Practice Test Geeks(CMT) Certified Mortuary Technician Practice Test
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Health, Safety & Sanitation Standards Flashcards

7 cards from real CMT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Health, Safety & Sanitation Standards flashcards as text

  1. During embalming, the aspirated cavity contents are categorized as which type of waste under OSHA standards?

    Answer: Other Potentially Infectious Material (OPIM)

    Aspirated body fluids from the cavity are classified as Other Potentially Infectious Material (OPIM) under OSHA's BBP Standard and must be handled and disposed of accordingly.

  2. What is the OSHA action level for formaldehyde exposure that triggers additional monitoring requirements?

    Answer: 0.5 ppm as an 8-hour TWA

    OSHA's Formaldehyde Standard sets the action level at 0.5 ppm (8-hr TWA), which triggers air monitoring, medical surveillance, and training requirements before the 0.75 ppm PEL is reached.

  3. Which statement best describes the concept of engineering controls in the preparation room context?

    Answer: Physical or mechanical systems (e.g., ventilation hoods, sharps containers) that reduce exposure without relying on worker behavior

    Engineering controls are physical safeguards — such as local exhaust ventilation, sharps disposal containers, and splash guards — that minimize hazards independent of worker action.

  4. Which infectious disease requires the mortuary technician to wear an N95 (or higher) respirator due to airborne transmission risk during body preparation?

    Answer: Active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB)

    Mycobacterium tuberculosis is transmitted via airborne droplet nuclei that remain suspended in air, requiring airborne infection isolation precautions including an N95 or higher respirator.

  5. What is the correct sequence for donning (putting on) PPE before entering the preparation room for an infectious case?

    Answer: Gown → mask/respirator → eye protection → gloves

    CDC donning sequence: gown first (to cover clothing), then mask/respirator (to protect airway), then eye protection (over mask straps), then gloves last (over gown cuffs).

  6. Which federal agency sets the legal permissible exposure limits (PELs) for chemical hazards in mortuary workplaces?

    Answer: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

    OSHA establishes legally enforceable PELs for workplace chemical exposures; NIOSH recommends limits but lacks enforcement authority, and EPA governs environmental (not occupational) exposure.

  7. After completing embalming of a decedent with known septicemia, which is the correct order for doffing (removing) PPE?

    Answer: Gloves → gown → eye protection → mask/respirator, performing hand hygiene after gloves and again after all PPE removed

    CDC doffing sequence removes the most contaminated items first (gloves, then gown), followed by eye protection and mask last, with hand hygiene after glove removal and again after all PPE is off.