Routine Biosecurity Protocol for Ambulatory Practice
Animal contact
Routine Biosecurity measures:
 Are the standard (day to day) procedures required for entering sites where livestock and poultry
are housed and/or contact with these animals is necessary or likely to occur.
 Should be employed when entering controlled areas (Controlled and Restricted Access zones if
present) and transiting areas used for housing animals, storing animal inputs (feed, bedding),
and disposal areas (manure and mortality).
1) Pre- Visit Preparation and Planning
a) Before Leaving Home
i) Shower and don clean non-farm (premises) clothing and footwear BEFORE reporting to
work;
ii) Ensure personal vehicle is clean and tidy, particularly if previously used for farm (livestock
and poultry) related duties.
iii) Vehicle Inside – Ensure floor-mats and seats are clean
(a) Vehicle Outside – Ensure chassis, wheel wells, and cargo carrying areas are clean
(b) Designate clean and dirty totes or bags for the transport of soiled clothing
(coveralls) between work and laundry facilities.
b) Before Leaving the Clinic
i) Determine current animal health status; the presence or recent occurrence of a contagious
disease at this or other sites owned by the individual increases the risk of disease
transmission within and on/off the premises. Additional planning is necessary to ensure that
the risks are addressed.
ii) Try to schedule only one visit per similar production facility per day (e.g. poultry, swine,
etc.) If this is not feasible, visit premises with young, healthy animals before mature or
sick animals; follow this procedure for sites with multi-stage production.
iii) Determine site specific biosecurity procedures used for entry and exit and arrange to meet
the producer/owner at the farm gate.
iv) Determine which biosecurity supplies (coveralls, boots, water) are provided
v) Determine if the producer has any questions or concerns about your visit.
vi) Organize Supplies (See On-Farm Visit—Kit List)
(a) Ensure clothing, footwear and any materials, equipment necessary for the visit are
clean and properly stored
(b) Collect supplies for decontamination of the person, equipment and vehicle if
necessary
(c) Properly package and store necessary materials and equipment in a clean area of
the vehicle
(d) Ensure vehicle is visibly clean – inside and outside
2) Site Visit
a) Site Entry (entering the premises – the outer zone or controlled access zone)
On Foot
i) Notify producer/manager of your arrival.
ii) If possible, park vehicle outside the farm entrance in the visitor parking area or in an area
which is clean and dry with no obvious manure accumulation, and away from heavy traffic
and ventilation exhausts.
iii) Sign visitors log if present.
iv) Follow any pertinent biosecurity procedures that may be posted at the entrance; if in doubt,
ask the producer.
v) Beside the vehicle clean compartment, don clean coveralls (long sleeved coveralls are
preferred). Be careful not to contaminate the inside of the coveralls with soil/debris.
vi) Don clean protective overboots or clean rubber boots, tucking coveralls into the tops of
boots. Alternatively, don disposable plastic boot covers and discard onsite before reentering the vehicle. Note: Disposable boot covers are only useful working on smooth
surfaces for short periods of time.
vii) Procedures for donning coveralls and boots include:
(1) While standing, remove one foot from footwear and slide into the leg of the coveralls.
Place foot into clean boot or place back in footwear. Repeat procedure for other leg.
Continue to don coveralls and boots OR
(2) While sitting in the clean compartment of the vehicle, remove feet from footwear and
slide legs into the bottom of clean coveralls. Pull on clean footwear or overboots and
slide out of the vehicle. Continue to don coveralls.
(3) Note: A cleanable plastic or rubber mat that can be placed on the ground provides a
surface to stand on keeping footwear and socks clean while donning coveralls before
stepping into boots.
viii) Don nitrile, latex, or rubber gloves.
(1) When two layers of gloves are needed tuck the first layer under the cuff of the coverall,
the second layer outside the cuff of the coverall.
ix) Prepare fresh disinfectant solution in equipment and boots pails according to
manufacturer’s recommendations
x) Rinse boots with disinfectant solution.
xi) Leave pails, brush, and disinfectant next to the premises entrance, preferably in a covered
area, protected from the elements, pets, and children.
xii) TAKE ONLY THE REQUIRED EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, RECORDING MATERIALS ONTO THE
SITE NECESSARY TO PERFORM THE DUTIES REQUIRED USING A CLEANABLE CONTAINER.
Any equipment or materials taken onto a site can become contaminated, posing a risk for
the transmission of disease to other sites. If preparing to work on the site for an extended
period of time, carry spare gloves in a sealed container and a small pail of disinfectant
solution to wash hands and arms as needed.
xiii) Leave additional spare supplies/equipment in the clean compartment of your vehicle
With Vehicle
i)
Staff should avoid driving vehicles onto sites unless there is a visitor parking area and/or
hard packed area (concrete or asphalt) where vehicles will remain clean. If parking is not
provided or available outside the premises entrance, appropriate procedures for vehicle
entry must be observed.
ii) Ensure the vehicle is clean and free of organic debris. Apply disinfectant to the wheels and
wheel wells.
iii) Disinfectants are only efficacious when applied to a clean surface for a suitable contact time.
If the surface of the vehicle is not clean or the contact time cannot be adhered to, enter the
premises on foot.
iv) Notify the producer of your arrival
v) Sign the visitor log (if present) and adhere to any additional written biosecurity protocols
vi) Drive slowly to avoid windborne dust carriage (drive no faster than 15 km per hour),
avoiding puddles and visible debris that could contaminate the external surface. Always
keep windows of the vehicle closed to prevent flies from entering and being transported.
vii) When parking inside the premises entrance, park in the designated parking area or away
from production areas, barns and ventilation systems.
viii) Beside the vehicle clean compartment, don clean coveralls (long sleeved coveralls are
preferred). Be careful not to contaminate the inside of the coveralls with soil/debris.
ix) Don clean protective over-boots or clean rubber boots, tucking coveralls into the tops of
boots. Alternatively, disposable plastic boot covers can be used and discarded onsite before
re-entering the vehicle (these are only useful working on smooth surfaces for a limited
period of time).
x) Procedures used for donning coveralls and boots include:
(1) While standing, remove one foot from footwear and slide into the leg of the coveralls.
Place foot into clean boot or back in footwear. Repeat procedure for other leg.
Continue to don coveralls and boots OR
(2) While sitting in the clean compartment of the vehicle, remove feet from footwear and
slide legs into the clean coveralls. Pull on clean footwear or over-boots or rubber boots
and slide out of the vehicle. Continue to don coveralls.
(3) Note: A cleanable plastic or rubber mat that can be placed on the ground provides a
surface to stand on keeping footwear and socks clean while donning coveralls before
stepping into boots.
xi) Prepare fresh disinfectant solution in equipment and boot pails according to manufacturer’s
recommendations
xii) Rinse boots with disinfectant solution.
xiii) Leave pails, brush, and disinfectant beside the vehicle or in a covered area, protected from
the elements, pets, and children.
xiv) Take only the required equipment, samples, and recording materials onto the premises
using a cleanable container.
b) Within Site Procedures
i) Follow owner’s biosecurity procedures and adhere to the following:
(1) Move from clean to dirty areas of the site and conduct animal inspection and testing
activities first to prevent unnecessary contamination of your person which can be
transmitted to the animals.
(2) Move along hard/clean surfaces such as cement or asphalt where possible
(3) Move from youngest to oldest animals, healthy to ill animals.
ii) As a minimum, wash and disinfect boots and hands on entry to and exit from animal housing
areas. (Be prepared to don barn designated boots and coveralls on premises)
c) Site Exit
i) If possible, leave contaminated consumable equipment and garbage on the site.
ii) Clean your gloves in the equipment pail with water and disinfectant.
(1) If hands and arms were uncovered, clean and disinfect the exposed portion of hands
and arms, including fingernails.
iii) Clean with detergent and water and spray or wipe down with disinfectant, all equipment
being removed from the premises.
(1) Alternatively, clean equipment of gross contamination and place in container or bag
which can be sealed for removal from the site for cleaning and disinfection. Wipe the
outside of the bag/container with disinfectant prior to removal.
iv) Test samples (vials, tissues) are potentially contaminated and are "dirty" unless properly repackaged.
(1) In winter, when freezing could jeopardize the samples, the exterior surface must be
disinfected or suitably re-packed into a clean container before being placed in the
"clean" interior area.
(2) Identify samples with appropriate Disease Indicator
v) In the boot pail, clean reusable boots with detergent and
water – particularly the
tread – and then apply disinfectant.
vi) Re-clean gloves.
vii) Unzip coveralls, roll off shoulders, and pull down such that the contaminated outer layer is
rolled away from your skin and inner clothing. Roll coveralls down arms ensuring gloves only
touch outside coverall surface. Continue to roll coveralls down and off hands removing
gloves with the coveralls. If gloves are not removed with coveralls, fold down the cuff of
each glove past the ends of the fingers (dirty surface to dirty surface) to expose the clean
surface of the glove. Remove gloves using clean surface to clean surface.
viii) Remove footwear
ix) Remove reusable footwear/boots and roll the coveralls off the legs. Don clean footwear.
Allow rubber boots or soles of footwear worn on farm to sit in disinfectant for a few
minutes.
x) If wearing disposable booties, remove by putting your thumbs inside and turning the
booties inside out. Spray bottoms of footwear with disinfectant.
xi) Put all disposable items in the garbage bag and leave on the premises for disposal (if
possible)
xii) Place washable coveralls in dirty tote or bag in dirty compartment of the vehicle
xiii) If coveralls are very dirty, bag them, spray the outside of the bag with disinfectant before
placing in tote/ container in the dirty area of the vehicle
xiv) Clean and disinfect empty boot and equipment pails, scrubbing and rinsing the sides and
bottoms with disinfectant.
xv) If pails and boots have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, re-stow in the clean
compartment of the vehicle, if not, place in the dirty totes for more thorough cleaning at the
office.
xvi) Clean tires and wheel wells (if necessary) prior exiting the site.
xvii) Clean and disinfect the sprayer – re-stow in the clean compartment of the vehicle.
3) Post Visit
a) Upon Return to the Office
i) Ensure clothing and footwear are clean before entering office.
(1) Do not enter the office wearing soiled coveralls or dirty footwear (these should have
been removed prior to exiting the farm and vehicle)!
ii) Move test samples from the dirty compartment of the vehicle to your Animal Health
Laboratory for processing – preferably through a back entrance to avoid contamination of
office work stations.
iii) Remove dirty totes, clean and disinfect exterior or totes as necessary and place in
designated dirty area for cleaning and disinfection of dirty equipment.
iv) Dirty coveralls should be taken for laundering.
v) Re – disinfect boots if necessary
vi) Re- stock clean totes with clean materials from supply rooms and with disinfected
equipment.
vii) Routinely clean your vehicle.
b) Upon Returning Home
i) Shower thoroughly and wash hair.
ii) Launder coveralls and clothing worn on farm
These measures are especially important for staff that own or come into contact with livestock and
poultry