Product Overview

Summary: This Veterinary Care Procedures Safe Operating Procedure sets out clear, step‑by‑step requirements for delivering safe, humane and compliant veterinary care in Australian workplaces. It helps clinics, mobile vets and animal facilities control clinical risks, protect staff and animals, and demonstrate robust WHS and animal welfare practices during inspections and audits.

Veterinary workplaces combine clinical procedures, pharmaceuticals, sharps, biological hazards and unpredictable animal behaviour, creating a unique WHS risk profile. This Veterinary Care Procedures Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured, defensible framework for carrying out day‑to‑day veterinary tasks safely and consistently, from patient admission and handling through to treatment, recovery and discharge. It addresses both worker safety and animal welfare, aligning practical clinical workflows with Australian WHS legislation and relevant animal welfare requirements.

The SOP helps practices move away from informal, ad‑hoc methods by defining exactly how veterinary procedures must be planned, performed, documented and reviewed. It guides teams on safe animal restraint, infection prevention and control, sharps and medication handling, anaesthetic and sedation safety, waste management and incident response. By embedding these procedures, your practice can reduce injuries and near misses, support new‑starter training, and provide clear evidence of compliance to regulators, insurers and professional bodies. This is an essential document for any Australian veterinary service wanting to protect staff, clients and animals while maintaining a high standard of professional care.

Key Benefits

• Reduce the risk of bites, scratches, musculoskeletal injuries and exposure to zoonotic diseases for veterinary staff and animal handlers.
• Ensure consistent, high‑quality clinical care and animal welfare standards across all vets, nurses and support staff.
• Demonstrate compliance with Australian WHS, infection control and animal welfare requirements during audits, inspections and insurance reviews.
• Streamline induction and competency‑based training for new and casual veterinary staff.
• Standardise documentation, consent, treatment records and incident reporting to improve traceability and medico‑legal defensibility.

Who is this for?

• Veterinary Practice Owners
• Veterinary Surgeons
• Veterinary Nurses
• Animal Attendants and Kennel Hands
• Practice Managers
• WHS Managers in Veterinary and Animal Care Services
• Laboratory Animal Facility Managers
• Mobile and On‑farm Veterinarians
• Wildlife Carers and Rehabilitation Centre Managers
• Training Coordinators in Veterinary Clinics

Hazards Addressed

• Animal bites, scratches and crush injuries during handling and restraint
• Exposure to zoonotic diseases (e.g. Q fever, ringworm, leptospirosis, salmonellosis)
• Needlestick and sharps injuries from injections, suturing and sample collection
• Exposure to hazardous chemicals including anaesthetic gases, disinfectants and cytotoxic drugs
• Manual handling injuries from lifting and moving animals, cages and equipment
• Slips, trips and falls in treatment, surgery and kennel areas
• Allergic reactions to animal dander, latex or cleaning products
• Psychological hazards from traumatic events, euthanasia and high‑stress clinical situations
• Radiation exposure during diagnostic imaging (where applicable)
• Infection risks from inadequate cleaning, disinfection and waste management

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose, Scope and Application
• 2.0 Definitions and Abbreviations
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 4.0 Regulatory and Standards Compliance
• 5.0 Pre‑Treatment Preparation and Patient Admission
• 6.0 Safe Animal Handling and Restraint Procedures
• 7.0 Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Requirements
• 8.0 Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• 9.0 Medication Management and Sharps Handling
• 10.0 Anaesthesia, Sedation and Monitoring Safety
• 11.0 Surgical and Invasive Procedure Protocols
• 12.0 Diagnostic Procedures (Imaging, Pathology and Sampling)
• 13.0 Waste Segregation, Clinical Waste and Sharps Disposal
• 14.0 Cleaning, Disinfection and Environmental Hygiene
• 15.0 Manual Handling of Animals, Equipment and Supplies
• 16.0 Management of Aggressive or High‑Risk Animals
• 17.0 Zoonotic Disease Risk Management and Vaccination
• 18.0 Client Interaction, Consent and Communication Requirements
• 19.0 Incident, Injury and Near‑Miss Reporting
• 20.0 Emergency Response (Anaphylaxis, Anaesthetic Complications, Staff Injury)
• 21.0 Psychological Health and Critical Incident Support
• 22.0 Training, Induction and Competency Assessment
• 23.0 Recordkeeping, Auditing and Continuous Improvement
• 24.0 Document Control and Review

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and corresponding state and territory WHS legislation
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 and state/territory equivalents
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: First Aid in the Workplace
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work (where applicable to kennels and equipment)
• AS/NZS 2243 series: Safety in laboratories (for pathology and laboratory‑based procedures)
• AS/NZS 3816: Management of clinical and related wastes
• Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Guidelines for Veterinary Practice (as applicable)
• State and territory animal welfare legislation and codes of practice (e.g. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Acts and Regulations)