 |
| AIDS Precautions - Embalming and Morgues - Procedures |
 |
|
|
 |
|
OSH
Answers |
|
|
|
|
What are some safe practices to follow when embalming? - Take extreme care to prevent cuts, lacerations and splashing of contaminated blood or body fluids.
- Work in the smallest area possible. Avoid unnecessary movements around the room.
- Wear two pairs of intact disposable gloves. Remove punctured, torn or leaking gloves. Wash hands thoroughly. Put on two new pairs of gloves.
- Carefully transfer body to table. Avoid putting undue pressure on abdomen and thorax. Slowly unwrap body. Carefully put body bag in disposal bin.
- Disinfect body with sodium hypochlorite solution. Wash with a germicidal soap and rinse thoroughly. Keep water pressure low to avoid splashing.
- Pack and cover open sores or lesions. Pack orifices with cotton soaked in sodium hypochlorite solution.
- Use disposable shaving equipment.
- Cover face with towel soaked in sodium hypochlorite solution if using injector gun.
- Cover rib ends with towel if the body was autopsied. Remove viscera bag and put into second plastic bag for disposal.
- Use electric aspirator to aspirate body fluids. Cover draining port to avoid flashback.
- Treat blood, body fluids and aspirated contents with a 5.25% sodium hypochlorite solution for 30 minutes before flushing directly into sewer.
- Saturate immediately any spills of blood or body fluid with sodium hypochlorite solution. Wipe clean with disposable absorbent material such as paper towels.
- Wash body in sodium hypochlorite solution, rinse and towel dry. Use disposable absorbent material to dry body.
- Wrap body in plastic or plastic coveralls before dressing.
- Discard rubber or wooden-handled instruments used to apply cosmetics. Discard unused cosmetics.
- Leave embalming area immediately should you receive a cut or needle puncture. Encourage wound to bleed freely. Wash with soap and water. Treat with fresh sodium hypochlorite solution. Bandage.
- Wash eyes and skin immediately with running water should they be splashed with blood or body fluids.
- Spit out immediately blood or body fluids splashed in the mouth. Rinse mouth with water.
- Wash hands with a germicide after completing restoration procedures, after removing protective clothing and gloves, and before leaving prep room.
- Report immediately a needlestick or sharp injury to a designated person because if post-exposure chemoprophylaxis is to be implemented, it should begin preferably within 1 to 2 hours after exposure.
 |
Document last updated on July 4, 2000
Copyright ©1997-2006 Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety
|
| OSH Answers Search |
|
|
|
|
Printer Friendly Layout