Medico-Legal Update
  • Year: 2008
  • Volume: 8
  • Issue: 2

A study of hazards and risks in the autopsy centre

  • Author:
  • Senti Toshi, S.K. Pandey, Manoj Kumar, S.K. Tripathi
  • Total Page Count: 3
  • Page Number: 21 to 23

Department of Forensic Medicine, IMS, BHU, Varanasi.

*Address For Correspondence: Dr. Senti Toshi, Resident, Department of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, B.H.U., Varanasi-221 005. E-mail: dr.senti@yahoo.co.in, Mobile: 09889198236.

Abstract

The present paper is a highlight of the hazards and risks, present in the autopsy centre and faced by the workers involved in the autopsy room. This study was conducted in the department of FORENSIC MEDICINE, IMS, BHU, Varanasi, during the year 2007. It was found that about onefourth i.e. 502 cases (25.48%) of the total 1970 autopsy cases done were hazardous. Of which, infective risk contributed the highest (67.52%) and then followed by poisoning cases (32.47%). There were also 43 cases of decomposed bodies autopsied. The other existing hazards were studied through a questionnaire put forward to the workers regarding physical injury, exposure to chemical hazards, infections and adverse psychological effects, secondary to stressful working environment of the autopsy room and presence of other occupational hazards if any.

Keywords

hazard, risk, autopsy center, physical, psychological