OSHA Glossary WK 3

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 (HIV); 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.

Action Level / AL-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.

Biohazard

Biological agent or condition that constitutes a hazard to humans.

Bischloromethly 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.

Blood

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

Bloodborne Pathogens

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

Bloodborne Pathogens Rule

OSHA REGULATION (29CFR 1910-1030) regulating the employee's exposure to blood and other body fluids. OSHA DEF: Human blood, human blood components, and products made from human blood.

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 Disinfection

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

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 material 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, care givers using invasive procedures use extreme caution

Decontamination

Means the use a physical or chemical means to remove, inactive, 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 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 or 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 (e.g. accidental or possible) exposure. "Subjected" in terms of health hazards includes any route of entry (e.g. inhalation, ingestion, skin contact or absorption.)

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

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

Formaldehyde Rule

OSHA regulation limiting the amount of occupational exposure to formaldehyde gas

Handwashing Facilities

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

Hazardous Chemical

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

Hazard Communication Standard/Rule

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

Hazardous Material

An agent or material exposing one to risk

Hazard Warning

Means any words, pictures, symbols or combination thereof appearing on a label or other appropriate form of warning which convey the specific 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.

Carcinogens

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.

Hepatitis

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

Hepatitis B Virus / HBV

A severe infectious blood borne virus.

Herpes

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

Household Bleach

A 5 percent sodium hypochlorite solution; twelve ounces of household bleach with 116 ounces of water yields one gallon of a 10% household bleach solution (5000 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 100ml of water; an embalming fluid with an index of 25 usually contains 25% formaldehyde.

Infectious Diseases

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

Infectious Waste

See biohazard.

Injection

The act or instance of forcing a 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 no (extravascular) the vascular system (arterial or venous).

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 and 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

Means (1) the following human body fluids: semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, saliva in dentures, 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; (2) any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead); and (3) HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.

Parenteral

Means piercing mucous membranes or the skin barrier through such events as needlesticks.

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 solutions.

Permissible Exposure Limit/PEL

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

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

The area or facility where in embalming, cosmetizing or other body preparation are effected.

Primary Disinfection

Disinfection carried out prior to the embalming process.

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

Means liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials, contaminated items that would release blood or other potentially infectious material in a liquid or 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 microbiology wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials.

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 disposed of following use such as scissors, teeth, fingernails, and ribs.

Sharps Container

OSHA required receptacle for proper disposal of sharps.

Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL)

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

Short Term Exposure Limit / STEL

Legal limits established by OSHA to which workers can be exposed continuously for a short period of time without damage or injury. Exposures at the STEL should not be for more than 15 minutes and not repeated more than 4 times per work day.

Sodium Hypochlorite

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

Source Individual

Means any individual, living or dead whose blood or other potentially infectious materials may be a source of occupational exposure to the employee.

Sterilization

Process that renders a substance free of all microorganisms

Subcutaneous

Situated or occurring beneath the skin

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

Time-Weighted Average / TWA

An evaluation of exposures that are time-weighted over an established period. It allows the exposure levels to be average generally over an eight-hour time period

Universal Precautions

An approach to infection control. According to the concept of Universal Precautions, all human blood and certain human body fluids are treated as if known to be infectious

Work Area

Means 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

ACGIH

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist

CAS

Chemical Abstract Service (Number)

CFR

Code of Federal Regulations

DOT

Department of Transportation

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency

LEL

Lower Explosion Limit

Mg / L

Milligrams per liter

MSHA

Mine Safety + Health Act

NIOSH

National Institute of Safety + Health

NRC

National Response Center (Coast Guard)

OSHA

Occupational Safety + Health Act

PEL

Personal Exposure Limit

PPB

Personal Per Billion

PPE

Personal Protection or Protective Equipment

PPM

Parts Per Million