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Precautions” with all dead human bodies.136 Funeral homes should ensure that all employees are adequately trained to understand the concept of “Universal Precautions” and use them in ALL procedures where there is potential for contact with bloodborne pathogens, specifically every time an embalming is done.137 Absolutely no drinking or eating should be allowed in work areas, especially embalming rooms, where there is a reasonable likelihood of exposure to blood or body fluids.138 Funeral service professionals should be sure not to allow ANY food or drink in the embalming room. Besides that, handling contact lenses and applying cosmetics or lip balm should be avoided in the embalming hood and all areas with the likelihood of exposure.139 Funeral facilities must have a written housekeeping schedule for those areas of the facility which may be contaminated with blood and body fluids.140 The funeral home should determine and then implement an appropriate written schedule for cleaning and decontamination based upon the location with the funeral home, type of surface to be cleaned, type of soil present, and tasks or procedures being performed in the area.141 As a note, ALL equipment, environmental, and working surfaces must be cleaned and decontaminated after contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials. Only products or chemicals that are listed by the EPA or FDA as registered disinfectants or sterilants may be used to decontaminate surfaces or instruments that have been contaminated with blood or body fluids.142 Be sure to check the label to ensure that you are using only products or chemicals that are listed by the EPA or FDA as registered disinfectants or sterilants.143 Use tongs or forceps to reach into the cleaning containers to pick up sharps.144 Reusable sharps, such as suture needles, that have been contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials should not be stored or processed in a manner that requires employees to reach by hand into the containers where these sharps have been placed.145 Funeral homes should provide and REQUIRE the use of tongs or forceps for this task. Scrub sponges and other potentially contaminated instrument cleaning tools must be stored properly.146 Once a sponge, scrub brush, or other cleaning tool has been used to clean contaminated instruments, those cleaning tools should be placed into a closeable container.147 This container must only be used for such purpose and must be clearly labeled with a biohazard symbol, or simply use a red container to identify its contents as biohazard.148 Attach a biohazard warning label to containers of potentially infectious material.149 All contaminated articles should be labeled, including instrument trays, mop and bucket, trash cans used for biohazard storage, refrigerators and freezers containing blood or other potentially infectious materials, and any other container used to store or transport blood or other Exam Question 9. Per OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, sharps containers should NOT. a. Be easily accessible to personnel b. Be kept on the floor or on counters where cabinets obstruct access c. Be located as close as is feasible to the immediate area where sharps are used d. All of the above 131 OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard 132 Mayer, 695 133-134 OSHA Compliance Guidance for Funeral Homes, 11 135 Mayer, 695 136 OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard 137 OSHA Compliance Guidance for Funeral Homes, 11 138 OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard 139 OSHA Compliance Guidance for Funeral Homes, 11 140 OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard 141 OSHA Compliance Guidance for Funeral Homes, 12 142 OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard 143-145 OSHA Compliance Guidance for Funeral Homes, 12 146 OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard 147-148 OSHA Compliance Guidance for Funeral Homes, 13 149 OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard COMMUNICABLE DISEASE AND FUNERAL PROFESSIONALS Funeral Service Academy | 11 potentially infectious materials.150 In addition, the warning labels must be red or orange in color with a biohazard symbol. The lettering on the labels should be black. Trash cans used for containment of biohazards must be lined with biohazard bags. The regulated waste must be placed in a container that can be closed or covered with a lid.151 As a recommendation, it is best to use trashcans with foot pedal operation for the lid to prevent contaminating the lid with blood or other potentially infectious materials. Sharps containers must be easily accessible to personnel and located as close as is feasible to the immediate area where sharps are used.152 The closer the sharps container is to where the sharps instruments are being used, the less risk involved. The longer an employee is handling a contaminated sharps instrument, the greater the risk to the employee. The sharps container should be placed so as to ensure that an employee will not be stuck while trying to place a sharps instrument in the sharps container.153 The sharps container should not be kept on the floor or on counters where cabinets obstruct access. As a final action item at a funeral home, employees with occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens MUST be trained on the safety procedure related to blood or other potentially infectious materials.154 Funeral homes MUST
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