Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: TB

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The %% employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to: (a) Funeral director/embalmers, drivers, and maintenance personnel were exposed to the hazard of being infected by HBV and/or HIV through possible direct contact with blood or other body fluids or by other communicable diseases such as staph and tuberculosis while removing bodies from the place of death, transferring bodies to the embalming room, washing hands during embalmings in the embalming room, and talking to embalmers while embalming procedures are conducted (personnel observed conversing with embalmer while standing only a few feet from body). Feasible and useful abatement methods for reducing this hazard among others are: (1) Training and education on precautionary measures, epidemiology, modes of transmission, prevention of HBV/HIV and other communicable diseases, proper work practices, the concept of "universal precautions", handling of infectious waste, and procedures to be followed in the event of exposure to body fluids.