Veterinary and Animal Care Workers: Who They Are and the Hazards They Face

Veterinary medicine and animal care workers give medical, surgical, laboratory, preventive and everyday care to many kinds of animals, from routine visits to disaster and emergency response. Depending on where they work, which animals they handle and what tasks they do, they face biological, chemical, physical and psychological hazards.

Who they are

More than 596,000 people in the United States work in veterinary medicine and animal care. They include:

• veterinarians, veterinary technologists, technicians and assistants, and administrative staff;
• laboratory veterinarians and animal caretakers;
• zoo and aquarium staff, such as caretakers and groundskeepers;
• animal shelter and animal control workers;
• stable and kennel attendants, groomers and trainers;
• meat and poultry processing staff;
• pet and pet-supply store employees.

Many are women: 69% of veterinarians, 90% of veterinary technicians and 80% of veterinary assistants and laboratory animal workers.

A risky industry

Veterinary services rank fourth among all industries for the rate of nonfatal work injuries and illnesses.

What NIOSH is doing

The NIOSH Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector Program is working to identify and address the most important hazards these workers face.

Other resources

• National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University

Sources

• CDC, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, "About Veterinary Medicine and Animal Care Workers." https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/veterinary/about/index.html
• The original's two stock photographs are not reproduced here.