Officer competencies, a course for correctly registering staff

In the Netherlands, we attach great importance to care when working with laboratory animals. That is why there are strict rules on who is allowed to work with laboratory animals. As an officer competences (according to article 13F3c of the Animal Experiments Act), you are responsible for assessing and registering personnel at organisations that carry out animal experiments.

New staff often arrive with different educational backgrounds. It is then not always clear whether someone meets the legal requirements to be qualified. In this course, you will learn how to assess this properly.

The course was developed by [DALAS (Dutch Association for Laboratory Animal Science)] (https://www.dalas.nl/), which is committed to the training and continuing education of everyone involved in animal testing - including those responsible for overseeing that training.

You apply the knowledge directly using practical examples. This will help you make the registration process easier and faster, and together we will ensure fair and equal treatment of staff at all institutions.

Ultimately, this contributes to one important goal: continued good care for laboratory animals.

This course is for officer competencies (entry-level as well as experienced) who ‘ensure that staff members are adequately trained and competent, are continuously trained and supervised until they have demonstrated the required competence’, as described in Article 13F3c of the Animal Experiments Act.

• How legislation around competences is regulated in the Netherlands and Europe.

• What duties and responsibilities you have as a competence officer.

• How to register staff correctly.

• What work trainees are allowed to do.

• How to deal with exceptions, such as employees with a different education or a diploma from abroad.

The course lasts one day and takes place from 10:00 to 17:00 in Utrecht. The course is offered by Utrecht University, in cooperation with DALAS, the IvD Platform and the NVWA. The cost of participation is not known at this time.