Establishment of Occupational Health Related Files in Laboratory Animal Institutions

Establishing occupational health related files is a key component of building an occupational health and safety management system in laboratory animal institutions. These files not only serve as a critical means of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of laboratory animal personnel but also provide institutional safeguards. According to relevant laws and regulations, laboratory animal institutions are responsible for establishing and properly maintaining occupational health surveillance files (also known as occupational hygiene files) for both the institution and its personnel. In accordance with the Occupational Health Archives Management Standards, laboratory animal institutions are required to maintain at least seven categories of occupational health management archive folders: the "three simultaneous" occupational health archives for construction projects; occupational health management folders; occupational health publicity and training folders; folders for monitoring and evaluating occupational disease hazard factors; employer occupational health surveillance folders; individual occupational health surveillance folders for employees; and other relevant folders. Building upon this foundation, the Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Occupational Health in the Workplaces further specify detailed requirements for occupational health files. These include: documents outlining the responsibility system for occupational disease prevention and control; occupational hygiene management systems and standard operating procedures, lists of types of occupational disease hazard factors in workplaces, their distribution by job distribution, and records of work exposure, basic information on occupational disease prevention and emergency rescue facilities, along with records of their allocation, usage, maintenance, inspection and replacement; records concerning the provision, distribution, maintenance and replacement of personal protective equipment (PPE); and reports on occupational disease hazard incidents; and corresponding emergency response records—amounting to twelve specific requirements in total. In short, occupational health management files are a comprehensive collection of data and documentation related to workers' occupational health. Based on the author's practical experience, this paper outlines the main types of occupational health management files, their basic contents, and key points in their development. It also offers a detailed analysis of how to establish such files, aiming to support laboratory animal institutions in successfully developing occupational health management archives and improving their occupational health and safety management systems.