Section 3

3. Staffing
All properties where greyhounds are kept must be compliant with the minimum staffing requirements set out in this Code. Whether the property functions as
a professional or hobby establishment, there must be a competent person responsible for the day-to-day management and care of the greyhounds. For large professional establishments, individual staff may take on the roles described below. For hobby establishments, the individual in charge of the
greyhound is responsible for all the activities outlined below under Sections 3.2 (Proprietor), 3.3 (Operations Manager) and 3.4 (Greyhound attendants).

3.1 Staff ratio
All establishments must employ the minimum number of staff suitably qualified or experienced to fulfil their obligations under this Code.
A minimum of one full-time staff member must be present onsite at the establishment during business hours for every 25 greyhounds (or equivalent) housed in the establishment. The staffing ratio must be maintained seven days per week.
A single (1) greyhound is equivalent to:
one (1) greyhound over the age of 16 weeks that is individually housed; or
a litter of puppies under the age of 8 weeks and their mother that are housed together; or
a litter of up to ten (10) puppies over the age of 8 weeks housed together in a rearing pen; or
a litter of up to four (4) adolescent greyhounds between the age of 16 weeks and 9 months housed together in a rearing pen.
For example, 25 greyhound equivalents may comprise of the following:
fourteen female greyhounds, each without a litter (14);
three male greyhounds (3);
six separate litters under the age of 8 weeks residing with their mothers (6); plus
two, six month old litters, each litter housed together in rearing pens (2).
This is equivalent to 25 greyhounds and therefore requires one full-time staff member during business hours.
A minimum of one staff member must be present onsite at the establishment during non-business hours where the establishment has 25 or more greyhounds (or equivalents) housed in the establishment.

Additional staff at ratio of 1 staff member for every 50 greyhounds (or equivalent) housed in the establishment during non-business hours must be available on call to attend the establishment in the case of an emergency. On call staff must be able to travel to the establishment within 30 minutes of being contacted.
For example:
For 25 greyhounds housed during non-business hours (overnight), there must be 1 onsite staff member present at the establishment;
for 50 greyhounds housed during non-business hours (overnight), there must be 1 onsite staff member present at the establishment and 1 staff member
on call and able to attend the establishment within 30 minutes of being contacted in the event of an emergency;
for 100 greyhounds housed overnight, there must be 1 onsite staff member present at the establishment and 2 staff members on call and able to attend the establishment within 30 minutes of being contacted in the event of an emergency; or
for 150 greyhounds housed overnight, there must be 1 onsite staff member present at the establishment and 3 staff members on call and able to attend the establishment within 30 minutes of being contacted in the event of an emergency.
The onsite, overnight staff must be available to care for whelping, sick or injured greyhounds and to undertake emergency activities if necessary.
For establishments with fewer than 25 greyhounds (or equivalent), there is no requirement for a full-time staff member, however, female greyhounds showing signs of labour or in labour must be monitored as per the requirements detailed in this Code, including as set out in Section 6.3.6 (Whelping).
Note
The overnight staffing ratio assumes that all exercise, enrichment, socialisation, handling, feeding, cleaning and general care activities are undertaken during business hours. Overnight staff are available only to care for whelping, sick
or injured greyhounds that may need attention overnight and to undertake emergency activities should the need arise.
The staffing ratio during business hours assumes that staff may need to work in shifts to maintain feeding and cleaning routines throughout the day. Shift
length for staff during business hours does not need to be a minimum of 8 hours, however the establishment must have the minimum Staff ratio for a period of
8 hours during business hours.

For example, an establishment with 80 greyhounds (or equivalent) may set up the following staff roster during business hours of 7.30 am3.30 pm:
Monday to Friday
7.00 am1.30 pm Proprietor or Owner
7.00 am3.30 pm Operations manager
7.30 am1.30 pm Greyhound attendant 1
7.30 am1.30 pm Greyhound attendant 2
1.30 pm7.00 pm Greyhound attendant 3
1.30 pm7.00 pm Greyhound attendant 4
1.00 pm3.30 pm Greyhound attendant 5
Weekend
7.00 am1.30 pm Saturday Operations manager
7.00 am1.30 pm Sunday Proprietor or Owner
7.00 am1.30 pm Saturday & Sunday Greyhound attendant 5
7.30 am1.30 pm Saturday Greyhound attendant 3
7.30 am1.30 pm Sunday Greyhound attendant 4
7.30 am1.30 pm Saturday & Sunday Greyhound attendant 6
1.30 pm7.00 pm Saturday Greyhound attendant 1
1.30 pm7.00 pm Sunday Greyhound attendant 2
1.30 pm7.00 pm Saturday & Sunday Greyhound attendant 7
Overnight the establishment may have the following staff roster:
3.30 pm7.00 am Proprietor or Owner
Operations manager or greyhound attendant 5, 6 or 7 to be available on call.

3.2 Proprietor
The proprietor of a greyhound establishment, who may or may not also be the owner of the greyhounds at the establishment, is responsible for:
the health and wellbeing of all greyhounds housed at the establishment;
the overall management of the establishment;
ensuring compliance with any relevant state or local legislation and codes of practice, including planning requirements or guidelines;

ensuring greyhounds are registered with GRV within seven days of birth and obtaining a GRV registration number and GRV treatment record book for each puppy;
the overall level of hygiene in the establishment, including the disposal of waste materials;
promoting and supporting relevant formal and informal training for staff;
supervision of daily feeding, watering and inspection of all greyhounds;
having a written agreement with sufficient veterinary practitioners to provide prompt veterinary attention for greyhounds other than first aid, and if necessary, euthanasia;
notifying owners (or their authorised representatives) of boarded greyhounds as soon as possible when a greyhound is observed to be ailing or injured or promptly after a veterinary practitioner has examined the animal;
the protection of staff health at the establishment;
the development and maintenance of an emergency management plan;
acting on reports from staff of any issues that affect the operation and management of the establishment; and
ensuring the maintenance and retention of records.
The proprietor must enter into a written agreement with one or more veterinary practitioners to undertake the veterinary and health management planning activities for the establishment. The proprietor of an establishment must
have, and adhere to, a written health management plan that has been formulated in consultation with a veterinary practitioner and is reviewed on an annual basis and/or whenever a change in veterinary practitioners
occurs, whichever is more frequent. Euthanasia must only be carried out by a veterinary practitioner, except in emergency situations where the operations manager may carry out humane euthanasia under the direction of a veterinary practitioner. All establishments must have an emergency euthanasia plan developed in conjunction with their veterinary practitioner set out in their health management plan.
Where planning permission is not required under a Planning Scheme or the establishment is operating under the Planning Guidelines for Racing Dog Keeping and Training Facilities, the proprietor must notify their local council of the location of their establishment and number of greyhounds being kept.

The proprietor may act as the operations manager or appoint a person to that role. If the proprietor does not have experience and qualifications in the management and breeding of greyhounds, they must employ an operations manager with appropriate experience and qualifications.
In circumstances where staff are not employed by the establishment, the proprietor must undertake all the duties of the operations manager and greyhound attendants as well as their own duties, as outlined in this Code.
Note
At any given establishment, the proprietor (who may also be the owner) can act as the operations manager and greyhound attendant. Similarly, the operations manager can act as a greyhound attendant at any time. That is, they can undertake the duties of another type of staff member.

3.3 Operations manager
The operations manager reports to the proprietor and is responsible for the day to day operation of the establishment which includes the following tasks:
ensuring the health and wellbeing of all greyhounds in the establishment;
reporting to the proprietor on matters of compliance and disease outbreaks within 24 hours of first observation;
carrying out the directions of the veterinary practitioner;
identifying and monitoring pregnant greyhounds;
supervision of the movement of pregnant greyhounds to whelping/lactating accommodation;
supervision of staff and the provision of training;
maintenance and collation of records and statistics;
supervision of daily feeding, watering, and inspection of all greyhounds;
supervision of daily environmental enrichment, exercising, handling, and training activities;
maintaining the overall level of hygiene in the establishment, including the disposal of waste materials;
implementing and maintaining the establishments insect (e.g. flies, mosquitos), ectoparasite (e.g. fleas, lice, ticks) and vertebrate (e.g. rats, mice) pest management program;
provision of prompt first aid and veterinary attention for greyhounds when required;

responding to emergency situations applicable to both humans and greyhounds including the implementation of evacuation procedures;
contributing to the development of and carrying out of the Establishment emergency management action plan in the event of an emergency;
monitoring the physical and psychological health of greyhounds;
seeking relevant expert advice for adverse behavioural change in a greyhound;
removal or disposal of greyhounds from the establishment;
meeting the requirements to transfer or sell greyhounds;
enacting retirement plans for retiring or retired greyhounds;
acting upon reports by staff about their responsibilities; and
ensuring the greyhound transport vehicle meets the minimum standards set out in this Code.
To operate a greyhound establishment, an operations manager must have either the requisite experience or qualifications as those terms are defined in this Code and also show current competency in greyhound husbandry.
Operations managers must be equipped with the necessary skills to meet the physical and behavioural needs of greyhounds in relation to mating, whelping, feeding, watering and general health and wellbeing.
The operations manager of a greyhound establishment with fertile breeding greyhounds must provide evidence upon request by an Authorised Officer that they are competent in the husbandry and breeding of greyhounds.
If an operations manager is in training and has not yet attained the necessary qualifications and/or experience required by this Code, they must operate under the direction of a veterinary practitioner.
The operations manager may also act in the role of greyhound attendant or appoint persons to that role.

3.4 Greyhound attendants
Greyhound attendants working at the establishment must be trained, experienced and competent in the management of greyhounds. If greyhound attendants are not trained, experienced or competent, they must work under the direct supervision of the operations manager. All trainee or volunteer greyhound attendants must work under the care and supervision of the operations manager.
6.6.7 Duties
Greyhound attendants are responsible for carrying out the following duties and must report to the operations manager:
daily feeding, watering and inspection of all greyhounds;
any dead greyhounds and the removal of bodies from the greyhound housing area;
daily cleaning of greyhound housing areas by removing all faeces and soiled food, hosing out with water, replacing soiled bedding material and cleaning all feeding and drinking utensils;
administering medication and treatment as prescribed by veterinary practitioner;
routine disinfection of greyhound housing areas and equipment;
exercising, socialising, handling and training of greyhounds as required by the operations manager;
provision of environmental enrichment for the greyhounds; and
record keeping.

6.6.8 When immediate action must be taken by the greyhound attendant
The greyhound attendant must immediately take action as follows:
1) report to the operations manager any greyhound showing signs of pregnancy or whelping;
2) report to the operations manager any greyhound showing signs of any of the following injuries or illnesses:
- physical abnormality;
- change in normal behaviour indicative of an animal health or welfare concern;

- signs of swelling, including apparent pain, heat, redness or loss of function;
- bleeding of body parts;
- tail injuries;
- ear or eye swelling, discharge and/or discomfort;
- bloating of the abdomen;
- difficulty or inability to urinate or defecate;
- red or brown coloured urine;
- symptoms of gum or dental disease including red, swollen or receding gums, yellow or brown crust near the gum line, or loose, missing or broken teeth;
- unusual gait, lameness, fits or staggering;
- inability to stand or walk;
- lack of appetite;
- increased thirst or urination;
- weight loss;
- patchy hair loss;
- mastitis;
- scratching of coat or ears;
- parasites or indicators of parasites; or
- any other signs that the health or wellbeing of the greyhound is compromised.
3) isolate any greyhound showing signs of infectious disease or potentially infectious disease by moving the greyhound to isolation housing. Symptoms of infectious disease may include the following:
- coughing;
- vomiting;
- diarrhoea, especially if blood-stained;
- repeated sneezing;
- runny nose; or
- runny or inflamed eyes;
4) after moving a greyhound to isolation housing as above, disinfect that greyhounds housing, bedding material and feeding and drinking utensils. Greyhound attendants must take precautions to avoid the spread of infection from one pen to another via their hands, clothing or footwear.

3.5 Vehicle driver
The driver is responsible for the welfare of greyhounds in the vehicle during transportation.
Any driver for the establishment must be experienced or adequately trained to carry out the following tasks:
assessment, handling, and care of the greyhounds being transported;
ensure the transport vehicle and related equipment is designed to meet the requirements under this Code;
ensure the hygiene and cleanliness of the vehicle and the cages and equipment used within the transport vehicle is maintained, including routine cleaning and disinfection;
clean and disinfect the cargo area of the transport vehicle according to infectious disease protocol after a greyhound showing signs of infectious disease has been removed, before the next greyhound is placed in the cargo area;
inspect greyhounds at least every two hours during transportation, or more frequently on the advice of a veterinary practitioner and provide water at each interval;
clean cages used within the transport vehicle when necessary;
ensure cages are secured within the transport vehicle; and
monitor the temperature within the transport vehicle to ensure it does not exceed a level that may compromise the health or wellbeing of any greyhound being transported.
Vehicle drivers must keep the transportation time of Greyhounds to a minimum, taking into consideration the most direct route available to the driver between the location of collection of the Greyhound and the ultimate destination.
The vehicle driver is responsible for maintaining a trip log book for all journeys longer than two hours.

3.6 Veterinary practitioner
A written agreement must be entered into between a proprietor and veterinary practitioner who has relevant experience in greyhound health and management. This agreement must include arrangements for:
the use of the veterinary practitioners facilities for the treatment of greyhounds;
the supervision of greyhounds in isolation housing at the establishment or the provision of isolation housing at the veterinary practitioners facilities if the establishment does not have separate isolation housing;
advice and development of the health management plan for the establishment;
providing vaccination certificates and up to date health details for the GRV treatment record book of each greyhound prior to that greyhound being transferred or sold;
humane euthanasia in accordance with the requirements of Section 4.2 of this Code;
providing veterinary assistance for the establishment at all times and being able to provide veterinary attention to greyhounds at the establishment within six hours of notification that veterinary attention is required; and
24 hour contact or treatment or provision of services through an alternative 24 hour emergency practice.
Where the veterinary practitioner is also the proprietor or owner of the establishment, the establishment must undergo an annual inspection by an independent veterinary practitioner specialising in small animals. The inspection must review the health management plan for the establishment
and the vaccination and health status of each greyhound at the establishment. The outcome of the review must be signed by both the proprietor or owner of the establishment and the independent veterinary practitioner and submitted promptly to GRV.
Greyhounds housed for veterinary attention or isolation at a veterinary practice and under direct veterinary supervision may be housed in pens or cages contrary to this Code.

3.7 Mandatory training and education
All GRV participants in charge of and owners of racing greyhounds must complete minimum mandatory training and education as required for registration with GRV. Evidence that formal training has been completed must be available upon request by an authorised officer.

3.8 Staff health
Potential health risks for humans exist when working with animals. Greyhounds can harbour diseasecausing organisms, which can be transmitted to humans (zoonoses).
To protect staff health, a list of common zoonoses including hydatids must be prominently displayed throughout the establishment and staff must be educated in the prevention of zoonoses.
Staff health must be protected through the provision of, or access to:
an establishment induction session upon commencing work which provides information and training on health, hygiene and safety;
tetanus immunisation;
personal protective clothing and equipment (such as boots, coats, overalls, disposable gloves etc.);
hot and cold hand washing facilities with soap; and
hand disinfectant positioned at various locations around the establishment to allow staff to disinfect their hands between attending to different greyhounds.