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CHAPTER 2

Laws, Policies, and OSHA Standards

Affecting Veterinary Practice

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Discover where laws come from and what impact they have on
veterinary practices
• Determine how veterinary practice acts protect the public and
animals
• Apply OSHA standards to work safely in a veterinary practice

NAVTA GUIDELINES COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER
V. Small Animal Nursing (Large Animal Nursing – Optional)
A. Safety concerns
2. Utilize personnel safety measures
7. Be familiar with OSHA standards

Laws and Regulations shows the number of agencies that have a direct impact
on veterinary medicine whether by law or by voluntarily
for Veterinary Practices following guidelines.

Veterinary medicine and the practice of veterinary
medicine are regulated by several federal, state, and Federal Laws
local laws. They represent the minimum standard to
which a veterinarian must comply when practicing Federal laws are those made by the US government.
veterinary medicine. Ignorance of the law is not an They override all state and local laws. These laws tend to
excuse and does not constitute a defense in violation of be broader in scope and more general in statement,
any law. There are different levels of laws that are set by allowing states to decide how to implement policies and
various entities in government. Let’s take a look at penalties. Several federal agencies have been tasked with
where these laws originate and what they do to protect watching over the different aspects of veterinary medi-
the veterinarian, the animals, and the public. Table 2.1 cine and animals and how they impact on public health.

Tasks for the Veterinary Assistant, Fourth Edition. Teresa F. Sonsthagen.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Companion website: www.wiley.com/go/sonsthagen/tasks 21