• What are some safe practices to follow when embalming?
• What are some good qualities of disinfectants?
• How do I safely dispose of used materials?

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.
• Wear goggles and/or a face mask when there is a chance of fluids splashing.
• 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 medical grade disinfectant. 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 disinfectant 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 medical grade disinfectant for 30 minutes before flushing directly into sewer.
• Saturate immediately any spills of blood or body fluid with medical grade disinfectant. Wipe clean with disposable absorbent material such as paper towels.
• Wash body in medical grade disinfectant, 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 disinfectant. Bandage. Get medical help immediately.
• Wash eyes and skin immediately with running water should they be splashed with blood or body fluids. Seek medical advice.
• Spit out immediately blood or body fluids splashed in the mouth. Rinse mouth with water. Seek medical advice.
• Wash hands with a germicide after completing restoration procedures, after removing protective clothing and gloves, and before leaving prep room.
• Report immediately suspect fluid exposure, or 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.

What are some good qualities of disinfectants?

• It is active, not outdated.
• Will not corrode or stain instruments.
• It needs to be broad spectrum which means it is able to kill bacteria, fungi, viruses and microbes.
• It does not bleach or stain the skin.
• It is not irritating to the embalmer's skin or respiratory tract.
• It is not inactivated by the presence of biological debris.
• Check the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) before using any chemical in the workplace to ensure compatibility with other chemicals and instructions for safe use, storage and handling.

How do I safely dispose of used materials?

• Check all local by-laws to ensure proper disposal of biomedical waste, hazardous waste, contaminated personal protective equipment, and potentially contaminated laundry.
• Make sure all waste containers are clearly labelled.
• Check the qualifications of the disposal company and keep all disposal records. Manifests must be maintained.

Document last updated on January 13, 2010

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