline
Body Condition
kcal
1
3.0
N/A
No data
4.7
No data
4.7
2.4
2
3.0
Normal
-1.8
7.8
No data
5.9
3.0
3
3.0
N/A
2.8
No data
No data
2.8
2.8
4
3.0
Normal
-2.6
2.6
No data
0
0
5
3.0
Normal
5.8
2.7
8.8
18.3
5.8
6
2.5
Normal
-3.6
1.2
8.2
5.6
1.9
Animal
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3
Total
Average
11
OPERATIONS |
Helen Kelly
Overcoming compassion fatigue in the biomedical lab How four top managers are managing burnout in the vivarium.
I
technicians is at the start, rewarding. The enormity of the issue is reflected in emotions ranging from sadness and anger to despair, anxiety, headaches, sleeplessness, overeating, rage, feeling derailed—and in turnover rates. Even those who firmly believe that suffering in the name of bioThe Welcome Wall includes pictures of employees, announcing medical progress is the part they play in the facility, and a photograph of a perrighteous and are pre- sonal pet or the animals for whom they are responsible. pared for the emotional “Recognition,” Donna Jarrell, DVM, storm nevertheless struggle mightily CCM's Director told me. “We failed to when the sadness comes. look at the equally powerful drive, the For this piece I spoke with four expeneed for acknowledgement. So it's not rienced managers about how they are just knowing you did the job as well as addressing compassion fatigue. Here are you could even as well as it could be their reports. done.” With characteristic openness, energy, MAKE IT PUBLIC and commitment, Donna and her team The Center for Comparative Medicine embraced the notion of approval and (CCM) at Massachusetts General set about systematically planning for Hospital, one of America's top respectful, dignified recognition of performing hospitals, is in Boston, animal care staff. They used a 12-queswhere there are 51 institutions tion survey developed by the Gallup of higher education including Consulting group. The questions do not Brandeis and Harvard. So it is mention job duties and responsibilities; not surprising that when animal rather they ask about the experience of care staff started showing signs of the job: do you matter? are your goals compassion fatigue, CCM managaligned with that of the organization ers widened opportunity to learn, apply what they learned, and grow and people? are you able to do the best job possible? do you feel close to people in the job. After all, the drives to at work? are you recognized? are you learn and grow are hard wired, so appreciated? what else would you need than Based on the survey results, here are the chance to become a member some ways CCM recognizes employees. in good standing in a community • Job responsibilities expand as the of professionals?
12
JULY/AUGUST 2015 b ALNmag.com
nstinctively we know that belonging and attachment are intrinsic human needs—and that compassion, even for strangers and those of different species, is a hard wired response. Recently, research evidence has confirmed both. So it is not surprising to find that in an animal research laboratory, firstline caretakers can be ambushed and even overcome by feelings of sadness, loss and grief such that they become disappointed, dejected, disillusioned, exhausted, or burned out. This is a very challenging circumstance, first for the technicians themselves who after all take enormous pride in their work yet have the normal human finite capacity to endure feelings of helplessness, to knowingly place an animal in harm's way and to suffer the pain of loss. And it is equally challenging for those who must manage the delicate balance of allowing for such sadness as will arise in the course of tending to research animals and at the same time reviving commitment to the work that for most
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OPERATIONS employees progress from research animal technician 1, to research animal specialist 2, to team leader. • As they move through the steps, promotions are publicized and celebrated. • Staff are compensated for obtaining AALAS ALAT and LAT certifications. • The “CARE” (Committee for Appreciation, Recognition, and Education) group was created to support departmental activities. • There is a Welcome Wall. Here there are pictures of employees, announcing the part played in the facility and a photograph with a personal pet or the animals for whom they are responsible. Donna told me that if she could make just one suggestion for those trying to help employees combat compassion fatigue, it would be this: be present. Commend people for their work face to face. Let them know that they matter to you, to the facility and to the industry. That, she said, might make all the difference. PROVIDE A CAREER PATH
We are animal caretakers and we are here to make the best for these animals as long as they live. That is my mission. -- Kajsa Noaksson Chief Animal Care Technician, Department of Comparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet At the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, Animal Care Technician is the gateway to a career of increasing responsibility and ultimately Brun Ulfhake, a specialty— Professor of Anatomy, for instance Director Comparative species-specific Medicine at Karolinska animal behaInstitutet vior, research protocol, team leadership, and surgery. Each specialty holds education and training prerequisites though ideas and action proposals come from anywhere
14
and everyone's ideas are thoughtfully assessed. “I don't want anyone to feel, or to be, anonymous,” Brun Ulfhake, Professor of Anatomy, Director Comparative Medicine at Karolinska Institutet told me. “With a presence, with a voice, with a sense of control, responsibility, acceptance, dependable relationships, the promise of a future and education and training that will prepare them for success, people develop confidence in their ability to do their best work and to progress. And they stay.” Work in small animal care teams supports a focus on employee development, local decision making and long-term retention. Within the team people raise possibilities for improvement, enhancement, enrichment, overhaul; they express concerns, share positive and difficult experiences, and are of help to one another. When problems arise, all team members are tasked to develop solutions in a timely way. When a new idea proves fruitful the Team Lead shares with the Chief Technician who disseminates ideas for the greater good. “This experience of long-term association brings a camaraderie, a safe place, and a wonderful atmosphere,” Professor Ulfhake explained. “And since we hope everyone will have the confidence to exchange ideas with colleagues from around the world everyone is asked to learn, and to speak in, English.” There is a flow of information and relationship among all concerned with a study. Care staff are informed about the purpose of the study, the research animals' species specific behavior patterns, and what to expect. Sometimes an animal care team does the experiment. Inevitably there are strains, both physical and emotional and work can be repetitive. When necessary, technicians take paid time to exercise and regroup and the Institute subsidizes the cost of gym membership. Everyone has one salaried hour a week to spend as he or she wishes on the likes of exercise, reflection, or study. “This culture—where ideas origi-
nate everywhere, where people know one another as individuals, where we learn what matters to one another, where each person's talents unfold in the course of taking responsibility and making choices—this culture takes time to build,” Dr. Ulfhake continued. “And there are challenges in the form of some hard realities. Animals must die. People may need time away. Not every idea sees the light of day. This is where the team steps in. The team helps people stay positive, stay encouraged, stay engaged and stay with us on the job.” I asked Professor Ulfhake what it takes to develop and manage policies and practices that are almost perfectly aligned to basic human drives. He said that local decision making keeps things efficient, and that he'd learned a lot from the Toyota management innovations—Philosophy, Process, People & Partners and Problem Solving. But I think it's at once simpler and more profound than that. I think the Department is an exemplar learning organization, in very large part because the top manager is a generous, welcoming person who himself lives a vibrant learning life. CREATE SAFE SPACES TO SHARE
Dr. Sylvia Singletary, D.V.M., is Director of Animal Facilities and Attending Veterinarian at the City University of New York Advanced Dr. Sylvia Singletary, DVM, Director of Science Research Animal Facilities and Center. Attending Veterinarian “This generat the City University ation has been of New York Advanced raised to be Science Research Center sensitive; to recognize that animals are sentient. And in some ways, the progress we've made ensuring the welfare of research animals, the commitment to providing opportunities for species-specific behavior and the focus on enrichment—all have brought
JULY/AUGUST 2015 b ALNmag.com
today's generation of animal technicians in close touch with an animal in distress. The technicians not only respect the animal's right to the best possible life; they recognize the animal’s pain and distress, and as managers, we can't ignore the stress this causes. “So we talk a lot, together, about our emotional ties to the animals and research objectives. We talk about the pleasure of taking a dog out for exercise, and about seeing a young rat or mouse pups as they develop. People become animated talking about the joy, and the wonders of species specific behavior. I encourage opportunities for safe spaces to decompress, reset emotional buttons, and deepen connections.” ADDRESS GRIEF AND GUILT
Dr. Rickey Luckett is Laboratory Animal Facilities Manager at the College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University. Dr. Rickey Lucket, “Virtually Laboratory Animal everyone Facilities Manager respects and valat the College of Veterinary Medicine, ues the animals North Carolina State who are giving University their lives to further scientific knowledge that hopefully leads to cures,” Dr. Luckett says. “Nevertheless the act and fact of sacrifice is traumatic. “However, though the distress is entirely normal, unfortunately so is the effect of grief, which is so often guilt. Guilt can push people to take on more than they can handle. They may come in early, stay late, driven to provide that extra effort of emotional care to the living. Furthermore, behind the guilt there is often anxiety or anger which the affected person may not recognize.” Dr. Luckett said that this mix of powerful emotions almost always engenders a stormy backlash. “There's so much confusion, both
JULY/AUGUST 2015 c ALNmag.com
overt and subconscious. Animal technicians and animal caretakers are universally animal lovers, so they are bound to have pets. That means at work they put animals in harm's way while at home they are on the lookout to keep pets from harm’s way. And there are more individual issues that arise—philosophical and religious questions. Do animals have souls, or not? Who is right about that? “When confusion reigns attitudes change; people argue, come in late or just stay home. Compounding the situation, everyone has different thresholds and the issues are different for each person and at different times in each person's life. “So a big part of my job is leading the way in expressing what may be difficult for my staff members to say or for others to hear, and making sure staff members are recognized for their contribution to the greater good. Discuss Shared Experiences
“When managers and supervisors express the feelings their staff experience, there's a shared experience not only of pain but of compassion, and there's a bond that creates trust. People cry. Managers and supervisors must not shy away at these times. Silent companionship and expression of understanding go a long way to helping the individual accept and continue. This is not grief counseling; this is simple human compassion. We work in teams and we share details of each new study. People may opt in or out. There are no negative consequences. Allow People to Shine Among Their Peers
“There was a time when people here moved in a career progression stepwise with a raise at each step. Not now. So we make every effort to raise the profile of excellent work. People win awards at national meetings, at pot luck suppers, via bulletin boards. We aim to boost morale through respect and standing, so we invite award winners to take on the role of teaching others, including investigators, about the animal, species
specific behavior and the animal's life cycle.” TECHNICIANS TRAIN INVESTIGATORS
“Building on that foundation many of our technicians deliver training to our investigators. They are tasked with delivering important information about the animals' characteristics or procedures. Their involvement may increase their job satisfaction and offset some of the more trying aspects of the job,” Dr. Singletary added. “So we're optimistic. PI's no longer think of the animal care staff as cage cleaners. Research personnel recognize that the animal care staff are among the best trained in the business and that in addition they are whole people, strong and confident in their knowledge and abilities.” “Hopefully, your article will raise a debate,” Dr. Ulfhake wrote to me. “This is a debate we are having in Europe to raise both the standards and rewards in lab animal care-taking. The ultimate goal is that high quality work in facilities will improve significance and reproducibility of science based on the use of lab animals. This is an important incentive I repeat over and over again to all involved in the care and use of lab animals.” ALN thanks the Enrichment Record and LAWTE for their help in producing this survey on compassion fatigue. This survey would not have been possible without their invaluable assistance. To view the additional reading, go to www.alnmag.com/articles/2015/07/ compassionfatigue-biomedical-lab. Helen Kelly is ALN's Contributing Editor, International. HelenKellyLtd@ aol.com For more on compassion fatigue, and to see the results of an April 2015 survey on this topic, to go www.alnmag.com/articles/2015/ 06/dealing-with-compassion-fatigue.
15
DESIGN |
Kannan Rengarajan, P.E and Lutfi Mized, P.E.
Stand-alone lab science building for hot and humid climates A case study at the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. his paper will outline the features of one of the most recent research labs built as part of the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in 2014. This science lab was built to conduct experiments on various species to understand their performance both on Earth and in Space under different environmental conditions. Despite many constraints, we will demonstrate how a highly energy efficient facility achieved LEED Silver certification. The challenges of this project are due to some of the following requirements: • The project site was located on a previously developed land • The site location limited the building footprint by the adjacent access roads and other existing buildings • New facility had to be located adjacent to one of the most secure facilities with high value payloads and national assets • Utilities had to be brought from adjacent facilities whose operation could not be disturbed • Limited time for construction due to proposed launch schedules • Stringent facility environmental requirements • Facility needed to be LEED certified • All products had to comply with Buy American Act • Control system needed to be highly flexible and had to control the fully redundant mechanical systems • Control system needed to interact with central control system • The facilities and operation had to be AAALAC certified
T
16
Facility as envisioned.
BACKGROUND
Building a standalone vivarium which maintains pressure relationships between various communicating spaces and that maintains positive pressure with respect to exterior environment is a huge challenge. The exterior walls had to be designed as breathable and as well as cleanable for the level of cleanliness required in a hot and humid climate. The following wall detail was used to build
the lab envelope so that above goals could be achieved. Exterior water proofing had water vapor permeance less than 1 perm and interior water based epoxy coating had approximately 5 perms. Typically, there are options for orienting a building and the selecting the most optimum building orientation for the least amount of energy use. However, this site was selected based on adjacency, security, and available utility constraints.
Facility as constructed.
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3D model of the systems which was fine-tuned during construction.
Therefore, developing a building footprint and floor plan that met the functional requirements of a demanding lab was a huge challenge. Several design meetings were conducted to finalize, select the most optimum acceptable layout by the users and facility maintenance personnel and to meet life safety regulations. STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES
Besides the normal structural goals for ordinary structure, there were additional challenges for this facility. To provide the optimum facility within budget and schedule, both engineers and architects held several meetings with the various construction trades to select the most durable and available construction materials. To be sustainable and green, this project opted to use materials that have high recycling contents such as concrete masonry units (CMU), concrete with slag and fly ash, structural steel, steel joists, and steel deck. The use of these materials helped capture some LEED points. To control humidity precisely, chilled water option was selected by the mechanical design team. Routing chilled water supply and return from the adjacent SSPF mechanical room (approximately 200 ft. away with 80 ft. in change in elevation) to the Science Annex was challenging. The selected option was to route the pipes up to the SSPF roof, continue to run the pipes on supports over another building containing space station modules and other flight hardware, and then run the pipes down along the side of the 80 ft. high building to the AHUs located on the ground adjacent to the Science Annex. The pipe roof penetration curb and gooseneck was custom designed. The pipe supports were designed using finite element model to determine precisely the pipe deflections
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and reactions on the roof structure. To meet the stringent wind pressures on the walls and roof of the Science Annex, reinforced CMU load bearing
walls and steel deck for the roof were selected. Steel deck was modeled structurally as diaphragm system to resist lateral wind loads. Since the facility footprint was very limited, it became clear as the design developed that more space was required to house mechanical equipment. To meet
DESIGN
Figure 1: Typical space humidity profile.
this demand, a mezzanine within the mechanical room was added during the design-build process. The design was challenging as the vertical clear space in the mechanical room was already established. Shallow roof framing members were utilized to maximize the head room above the mezzanine. To meet the budget, only 8 inch CMU block could be used for the exterior walls. To keep the 8 inch CMU and deal with the high wind speeds at the site location, and wall heights, the design engineers integrated the wall into the floor slab. This created a two span condition versus one simple span. This made the use of reinforced 8 inch CMU possible. MECHANICAL SYSTEMS CHALLENGES
The prime goals of this facility design included: • Maintain required air changes and adjust as needed based on facility occupancy • Maintain positive and negative pressures in various interconnected spaces at all times • Maintain space temperature from 65 to 78 deg F • Maintain RH in critical rooms from 40 percent to 60 percent adjustable in one percent increments • Maintain overall building pressure to be positive to ensure humidity control To meet the above challenges, a variable speed direct expansion (DX) type AC system was initially selected. However, through the energy analysis
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exercise it was realized that getting enough LEED credits and control of precise humidity would be very difficult with this approach. Therefore, we explored options to bring chilled water from a central water-cooled chiller plant located approximately 1,200 ft. away from the building. We had to incorporate a circulation pump to the existing primary/secondary loop to achieve this. The air-handling unit was designed as a once through system to maintain the highest level of cleanliness specified. Filtration was achieved with UV lights and HEPA filters. All the mechanical and control systems were designed with 100% redundancy. Due to the fact that animals are very sensitive to the rate of change in temperature, we included electric heat for the terminal heats with SCR control instead of steam heat. The steam boilers were designed to handle both autoclave and cage washer steam loads with condensate recovery without any pumps. Natural gas service was extended to this facility for steam boiler and water heaters. Water heaters were designed for 180 deg F high temperature hot water supply to minimize the steam use in cage washer and maximize energy savings. The humidifier system uses RO/DI water so that cleanliness can be maintained. In addition, the DI water is used for animals’ consumption. The entire control system sequence of operations and failure analysis was developed based on different operating scenarios at this lab and possible impacts due to either equipment or a control device failure. Alternate means of control without losing temperature, humidity, and pressure relationships were identified. Switch over of major equipment was tested to ensure that facility conditions can be restored within three minutes in case of a major equipment failure such as
an air handler or exhaust fan. Figure 1 shows how well we maintained space conditions throughout the hot summer days in Florida LEED CERTIFICATION
The SSPF Science Annex laboratory had to be LEED silver certified per NASA mandates for all new buildings. It was a very challenging endeavor as this is a lab building with once through air conditioning system with prescribed air changes per hour requirements. The lab operation is typically dictated by mission requirements. Therefore, the available flexibility in operation (based on whether the lab is in operation before the mission or in use after the mission) was thoroughly modeled/controls programmed to save as much energy as possible without losing cleanliness requirements. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the integrated designbuild delivery process for the Science Annex was successful with the right team of engineers, architects, and contractors with customer involvement throughout the process. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to NASA KSC Team, CDE Design and Construction Team, DJ Design Architects, Doug Wilson General Contractors, ALC Controls, and Enthalpy ENC Mechanical Contractors. Kannan Rengarajan, P.E. is one of the founders of CDE serves as the Lead Mechanical Engineer. He has over 32 years of multi-disciplinary engineering projects experience and has authored several articles in the HVAC field for hot and humid climates. www.cdeco.com Lufti Mized, P.E. is one of the founders of CDE serves as the Lead Structural Engineer. Mr. Mized has over 32 years of multi-disciplinary engineering projects experience and was nominated as the “Engineer of the Year” by Canaveral Council of Technical Societies/NSPE. www.cdeco.com
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UPDATES |
Teresa Woodger
Advances in research and industry he ATA membership represents a true cross section of suppliers to the laboratory animal science and related research fields. Collectively we continue to develop, manufacture and create products and services contributing to animal welfare, the latest regulatory requirements, and significant refinement in research procedures. Check any of the industry's buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guides, including ALN, and you will see the depth in our roster spanning all product categories, as well as the continued integration of various technologies.
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ADVANCES IN RESEARCH
Advances in biomedical research continue at an accelerated pace and today include more non-traditional lab animal
HOW
IT
species and models of specific disease including the development of personalized medicine and associated humanized animals, all of which requires specialized products. These changes move all of us towards the cures we strive for and close the bench to bedside gap. ADVANCES IN INDUSTRY
Today we use products in our everyday lives that had not even been imagined at the beginning of this century. For example, miniaturization in electronics means greater power from smaller devices, which lends itself to applications with laboratory animals. Many of these products are minimally or completely non-invasive, reducing the need for anesthesia and surgery and
avoiding frequent restraint. This results in animals that are freely moving, maintained in species specific conditions with data collected in real-time. Manufacturers can create precise algorithms adapted to the individual measurements, taking into account all of the variables, The ability of the algorithm to learn provides for the continual improvement in the data analysis, opening the door to new applications. Check the ATA website, www.go2ATA. org, for a complete list and brief overview of member organizations and take some time to consider the importance of equipment within your own facility. Teresa Woodger, ATA President, can be reached at teresa@lomir.com.
WORKS
Compensated vs. non-compensated flow meters PROBLEM Are you really AVMA compliant? If you are connecting a traditional, pressure compensated flow meter directly to the house gas supply, the flow readings may be wrong. Compensated flow meters require a specific incoming pressure to display accurate flow rates. The actual flow rate may vary greatly from the displayed flow rate if the required incoming pressure is not achieved and maintained. Incoming pressure from the house supply may vary daily due to numerous factors, such as variations in demand from lab to lab and distance from the CO2 source. Labs located closer to the central cylinder farm will have a higher incoming pressure than labs farther from the source. The table below illustrates the difference between the indicated and actual flow rate of compensated flow meters when the incoming pressure varies from its required amount. SOLUTION Non-Compensated flow meters will continue to give accurate readings regardless of incoming pressure fluctuations.
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Euthanex's Non-Compensated flow meters work with an incoming pressure range of 5-100 PSI. Daily variations in system pressure will not skew the flow readings. NonCompensated flow meter readings can be trusted and are available in either Tamper-Proof or adjustable configurations. Compensated flow meters should only be used when the operating pressure is consistentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;either connecting directly to an inline or a tank New EP-5000 NonCompensated Flow regulator. As a result, all Euthanex Meter compensated flow meters are automatically coupled with regulators to ensure consistent pressure and provide accurate readings. For more information go to www.ezsystemsinc.com
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OPERATIONS |
Kevin Lorcheim
Ultraviolet light for disinfection A reliable and viable contamination control method for the vivarium.
he use of ultraviolet light (UV) for germicidal irradiation is not a new idea. UV has been used for disinfection since the mid-20th century, with beginnings even earlier when sunlight was investigated for bactericidal effects in the mid-19th century. It’s useful for a myriad of home devices for disinfecting everything from toothbrushes to tablet computers. Within research facilities, UV has been an option when purchasing Biological Safety Cabinets for years, and can also be used within ductwork. UV technology has advanced in recent years to become more reliable. Ballasts being used today are able to maintain the power output of UV bulbs for far longer than in the past, up to thousands of hours. This has allowed UV systems to become more viable for wide ranging use. The use of UV has recently grown within the healthcare industry to provide disinfection of room surfaces in addition to existing cleaning methods.
is considered dead; since it is unable to multiply to infectious numbers within a host. This is why UV disinfection is sometimes called ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI).
HOW DOES UV WORK?
SAFETY
Ultraviolet light exists within the spectrum of light between 10 and 400 nm. The germicidal range of UV is within the 100-280 nm wavelengths, known as UV-C, with the peak wavelength for germicidal activity being 265 nm. This range of UV light is absorbed by the DNA and RNA of microorganisms, which causes changes in the structure, rendering the microorganisms incapable of replicating. A cell that can’t reproduce
As UV-C provides radiation, it is not safe to be in the room while UV-C disinfection is taking place. UV-C is classified as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” by the National Toxicology Program. It presents a hazard to skin and eyes, so direct exposure is always to be avoided. UV-C is blocked by a number of materials, including glass (but not quartz glass) and most clear plastics, so it is possible to safely observe if you are looking
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WHAT IS UV EFFECTIVE AGAINST?
UV has been proven effective against
through a window. UV-C provides residue free disinfection, so there is no concern over dangerous residues that need to be wiped down or neutralized after the disinfection occurs. The process is environmentally friendly in that there are no dangerous or toxic chemicals that require specialized storage or handling. Since no chemicals are added to the air/ water there are no process byproducts to be concerned with. The UV bulbs do not require special handling or disposal either, making the system a green alternative to chemical disinfectants. BENEFITS
a broad spectrum of microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria, and spores. With the longstanding use of UV for disinfection, there is a plethora of information regarding dosages necessary to inactivate different microorganisms. Bacteria are generally easier to inactivate than viruses, with fungi and spores being even harder to inactivate with UV.
While there are definite limitations to UV-C disinfection technologies, there are many benefits as well. Disinfection times are fast, with a typical disinfection cycle lasting about 15 minutes. This allows for extremely fast turnover times for rooms or other spaces being disinfected. Due to its simplicity, UV-C disinfection is extremely easy to understand. All surfaces within a certain distance will observe an assured level of disinfection in a certain amount of time as long as the light is not blocked from shining on that surface. The cost to run UV systems is very low, typically less than 2 cents, as systems are powered by regular wall outlets. UV systems also require little maintenance and upkeep due to their simplistic nature. DRAWBACKS
While UV is effective at inactivating a
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wide range of microorganisms, there are limitations for its use. As it involves light waves, UV operates in a “line of sight” fashion, only irradiating surfaces within its sightlines. Surfaces can be blocked from the light if objects are in the way, much like a beach umbrella offering protection from the sun. Distance also plays a factor into the efficacy of UV light. The strength of the UV-C light decreases the further away it gets from the light source, following the inverse square law. This relationship limits how far a single source of UV light is effective before it is too weak to provide adequate disinfection. Sensors are available which can measure the UV-C output of the UV systems at any location, such that adequate treatment times can be interpreted for that specific location. UV light does not penetrate well into
organic materials, so for best results UV-C should be used after a standard cleaning of the room to remove any organic materials from surfaces. APPLICATIONS
UV light can be used for a variety of disinfection applications. As mentioned, it has long been available for Biological Safety Cabinet disinfection. It can also be used for surface and air disinfection in rooms and other chambers. It provides a chemical free method of disinfecting soundproofing materials that are traditionally chemically incompatible. Smaller UV-C systems are available for small item disinfection within a self-enclosed chamber. Systems for HEPA filter disinfection are available as are in-line duct systems. CONCLUSION
Ultraviolet light technology has advanced
in recent years to become a reliable and viable disinfection method. Just like all contamination control methods, ultraviolet light is not a cure-all that is perfect for all applications. It is easy to contain UV-C light from escaping and creating dangerous situations in surrounding areas. It also works well on materials that are not chemically resistant, such as ferrous metals and soundproofing acoustic foams. Empty holding rooms between research populations are also easily disinfected with ultraviolet light. With UV-C able to offer short disinfection times and an easy to understand limitation, there are many applications where it becomes an advantageous disinfection method within the life sciences industry. Kevin Lorcheim is an Engineer for ClorDiSys Solutions, Inc. (908) 236-4100; www.clordisys.com.
”CLEANING AND DECONTAMINATION EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS”
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Introducing the New HydroSwivel Sweeper™ A multi-functioning cleaning tool for virtually every surface! Includes a Mini M-70 Spray Nozzle!
The Flash-Thru Disinfection Tunnel by
Chemical-free and liquid-free disinfection tunnel using Ultraviolet light
See it in action at www.strahmanvalves.com/store/hydroswivel-sweeper.html Phone: (484) 893-5080 Email: strahman@strahman.com
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908-236-4100 www.clordisys.com
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UP & RUNNING | Stacy Pritt, DVM, MS, MBA, CPIA, DACAW
Risk control and the IACUC
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ou may not realize it, but your institution’s institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) evaluates risk all of the time. What is this risk? People use the term risk, especially as it applies to organizations, in many different ways. For most businesses, risk relates to the financial gains or losses that are expected consequences from a certain action or event. While the IACUC is one of the best situated institutional groups to deal with regulatory risks, other risks the IACUC works to control are financial and reputational.
RISK IDENTIFICATION
When risk is defined as the realization for the potential of undesired or negative outcomes from an event, it is clear how the IACUC steps into the risk assessment and control role. For the purposes of this article, assessment will include risk identification and characterization. The first part of risk assessment is identifying the sources for events that present risk or are known as risk identification. These events include, but are not limited to: • Regulatory agency inspections. • Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC) site visits. • Client or funding group audit. • Reports to regulatory agencies and the National Institutes of Health (NIH. So, what are the risks? Fines, the release of unflattering information to the public, loss of funding, reputational harm, an inability to perform research, and the potential for the institution to suffer from other negative actions. These are the things that the IACUC should and must work to control. What do IACUCs usually hear when it comes to risk? They hear “keep us out of the newspapers” and/or “keep me/us out of jail.” While those statements do express a level of tolerance for risk, they do not provide much guidance for IACUC staff and members on how to appropriately identify, assess, and control risks. To do so, IACUCs should create and adopt a formal method of risk identification, assessment, and control based upon the institution’s tolerance level and available resources, as well as the committee’s own comfort level.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING
All good risk programs employ environmental scanning. Environmental scanning activities can range from meetings at which areas of concern are discussed, to group emails presenting information about certain issues, to reports to the Institutional Official (IO). At its core, environmental scanning should be an ongoing risk assessment activity that is embraced by several members of IACUC staff and members to help ensure that the committee and animal care and use program are fully aware of all of the risks to the institution. Institutional risk programs need to take this information into account when formulating risk control plans. What does this look like and include? • Knowing your institution’s previous history and experience with regulatory agencies, AAALAC, funding groups, and other organizations of importance. This awareness usually dictate’s an institution’s tolerance for future risk and directs the interactions with these outside groups. • Learning the top deficiencies as stated annually by the USDA, OLAW, and AAALAC. IACUC staff and members need to be aware of what these external groups are looking at and consider to be important. • Keeping in the loop on regulatory trends and changes. Information gleamed from attending meetings where the USDA, AAALAC, and OLAW present such as the annual Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIMR) IACUC conference and the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) National Meeting needs to be shared with all members of the animal care and use program and IACUC members. IACUC Chairs, IACUC staff, Attending Veterinarians, and other key individuals should subscribe to various listservs to ensure that they receive news alerts and other changes as quickly as possible. Both the USDA and OLAW offer listserv sign-ups on their web sites. Michigan State University also administers an IACUC Administrator listserv that is quite useful. • Measuring IACUC findings. IACUCs should consider measuring and trending the findings noted during semi-annual facility inspections, program reviews/evaluations, post-approval monitoring visits, and other activities to give the committee an understanding of where the program’s strengths and weaknesses lay. This knowledge can in turn better direct IACUC efforts to decrease regulatory risk. • Investigating on-going concerns or complaints. Metrics are useful for getting a good picture on what is going on, and they can help clarify all of
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those gut feelings involved in IACUC discussions, but they can’t replace all feelings. In my experience, there is usually always some kernel of truth or something be uneasy about in situations where long-standing complaints or concerns exist. We all know of these circumstances, these are the items or processes that many people complain about but others feel there is no problem with it. If not just to quiet vocal persons, when these complaints and concerns are thoroughly reviewed (see the next bullet point), it can give the IACUC confidence that there is no issue or give the IACUC direction on how to best address the issue if it is found to be valid or a potential area for risk. • Applying process maps to your processes. As discussed in the January/February issue, process maps are an invaluable tool for dissecting processes and evaluating (thus knowing) each step. For IACUCs, I highly recommend process mapping all aspects of protocol review and approval (and sig-
nificant change or amendment processes as well). Problems with the processes may not be suspected, but you can be absolutely sure of compliance with a completed map. Process maps of protocol review and approval functions can be used as training tools and included in AAALAC program descriptions. If problems are found, this lets you know exactly which steps are affected and can give direction on how critical the problem is. Stacy Pritt, DVM, MS, MBA, CPIA, DACAW is the Director of the IACUC at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Currently, she serves as the Delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates for the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners. She is Past-President of the Laboratory Animal Welfare Exchange and the recipient of the 2012 TurnKey Facility Leader of the Year Award and the 2015 Laboratory Animal Management Association Ron Orta Memorial Award.
ENRICHMENT c
PRODUCT FOCUS
Enrichment Sheets
Nesting Building Blocks
Innorichment™ is a flat enrichment sheet that eliminates many of the processes involved with incorporating enrichment and nesting into a rodent program. Three sheets of Innorichment™ comes irradiated and pre-inserted into each pre-bedded Innocage®, delivering a precise quantity of material in every cage. This reduces research variables, decreases occupational risks, and eliminates the need for extra storage. Innovive www.disposablecages.com
Enviro-dri® provides mice with materials that stimulate their natural instincts. This encourages mice to forage, gather, and build nests similar than those built by their wild counterparts. Shepherd Specialty Papers www.ssponline.com
Portion Controlled Nesting Material Bed-r’Nest™ is now available in a 4 gram and 8 gram size of portion controlled, easy-to-dispense nesting material that requires no tearing, pulling or prepping. Made of 100% virgin kraft paper, Bed-r’Nest is designed to resemble the thin strands of grass and other materials mice instinctively use to build their nests in nature. The Andersons Lab Bedding Products www.andersonslabbedding.com
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Electronic Enrichment The CHOICE Solo interactive electronic enrichment offers a standalone “solo” software application that allows NHPs to choose their videos, music, lighting, or express themselves with finger paints. Complexity settings let you control and add features as animals learn the application. History functions let you track your animals' progress. This can be easily attached to existing caging equipment. Britz & Company www.britzco.com
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TOOLS
FOR
TRAINING |
Ann Marie Dinkel, RLATG
Setting priorities is good time management he new normal in the work world is doing more with less, cutting positions, increasing efficiency, and replacing people with technology. Any edge gained in productivity translates to a positive bottom line. Applying time management skills is critical for taking control of both your business and personal life. In light of this atmosphere, a review of some basic time management principles is appropriate. In general, time management focuses on eliminating wasted activity, and identifying important tasks so time is spent wisely. The phrase, “handle the big things, and the little things will take care of themselves” is apropos here. This also meshes with the Pareto Rule, otherwise known as the 80/20 Rule. Paraphrased, this says you should focus 80% of your time on the most important 20%.1
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LEARNING TO PRIORITIZE
According to Merriam Webster, the definition of prioritizing is “to organize (things) so that the most important thing is done or dealt with first;” “to make (something) the most important thing in a group.“2 Learning to properly prioritize can help you to find some extra hours in the day by providing the “biggest bang for the buck.” Prioritizing means making choices, including sacrificing some tasks to give additional time and attention to others.3 Priority can be determined by urgency, such as time deadlines, the effect or benefit of the activity, and other factors.4 Learning to identify these and practice them can lead to higher productivity and reduced stress. Not every task is equal in priority. Pressures to file reports, apply for grants, provide information to your manager for a meeting, or produce timely billing information are all examples of urgent deadlines, making them high priority. They also necessitate planning time to collect information, draft documents and obtain whatever approvals may be required. One consultant breaks it down to Priority A: critical things, Priority B: business as usual, and Priority C: everything else.5 He also suggests
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that you concentrate on the “B” items and interrupt them when the critical “A” items come up. This allows you to better address the interruption of Priority A items when they occur. This breakdown is echoed in many other articles on prioritizing, and satisfies most of the choices and decisions made in normal work world. There are some complex models6 for making choices, many of which involve creating decision matrixes, but in this author’s opinion, the time spent to gather information and create the matrix may well outweigh the benefit to the decision process, and are best saved for life and death business decisions that most of us will never encounter. PRACTICAL STEPS FOR PRIORITIZING
Make a list of the tasks to be accomplished. Rate them using a method that is easy for your to recognize. Most use A, B, and C, but if stars work better for you, use stars. Find a method that works for the way you work. Are you someone who wants to get all the little stuff out of the way so the afternoon is clear for the big projects? If so, group your to do list in that way, identifying all those little things that can easily be accomplished in a very short period of time. For some people, this clears their mind to better focus on the big things without the “noise” of little things. Use a scheduler or calendar to remind you of deadlines. This helps to establish milestones and identify steps to be completed to meet them. CONCLUSION
The possibilities of priority-setting extend beyond the desk and should govern many daily activities. Imagine a meeting where the agenda was structured in order of priority rather than by old business, new business, or other traditional models. The bulk of time and energy would be focused on the most transformative items. Meetings could be more productive and shorter, and more energizing to the organization. Imagine a home life simplified by the same means. Homework, chores and travel could be more efficiently completed allowing for more quality family time. As a final note, setting priorities is difficult for everyone. For example, as I write this, I realize it is one day before my deadline. To view the references for this article, go to www.alnmag. com/articles/2015/07/setting-priorities-time-management. Ann Marie Dinkel, RLATG, has over 30 years of facility and staff management experience and serves as Adjunct Faculty at the Delaware Technical Community College and the Drexel MLAS program. She is a consultant and trainer in Laboratory Animal Science.
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ASK
DR.MARTY | Martin Seidenfeld, Ph.D.
Management by crisis any managers and supervisors believe they are most productive, and feel most satisfied, when they are attending to crises. Unfortunately, their addiction to "putting out fires" often leaves them with little time to do those things that would really improve their functioning and advance their careers.
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IMPORTANT VS. URGENT
Any particular activity can be considered along two dimensions, importance and urgency. Things that are urgent are driven by deadlines, quotas, and must-dos. However, such activities are not necessarily important. Likewise, some very important activities are not urgent, because they do not need to be done immediately. Here are some example of urgent and important activities. It’s time to prepare your shopping list for supplies for the coming quarter. You are supposed to have your list of requirements ready by tomorrow, when the lab’s purchasing agent is going to submit bids to venders. Because you have been very busy coping with day-to-day problems you haven't yet worked on it. You know that you have enough supplies on hand that, even with very careful management, getting through the next few months with just the stock you have would be tough— and you might be in serious trouble. Since you have very little time in which to prepare your list of supply needs, getting it done quickly is urgent. As the company has grown, so has your own department, with new functions having been assigned to your work force. You begin to realize that the team structure you now have in place may not be the most efficient for meeting the requirements of your new assignments. You start thinking about reorganizing your staff into a new set of teams that could increase your overall efficiency and productivity. Although things are still going fairly well now, you see the potential for much greater improvement. Working out a new organizational plan therefore is not very urgent but could be extremely important. THE DOWNSIDE OF CONSTANT CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Because you are probably very good at performing your department’s functions, you are often immediately able to see the solution to many of the problems that confound your employees. Of course, it feels good when an employee comes to you puzzled about how to do something and you are quickly able to show him how. Your pleasure at being able to resolve a problem is probably apparent to your employees. They know that, in some unspoken way, solving their problems pleases you and is rewarding to you. But pleasing you, “the boss,” is also rewarding to the employee, who has a need for your approval. Since they want to please you, their behavior is reinforced. In accordance with the well-known laws of conditioning, they will, consequently,
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more frequently come to you with their problems. A vicious cycle is thereby created. The more you reinforce an employee’s behavior of needing your help and expertize, the more problems he/she will present. Soon you will find yourself continuously involved in dealing with problems, facing crisis after crisis. You may feel very productive because you're constantly putting out fires. But that leaves you with little time for the really important things—rather than the merely urgent. The tendency to constantly deal with urgent crises often takes over managers’ lives and begins to apply not just to their professional lives, but to their personal lives as well. Finding problems that need immediate solutions becomes a way of life. And because you are thoroughly occupied with immediate needs there is little time for serious reflection or long term planning. Constantly solving urgent items becomes a habit; coping with crises becomes a lifestyle. Take a look around you and carefully consider the management style of other managers in your organization. It may surprise you to find that many middle managers are primarily crisis oriented. You may also be surprised to see that higher level managers and executives are more devoted to important matters and leave most crises to others. There’s no denying the fact that at times we must cope with crises and respond quickly and effectively. But if constant crisis management becomes a lifestyle, you are shortchanging yourself and perhaps your family. By failing to take the long perspective you ignore the major determinants of your success in your career and your life. Besides his clinical work and university teaching, Martin Seidenfeld, Ph.D., provides consulting to organizations on management issues and on managing organizational stress. Find out if you have you developed a crisis management life style by taking a brief quiz at www.alnmag.com/ articles/ 2015/07/management-by-crisis.
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VIVARIUM PULSE
ADVERTISER INDEX 28. . . . . . . . . . . .Allentown, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.allentowninc.com/PLUS
27 . . . . . . . . . . . .NuAire Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.nuaire.com
17 . . . . . . . . . . . .Art's-Way Scientific Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.buildingsforscience.com
5. . . . . . . . . . . . .Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.PentairAES.com
7. . . . . . . . . . . . .ClearH2O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.clearh2o.com
9. . . . . . . . . . . . .Purina Mills, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.TestDiet.com
21. . . . . . . . . . . .Clordisys Solutions, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.clordisys.com
3. . . . . . . . . . . . .Shepherd Specialty Papers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ssponline.com
21. . . . . . . . . . . .Contec, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.contecinc.com
21. . . . . . . . . . . .Strahman Valves, Inc . . .www.strahmanvalves.com/store/hydroswivel-sweeper.html
13. . . . . . . . . . . .Harlan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.harlan.com
2. . . . . . . . . . . . .Veltek Associates, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sterile.com
21. . . . . . . . . . . .Lynx Product Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.lynxpg.com
6. . . . . . . . . . . . .VetEquip, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.vetequip.com
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