Dead bodies are conceivably infectious and while many organisms are unlikely to infect, there are some potentially contagious agents that can transmit to a healthy person when coming into contact with a dead body. Therefore it becomes highly important that effective precautions are taken when handling and disposing a dead body.
From using funeral body bags to knowing how to carry around the body, there are several aspects that must be taken care of by the people handling dead bodies, in a mortuary, hospital, at the site of death or elsewhere. Here, we have listed down some key precautionary measures specific death care industry groups should know and follow:
1. Health Care Workers
- Each dead body should be properly classified into their respective category and that classification must be attached with the mortuary sheet or the body bag.
- The staff must wear full protective apparel and gears, including surgical mask, gloves, water resistant gown, face shield or googles and so.
- Remove all types of catheters, drains, tubes and other sharp objects from the dead body, taking full caution.
- Disinfect needle puncture holes and wound drainage.
- Prevent any type of body fluid leakage by plugging in the nasal, oral and rectal orifices.
- Clean and dry the dead body and wrap it completely in body bags or with a mortuary sheet according to the category classification.
- After handling the dead body, remove all protective gear and wash hands thoroughly with disinfectant soap.
2. Mortuary Staff
- Similarly, the mortuary staff must also correctly identify and categorise the dead body with tags.
- If the dead body is soiled with body fluids or blood then it must be kept in a proper disposable plastic bag.
- Store the dead body in cold chambers with temperature at around 4°C.
- The staff must wear full protective equipment and gears when handling the body, which must be removed post the procedure.
3. Funeral Workers
- The funeral workers must avoid any direct contact with the dead body’s fluid or blood..
- The body must be kept protected in funeral body bags up until it needs to be taken out for the funeral procedure.
- The workers must wear complete protective gears and apparels when handling the body.
- All types of wounds and injuries on the dead body must be covered with dressings or waterproof bandages.
- Never touch dead body’s mouth, eyes and nose, and do not eat, drink or smoke near the body.
Apart from these groups’ staff, people handling dead bodies at other places must also follow strict body handling precautions, from using disaster body bags, to avoiding contact with the fluid or blood, as well as observing personal hygiene so as not to get infected from contagious agents.
|