HIV/AIDS Precautions - Embalming and Morgues - Procedures

Funeral directors, mortuary attendants, and anyone assisting in postmortem procedures must wear gloves, masks, protective eyewear, gowns, and waterproof aprons.

Consider all body fluids and tissues as potentially contaminated.

• Take extreme care to prevent cuts, lacerations and splashing of contaminated blood or body fluids.
• Wear two pairs of intact disposable gloves. Remove punctured, torn or leaking gloves. Wash hands thoroughly. Put on two new pairs of gloves.
• Wear safety glasses or goggles or a face shield (with safety glasses or goggles) when there is a chance of fluids splashing.
• Carefully transfer the  body to the table. Avoid putting undue pressure on abdomen and thorax. Slowly unwrap body. Carefully put body bag in disposal bin.
• Disinfect the 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 the face with a towel soaked in disinfectant if using an injector gun.
• Cover rib ends with a towel if the body has been autopsied. Remove the viscera bag and put it into a second plastic bag for disposal.
• Use an 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 the sewer.
• Saturate any spills of blood or body fluid immediately with medical-grade disinfectant. Then, wipe clean with disposable absorbent material, such as paper towels.
• Wash the body with medical-grade disinfectant, rinse it, and towel dry it. Use disposable absorbent material to dry the body.
• Wrap the body in plastic or plastic coveralls before dressing.
• Discard rubber or wooden-handled instruments used to apply cosmetics. Discard unused cosmetics.
• Leave the embalming area immediately should you receive a cut or needle puncture. Encourage the 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 any blood or body fluids that may have 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 the preparation room.
• Report immediately suspect fluid exposure, or a needlestick or sharp injury to a designated person or health care professional.

Please also see the OSH Answers documents HIV/AIDS in the Workplace and Needlestick and Sharps Injuries for more information.

• It is active, not outdated or expired.
• It will not corrode or stain instruments.
• It needs to be broad-spectrum, which means it can 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 Safety Data Sheet (SDS) before using any product in the workplace to ensure compatibility with other products and instructions for safe use, storage and handling.

• 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.