FSE2080 Funeral Law Study Guide 2.2

What are the potential chronic hazards of formaldehyde exposure?

- Carcinogenicity; the ability to cause cancer - Toxicity - Mutagenicity; the ability to induce genetic mutation - Teratogenicity; the ability to cause birth defects

List the records which must be kept by the employer relative to the formaldehyde standard?

-All monitoring results -Medical records kept for duration of employment plus 30 years -Exposure determination kept 30 years - List of health complaints

What remedial steps must be taken if the Short Term Exposure level is .89 ppm and the TWA is .64 ppm?

-Formaldehyde exposure reduction; instituting immediate steps to reduce formaldehyde exposure -Periodic monitoring; the FH must repeat the monitoring at least every 6 months until the exposure level falls below the action level -Medical surveillance; medical questionnaire to determine (in the presence of and by a physician) if a medical exam is necessary Repeat monitoring within 6 months

What remedial steps must be taken if the Short Term Exposure Level is 2.3 ppm and the TWA is .4 ppm?

-Written plan for the immediate reduction of exposure levels -Posting of warning signs -Respirators -Medical surveillance; medical questionnaire to determine (in the presence of and by a physician) if a medical exam is necessary Repeat monitoring within 12 months

What remedial steps must be taken if the Short Term Exposure level is 1.5 ppm and the TWA is .79 ppm?

-Written plan for the immediate reduction of exposure levels -Posting of warning signs -Respirators -Medical surveillance; medical questionnaire to determine (in the presence of and by a physician) if a medical exam is necessary Repeat monitoring within 12 months

When must employee training be accomplished for the Hazard Communication Standard?

-at the time of employment -whenever a new hazard is introduced into the work area

What are the 3 parts of the OSHA onsite review

-documentation review -site tour -formal interviews (with management and employees)

When an employee is initially hired and at least annually thereafter, what 3 items of information must the employee be told regarding medical records?

-existance, location and availability of any records -the person who is responsible for maintaining and providing access to these records -each empoyee's rights of access to these records

What information is to be included in the employee training for the HCS?

-methods to detect hazardous chemical -physical and health hazards of the chemical -routs of entry of the hazards -signs and symptoms of the hazards -measures that the employee can take to protect themselves through safe handling procedures as well as cleanup procedures -details of the hazard communication plan

List 3 of the Employer responsibilities as listed by OSHA

-provide well maintained tools and equipment, including PPE -provide training as required by OSHA standards -provide employee access to exposure and medical record

What kinds of information may be contained in an Employee Medical Record?

-results of medical exam -medical opinion, diagnosis, progress notes and recommendations -first aid report -descriptions of treatments and prescriptions -employee medical complaints

List the key points of the Hazard Communication Standard.

-written hazard communication plan -labeling requirement -MSDS (material safety data sheet) -employee training

According to OSHA workplace sign, what copies do you have a right to as an employee

-your medical records -your exposure records

What is the current Formaldehyde action level in parts per million?

0.5-0.75 ppm

What is the current Formaldehyde PEL's (Permissible Exposure Levels) for both time weighted average (TWA) and short term exposure limit (STEL) in parts per million?

0.75 ppm per 8-hour time period TWA, 2 PPM per 15 min STEL

If an employee requests copies of a record, in what 3 ways are the copies to be made available to the employee?

1-a copy of it 2-original to make a copy 3-means at business to make a copy

Describe the 5 main parts of a OSHA onsite inspection

1. Opening Conference 2. Onsite Review (documents, site tour, formal interviews) 3. Preparations of findings 4. Approval recommendation Options 5. Presentation of Findings and recommendations

Summarize the information which is contained on an MSDS.

1. physical properties of the chemical 2. what to do if a spill occurs 3. required PPE (personal protective equipment) 4. hazards 5. disposal info -identity used on the label -the chemical and common names of all hazardous ingredients -physical and chemical characteristics -physical hazards including potential for fire, explosion or reactivity -health hazards including signs of exposure -primary routs of entry -OSHA permissible exposure level (PEL) -control measures for the chemical -emergency and first aid procedures -name and info for chemical manufacturer

What are 4 mains portions of OSHA that relate to funeral service

1.General requirement; access to medical records 2. Hazard Communication Standard 3. Formaldehyde Standard 4. Bloodborne Pathogen Standard

What are 3 primary reasons for an OSHA inspection

1.employee complaint 2.fatality or hospitalization of three or more employees 3.routine inspections

After receiving the results of a monitoring for formaldehyde, how long does the employer have to notify the employee of the results?

15 business days

How long is the short term exposure level tested when formaldehyde monitoring is accomplished?

15 mins

How long are employee training records to be kept by the employer?

3 years

How long is the Time Weighted Average tested when formaldehyde monitoring is accomplished?

8 hours

If a death occurs on the job, how long after the fatality does the employer have to report the death to OSHA?

8 hours

Who must comply with OSHA

All employers, other than self employed persons with no other employees

Describe the engineering and work practice controls that should be followed according to the BBP standard.

Controls that reduce the likelihood of exposure by altering the manner in which a task is performed (e.g., prohibiting recapping of needles by a two-handed technique, PPE, hand washing facilities, disposal of sharps in a container, no eating or drinking, smoking, cosmetics, or contact lenses allowed, proper disposal of blood or OPIM)

What does HBV stand for?

Hep B virus

How often must you monitor if you are within exposure levels on the initial monitoring?

If results are in compliance, future testing will need to be done only when there is a change in the procedure, personnel, or structure of the embalming room or if there are reports of signs or symptoms that are associated with formaldehyde exposure. Also a good rule of thumb is at least annually

What term is used by OSHA to describe a needlestick? (Hint Exposure incident is not the correct answer.)

Parenteral

If additional monitoring is required, when must the next monitoring, be completed by if the September 12, 2005 monitoring resulted in a Short Term Exposure Level of 2.3 ppm and the TWA resulted in .4 ppm?

September 12, 2006

What remedial steps must be taken if the Short Term Exposure Level is 1.6 ppm and the TWA is .45 ppm?

The funeral home is not required to take any remedial action

Define Exposure incident as defined by the bloodborne pathogen standard.

a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that result from the performance of an employees duties

Who are interviewed during the OSHA Formal Interviews of an Inspection?

all employees at random including managers and supervisors

Define Exposure as used by OSHA.

an employee is subjected to a toxic substance or harmful physical agent through any route of entry (mouth, nose, ingestion). This includes past exposure and potential exposure.

Define Universal Precautions.

approach to infectious control to treat all human blood/fluids as if it is infectious

How often is formaldehyde training needed by a funeral home?

as a new employee, any change in work area and annually

How long must employee exposure records be maintained by the employer?

at least the duration of the employee's employment plus 30 years

When is BBP employee training required?

at the time of employment and annually thereafter

When must the Hepatitis B Vaccination be offered to employees?

at the time of employment within 10 days

When must manufacturers give MSDS to an employer?

at time of shipment

List the items included in personal hygiene protection of the formaldehyde standard.

changing room, drench shower, eye wash facilities

Describe what is meant by Health Hazards.

chemical for which their is significant evidence based on at least one study conducted in accordance with established principals that acute or chronic health effects may occur in exposed employees

Who is responsible for determining if a chemical is hazardous - employee, employer or chemical manufacturer?

chemical manufacturer

List the Personal Protective Equipment which must be worn by Embalmers according to the Formaldehyde standard.

chemical protective clothing made of material impervious to formaldehyde and the use of other personal protective equipment, such as goggles, face shields and gloves, as appropriate to the operation

What kinds of information may be contained in an employee Exposure record?

chemicals, infections

Describe the requirements for a contaminated sharps container.

closeable, leak proof, labeled or color coded, closed prior to removal.

Describe the requirements for a contaminated waste container.

closeable, leak proof, labeled or color coded, closed prior to removal.

How long must employee medical records be retained by the employer?

duration of employment plus 30 years

When must initial formaldehyde monitoring be accomplished?

each time their is a change in the procedure, personnel or structure of the embalming room, or if there are signs/symptoms associated with formaldehyde exposure

Give examples of job classifications in the funeral home, in which all employees have potential contact with blood or OPIM.

embalmers and removal personnel

In what circumstances may medical removal apply for an embalmer?

employee reports significant irritation and physician requires it

Define Employee exposure relative to the formaldehyde standard.

exposure to airborne formaldehyde which would occur without corrections or protection

What containers do not require labels?

immediate use containers

How does one dispose of contaminated sharps?

in a sharps container that is: -closable -puncture resistant -leak-proof on sides and bottom - abeled or color-coded -maintained upright during use

What are the potential acute hazards of formaldehyde exposure?

ingestion, inhalation, dermal (skin) and eye contact

What is included in Other Potentially Infectious Materials (OPIM)?

most human bodily fluids, unfixed tissues or organs, HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions

A husband and wife own a sole proprietor funeral home. The wife works outside the home and the husband is the only person who works at the funeral home. Must they comply with OSHA?

no

Must the following sign be posted on the door of an embalming room that is in compliance? Danger Formaldehyde Irritant and Potential cancer hazard Authorized personnel only

no

Does water have to be listed on an MSDS? Why or Why not?

no, it is not hazardous

Must every employee be trained in accordance to the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard?

no, only employees with potential occupational exposure are required to be made aware of potentially infectious materials that they may be exposed to while on duty (embalmers, removal personnel)

Must all employees of the funeral home be trained for the OSHA formaldehyde standard? Explain.

no, only if they will come in contact with formaldehyde in the performance of their position

How many respirators must a funeral home have and when must they be used?

none unless the embalming room is out of compliance because the STEL is above 2 ppm OR the TWA is above .75 ppm or you don't need any if you close the room until it is in compliance; and then each person needs to have their own respirator that is fit tested

On what items, must the following sign be placed? DANGER FORMALDEHYDE-CONTAMINATED EQUIPMENT AVOID INHALATION AND SKIN CONTACT

on containers that hold contaminated clothing and or equipment

Define bloodborne pathogen.

pathogenic microorganism that can potentially cause disease, present in human blood and other bodily fluids

Define occupational exposure.

reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials from performance of an employees duties.

Define a Medical Record.

record concerning the health status of an employee which is made or maintained by a physician, nurse, other health care professional

If a funeral home closes and there is no successor to keep the medical records, what is done with the medical records?

the employer shall notify the affected current employees of their rights to access records at least three months prior to the closing of the business

Define immediate use relative to the Hazard Communication Standard.

the hazardous chemical will be under the control and used by only the person who transfers it from a labeled container and only within the work shift in which it is transferred.

Define Immediate Use of a Chemical.

the hazardous chemical will be under the control and used by only the person who transfers it from a labled container and only within the work shift in which it is transfered.

If a funeral home sells to another owner, who is responsible for keeping the employee medical records?

the new owner

Define contaminated.

the presence or reasonably anticipated presence of blood or potentially infectious materials on an item or surface

What must be done with the medical records of an employee who worked for the employer for less than 1 year?

they are not retained by the employer and are given to the employee at the termination of their employement

Who need not comply with OSHA

those who are self-employed

T or F. If either STEL OR TWA is out of compliance follow the more serious compliance for the highest number.

true

Give examples of engineering controls and work practices that may reduce the exposure to formaldehyde.

ventilation; cover the embalming machine with its lid; recap empty embalming fluid bottles; run water continually on the table; continual aspiration for an autopsied case

If additional monitoring is required due to non-compliance with exposure levels, when can the funeral home discontinue further monitoring?

when 2 consecutive samplings taken at least 7 days apart show the exposure level is below the action level and below the STEL

When must a respirator be worn in the embalming room?

when at the red light level and out of compliance and the formaldehyde level cannot be reduced immediately

If the initial monitoring reveals a TWA of .6 ppm, when must repeat monitoring be done?

within 6 months

Are Quick Drench Showers required in all new embalming rooms?

yes

Does an employee have access to MSDS's in the workplace?

yes

Must the following sign be posted on the door of an embalming room that is above the compliance levels? Danger Formaldehyde Irritant and Potential cancer hazard Authorized personnel only

yes

Must the refrigeration unit of the funeral home have to have a biohazard label on it?

yes

If an employee initially declines the hepatitis B vaccination, may they get it later? If so, when and at whose expense?

yes, during work hours at employers expense.

Are there any ingredients which do not have to be listed on the Material Safety Data Sheet? If so, list examples of chemicals that do not have to be listed.

yes, non hazardous (water, salt, etc.)

According to the OSHA workplace sign, what is the first right listed for you as an employee

you have the right to notify your employer or OSHA about your workplace hazards. You may ask OSHA to keep your name confidential.