Ethics & Compliance Glossary (MSCI 1310)

Action Level (AL) or Exposure Limits

These levels are established to ensure adequate protection of employees at exposures below the OSHA limits, but to minimize the compliance burdens for employers whose employees have exposures below the 8-hour permissible exposure limit (PEL). The AL for formaldehyde is 0.5 ppm.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

A specific group of diseases or conditions which are indicative of severe immunosuppression related to infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (MV), persons dead having had AIDS may exhibit conditions such as wasting syndrome, extrapulmonary tuberculosis, and Kaposi’s sarcoma.

Aerosolization

To disperse as an aerosol, minute particles of blood and water become atomized and suspended in air when water under pressure meets the blood drainage or when flushing an uncovered flush sink.

Bischloromethyl Ether (BCME)

A carcinogen potentially produced when formaldehyde and sodium hypochlorite come into contact with each other, normally occurs only in a controlled laboratory setting and requires a catalyst.

Biohazard

Biological agent or condition that constitutes a hazard to humans.

Blood

Means human blood, human blood components, and products made from human blood.

Bloodborne Pathogen Rule

OSHA regulation (29 CFR 1910-1030) regulating the employee’s exposure to blood and other bodily fluids.

Bloodborne Pathogens

Pathogenic microorganisms that are present inhuman blood and can cause disease in humans; these pathogens include, but are not limited to hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Carcinogen

A cancer-causing chemical or material.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP/CDC)

A major agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, concerned with all phases of control of communicable, vector-borne, and occupational diseases.

Communicable Diseases

Disease that may be transmitted either directly or indirectly between individuals by an infectious agent.

Concurrent Disinfection

Disinfection practices carried out during the embalming process.

Contagious Disease

Disease that may be transmitted between individuals, with reference to the organism that causes a disease.

Contaminated

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

Contaminated Laundry

Laundry which has been soiled with blood or other potentially infectious materials or may contain sharps.

Contaminated Sharps

Any contaminated object that can penetrate the skin including, but not limited to, needles, scalpels, broken glass, and exposed ends of wires.

Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease

A disease of the Central Nervous System with unknown etiology assumed to be a slow virus; because of unknown etiology, caregivers using invasive procedures use extreme caution.

Decontamination

Means the use of physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate, or destroy bloodborne pathogens on a surface or item to the point where they are no longer capable of transmitting infectious particles and the surface or item is rendered safe for handling, use, or disposal.

Disease

Any deviation from or interruption of the normal structure or function of a body part, organ, or system.

Disinfectant

An agent, usually chemical, applied to inanimate objects/surfaces to destroy disease causing microbial agents, but usually not bacterial spores.

Disinfection

The destruction and/or inhibition of most pathogenic organisms and their products in or on the body.

Employee Exposure

Means the exposure to airborne formaldehyde which would occur without corrections for protection provided by any respirator that is in use.

Engineering Controls

Procedures that isolate or remove the bloodborne pathogen hazard from the workplace such as sharps disposal container, self-sheathing needles.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

A governmental agency with environmental protection regulatory and enforcement authority.

Exposure Incident

A specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that results from the performance of an employee’s duties.

Exposure of Exposed

Means that an employee is subjected in the course of employment to a chemical that is a physical or health hazard and includes potential exposure. “Subjected” in terms of health hazards includes any route of entry.

Eye Wash Station

OSHA required emergency safety device providing a steady stream of water for flushing the eye.

Formaldehyde (HCHO)

Colorless, strong-smelling gas that when used in solution is a powerful preservative and disinfectant, a potential occupational carcinogen. Chemical Abstracts Service Registry No. 50-00-0.

Handwashing Facilities

Means a facility providing an adequate supply of running potable water, soap, and single use towels or hot air-drying machines.

Hazard Communication Standard

OSHA regulation that deals with identifying and limiting exposure to occupational hazards.

Hazard Warning

Means any words, pictures, symbols, or combination thereof appearing on a label or other appropriate form of warning which convey the specific physical and health hazard(s), including target organ effects, of the chemical(s) in the container(s).

Health Hazard

Means a chemical for which there is statistically significant evidence based on at least one study conducted in accordance with established scientific principles that acute or chronic health effects may occur in exposed employees. Includes chemicals which are carcinogens, toxic or highly toxic agents, reproductive toxins, irritants, corrosives, sensitizers, hepatotoxins, nephrotoxins, neurotoxins, agents which act on the hematopoietic system, and agents which damage the lungs, skin, eyes, or mucous membranes.

Formaldehyde Rule

OSHA regulation limiting the amount of occupation exposure to formaldehyde gas.

Hazardous Chemical

Means any chemical which is a physical hazard or a health hazard.

Hepatitis

Inflammation of the liver. It may be caused by a variety of agents, including viral infections, bacterial invasion, and physical or chemical agents. It is usually accompanied by fever, jaundice, and an enlarged lvier.

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)

A severe infectious blood borne virus.

Herpes

An inflammatory skin disease marked by small vesicles in clusters, usually restricted to diseases caused by Herpes virus.

Household Bleach

A 5% sodium hypochlorite solution; 12 oz. of household bleach with 116 oz. of water yields 1 gal. of a 10% household bleach solution (5,000 ppm sodium hypochlorite).

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

A type of retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Human Remains

Body of a deceased person, including cremated remains.

Index

The strength of embalming fluids indicated by the number of grams of pure Formaldehyde gas dissolved in 100 ml of water. Index usually refers to a percentage; an embalming fluid with an index of 25 usually contains 25% formaldehyde gas.

Injection

The act or instance of forcing fluid into the vascular system or directly into tissues.

Injection Pressure

The amount of pressure produced by an injection device to overcome initial resistance within (intravascular) or on (extravascular) the vascular system (arterial or venous).

Infectious Disease

Disease caused by the growth of a pathogenic microorganism in the body.

Hazardous Material

An agent or material exposing one to risk.

Label

Means any written, printed, or graphic material displayed on or affixed to containers of hazardous chemicals.

Legionnaires Disease

A severe, often fatal bacterial disease characterized by pneumonia, dry cough, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

This must accompany a hazardous product; a requirement of the Department of Labor and OSHA under the Hazard Communication Standard.

Microbe (Microorganism)

A minute one celled form of life not distinguishable as to vegetable or animal nature.

Occupational Exposure

Reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral, contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that may result from the performance of a worker’s duties.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)

A governmental agency with the responsibility for regulation and enforcement of safety and health matters for most United States employees; an individual state OSHA agency may supersede the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA regulations.

Other Potentially Infectious Materials/OPIM

Human body fluids: semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids. Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a living or dead human. HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, HIV/HBV containing culture medium, blood, organs, other tissues from experimental animals infected.

Parts per Million (ppm)

In contaminated air, the parts of vapor or gas (formaldehyde) per million parts of air by volume; in solution the parts of chemical per million parts of solution.

Parenteral

Means piercing mucous membranes or the skin barrier through such events as needlesticks, human bites, cuts, and abrasions.

Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)

The maximum legal limits established by OSHA for regulated substances. These are based on employee exposure that is time-weighted over an 8-hour work shift. When these limits are exceeded, employers must take proper steps to reduce employee exposure.

Time-Weighted Average (TWA)

The employer shall assure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of formaldehyde which exceeds 0.75 parts formaldehyde per million parts of air (0.75 ppm) as an 8-hour TWA. An evaluation of exposures that are time-weighted over an established period. It allows the exposure levels to be averaged generally over an 8-hour time period.

Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL)

The employer shall assure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of formaldehyde which exceeds 2 parts formaldehyde per million parts of air (2 ppm) as a 15-minute STEL.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Those items of protection worn to minimize exposure to hazards; those items worn by the embalmer to avoid contact with blood and other body fluids.

Preparation Room

Area or facility wherein embalming, dressing, cosmetizing, or other body preparation are affected.

Radiation Protection Officer

The supervisor, in an institution licensed to use radionuclides, that has the responsibility to establish procedures and make recommendations in the use of all radioactive matter.

Regulated Waste

Liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials; contaminated items that would release blood or other potentially infectious materials in a liquid/semi-liquid state if compressed; items that are caked with dried blood or other potentially infectious materials and are capable of releasing these materials during handling; contaminated sharps; and pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials.

Primary Disinfection

Disinfection carried out prior to the embalming process.

Sanitation

A process to promote and establish conditions which minimize or eliminate biohazards.

Sharps

Hypodermic needles, suture needles, injector needles, scalpel blades, razor blades, pins, and other items sharp enough to cause percutaneous injury, penetration of unbroken skin; may include other items normally not disposed of following use such as scissors, teeth, fingernails, and ribs.

Sharps Container

OSHA required receptacle for proper disposal of sharps.

Sodium Hypochlorite

An unstable salt usually produced in an aqueous solution and used as a bleaching and disinfecting agent.

Source Individual

Any individual, living/dead, whose blood or other potentially infectious materials may be a source of occupational exposure to the employee. Ex: hospital/clinic patients, clients in institutions for the developmentally disables, trauma victims, clients of drug and alcohol treatment facilities, residents of hospices and nursing homes, human remains, and individuals who donate or sell blood or blood components.

Sterilization

Process that renders a substance free of all microorganisms.

Subcutaneous

Situated or occurring beneath the skin.

Universal Precautions

An approach to infection control. All human blood and certain human body fluids are treated as if known to be infectious.

Work Area

A room or defined space in a workplace where hazardous chemicals are produced or used, and where employees are present.

Work Practice Controls

Controls that reduce the likelihood of exposure by altering the manner in which a task is performed, prohibiting recapping of needles, and not allowing blood splatter or aerosolization of blood while draining during the embalming process.

NRC

National Response Center (Coast Guard).

DOT

Department of Transportation.

NIOSH

National Institute of Safety & Health.

MSHA

Mine Safety & Health Act.

TSCA

Toxic Substance Control Act.

CAS

Chemical Abstract Service (number).

ACGIH

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist.

SARA

Superfund Amendments Re-authorization Act.

TLV

Threshold Limit Value.

UEL

Upper Explosion Limit.

LEL

Lower Explosion Limit.

PPB

Parts per Billion.

Mg/l

Milligrams per liter.

Aftercare/Post Funeral Follow-up

Appropriate and helpful acts of counseling, personal and/or written contact that come after the funeral.

Business Ethics

Values related to human conduct as applied to business.

Code of Ethics

A declaration or public statement of professional standards of right and wrong conduct.

Confidentiality

To hold certain information in trust and not disclose without proper authorization or authority.

Culture

The rules, ideas and beliefs shared by members of society of and for living and dying, which are learned directly or indirectly.

Discrimination

The act of making a difference in treatment or favor in a basis other than individual merit (Webster).

Ethical/Moral

Conforming to accepted standards of conduct (Webster).

Ethics

Branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions (Webster).

Ethnicity

The cultural heritage or identity of a group, based on factors such as language or country of origin.

Funeral Service Ethics

Values related to human conduct as applied to the care of the deceased, family, funeral home operationsl and society.

Golden Rule

A rule of ethical conduct found in some form in most major religions usually phrased “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Harrassment

To annoy continually or chronically.

Honesty

Having a sense of honor; upright and fair dealing.

Informed Consent

A formal agreement provided after receiving complete and accurate information, including alternative choices and consequences, in an understandable form.

Integrity

Fidelity to moral principles.