PETA files complaint against UW primate facility in Arizona

MESA, Ariz. - PETA recently filed a complaint against the University of Washington primate facility in Mesa with the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, alleging 49 workplace safety violations at the site over a three-year span.

The animal rights organization cites meeting minutes from 2021-2023 which they say illustrate how "bites, scratches, accidental needle pokes, eye splashes, and injuries from contaminated equipment are extremely common."

In addition to immediate wound care, "these records show that Seattle primate center personnel are routinely offered evaluation, treatment, and antiviral prophylaxis for potential herpes B exposures, however, reports from the Safety Committee also reveal that these exposures are not always managed according to best practices at the Mesa facility," said Lisa Jones-Engel, Ph.D., Senior Science Advisor, Primate Experimentation for PETA.

Among the alleged 49 Arizona workplace safety complaints found by PETA are the following:

Inadequate management of pathogen exposure.
Reported chronic understaffing at the Mesa facility.
The facility's failure to hire a senior veterinarian for the past nine months while animal technician and other veterinary positions remained unfilled.
Increased incidents of worker injuries due to rushed and overburdened staff.
Unsafe working conditions, increasing the risk of accidents.
Improper handling of hazardous exposures.

The incidents are all said to have occurred at the University of Washington National Primate Research Center Arizona Breeding Facility.

The University of Washington reached out to FOX 13 Seattle on Tuesday to provide a statement, saying that it has "established a robust safety culture where personnel are encouraged to report any potential exposures or hazards. The incidents mentioned were properly documented and addressed by the University of Washington Group 1 Safety Committee."

The statement further said that the university is committed to maintaining a safe environment for personnel working with the primates. Read the full statement below:

"We understand the critical importance of maintaining a safe environment for personnel working with non-human primates. As summarized in a letter to OSHA, we have established a robust safety culture where personnel are encouraged to report any potential exposures or hazards. The incidents mentioned were properly documented and addressed by the University of Washington Group 1 Safety Committee.

"Given the nature of this work, additional precautions, oversight, and training are necessary — which naturally leads to a higher incidence of safety reports. Due to the significant risks associated with potential exposures, we mandate that all possible exposures are reported and thoroughly investigated. We are committed to continually reviewing our training programs and procedures to identify and address any gaps or areas for improvement.

"We understand that additional precautions, oversight, and training are paramount to maintaining a safe environment. Our established protocols for documenting and analyzing safety reports is a proactive approach to identifying potential hazards and implementing corrective actions to prevent incidents from occurring in the future, naturally leading to a higher incidence of safety reports."

As described in Jones-Engel's letter, this facility is used as an off-site breeding colony located on Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community land, established by the University of Washington in an attempt to produce monkeys in a cost-effective manner.

According to the Washington National Primate Research Center, the organization supports biomedical research activities, professional research staff, specifically bred and maintained nonhuman primate colonies, and dedicated facilities and equipment required for nonhuman primate research protocols.

WaNPRC's website described how the primates support their work in Seattle, including biomedical research to develop effective vaccines and therapies for HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, as well as new advances in genetics, neuroscience, vision, and stem cell biology and therapy.

"Given the severity of these concerns, I urge OSHA to conduct a thorough investigation into the working conditions at WaNPRC’s Mesa facility. The health and safety of the workers must be prioritized, and immediate corrective actions are necessary to address these violations," said Dr. Jones-Engle with PETA's Laboratory Investigations Department continued.

The full complaint, including tables from incidents relayed in meeting minutes, can be found on PETA's website.

Editor's note: The initial version of this article did not include a statement from the University of Washington. The statement was added after a university spokesperson reached out to FOX 13.