Occupational Health and Safety Measures in a Mortuary of a Private Tertiary Care Medical College Hospital, Bangalore

Mortuary services are integral to the compendium of services provided by a tertiary health care centre. Mortuary or Post-Mortem rooms have potential hazards and risks for the health personnel as well as attendants of the deceased.

To identify existing practices and Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) measures in a Mortuary and to assess the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) among Health Care Workers.

This is a crosssectional study set in a private tertiary care teaching hospital. An Observation Checklist was developed for the pupose of assessing hazards which was partially based on Occupational Hazard Checklist of OSHA for a Mortuary.

The personnel involved in transporting the body to the mortuary are exposed to the biological hazards namely the body fluids of the deceased and exposure to aerosols spills and splashes incidental to activities in the Post Mortem Room. The potential physical hazards are injuries due to slips and falls. The potential chemical hazards are contact dermatitis and allergic asthma due to exposure to formalin vapours in cases of embalming and drugs/chemicals ingested by the deceased. The workers are at risk for Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and HIV. The potential ergonomic hazards are musculoskeletal diseases and Repetitive Stress Injuries at the shoulder, elbow and small joints of the hands. The PPEs use was not consistent in most areas of the mortuary.