Funeral Service Test Risk Assessment & Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A funeral home's embalming room ventilation system fails during a preparation. What is the MOST immediate risk this creates?
- Increased formaldehyde vapor exposure for the embalmer (Correct answer)
- Risk of chemical spills from unstable pressure
- Damage to embalming equipment from heat buildup
- Loss of refrigeration for unembalmed remains
Correct answer: Increased formaldehyde vapor exposure for the embalmer
Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, and without ventilation the embalmer is immediately exposed to dangerous vapor concentrations.
Question 2: OSHA's permissible exposure limit (PEL) for formaldehyde as a time-weighted average (TWA) over an 8-hour workday is:
- 0.75 ppm (Correct answer)
- 1.0 ppm
- 2.0 ppm
- 0.1 ppm
Correct answer: 0.75 ppm
OSHA sets the formaldehyde PEL at 0.75 ppm as an 8-hour TWA, with a short-term exposure limit of 2 ppm.
Question 3: Which type of risk is classified as 'pure risk' in the context of funeral home risk management?
- Investing in new embalming equipment that may not improve efficiency
- The possibility of a slip-and-fall lawsuit with no potential for gain (Correct answer)
- Expanding services to a new market that may or may not succeed
- Raising funeral prices to improve profit margins
Correct answer: The possibility of a slip-and-fall lawsuit with no potential for gain
Pure risk involves only the possibility of loss or no loss, with no chance of financial gain — such as liability from an accident.
Question 4: What is the purpose of an Exposure Control Plan (ECP) under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard?
- To document the chemicals used in each embalming case
- To establish procedures to eliminate or minimize employee exposure to bloodborne pathogens (Correct answer)
- To set pricing for biohazard disposal services
- To train family members on infection risks during viewings
Correct answer: To establish procedures to eliminate or minimize employee exposure to bloodborne pathogens
An ECP is a written plan required by OSHA that documents how a funeral home will protect employees from bloodborne pathogen exposure.
Question 5: A funeral director is assessing the risk of a body that died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). What is the unique risk management concern with CJD?
- The virus is airborne and requires N95 respirators at minimum
- The prion is resistant to standard disinfection and embalming chemicals (Correct answer)
- CJD bodies must be cremated within 24 hours by law
- Family members are at high risk of contracting CJD during viewing
Correct answer: The prion is resistant to standard disinfection and embalming chemicals
CJD prions are not destroyed by formaldehyde, standard disinfectants, heat, or UV light, making decontamination of instruments extremely difficult.
Question 6: Which element of risk management involves purchasing insurance to cover potential funeral home liabilities?
- Risk avoidance
- Risk reduction
- Risk retention
- Risk transfer (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Risk transfer
Risk transfer shifts the financial burden of a potential loss to another party, most commonly through insurance.
Question 7: A funeral home receives a body with a known HIV-positive status. According to best practices, the embalmer should:
- Decline to embalm the body and recommend direct cremation
- Use the same PPE and precautions as for any other case (Correct answer)
- Add extra formaldehyde concentration to neutralize HIV
- Notify local public health officials before proceeding
Correct answer: Use the same PPE and precautions as for any other case
Standard precautions mean the same level of PPE is used for all cases, as HIV does not require heightened precautions beyond what is already standard.
Funeral Service Test Risk Assessment & Management 3
A funeral home's embalming room ventilation system fails during a preparation.
What is the MOST immediate risk this creates?