239 CMR 3.07
Preparation Room
(1) Every Licensed Funeral Establishment shall have at least one preparation room for the
preparation for burial or other disposition of all dead human bodies. Said preparation room shall
be at least 12' x 14' in size for any new construction after January 1, 2008. Preparation rooms
shall be locked at all times.
(2) No person shall be allowed in the preparation room while a dead human body is being
prepared for burial or other final disposition except persons duly registered or licensed by the
Board pursuant to M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 82 through 87, public officials engaged in the discharge of
their official duties, students who are duly enrolled in a recognized mortuary school, and
members of the decedent's immediate family or persons authorized by them in writing. The
provisions of 239 CMR 3.07(2) shall be printed on a placard and conspicuously displayed or
posted on the exterior of each door to each preparation room in the Licensed Funeral
Establishment. Failure to post said placards shall constitute grounds for disciplinary action by
the Board.
(3) Each preparation room in a Licensed Funeral Establishment shall be equipped with a tile
or cement floor. Rubber tile, rubber matting or linoleum may be used provided that it is not less
than 3/16" thick, and that, if it is used as a floor covering, it is laid over a floor constructed of
cement or other waterproof substance. Wooden floors overlaid with metal or other waterproof
materials may be accepted in lieu of cement floors.
(4) Each preparation room shall also contain the following: one standard-type sanitary operating
table; one flush-rim sink, one floor drain; one reduced pressure or air gap separation backflow
prevention device located at the water meter or property line; one sanitary waste receptacle which
is opened by a foot pedal; and a standard-type instrument sterilizer.
(5) Every preparation room shall comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws,
regulations and ordinances regarding ventilation and, in the absence of such laws, shall be
ventilated so as to ensure that no deleterious odors are allowed to remain therein and that the
odors there from are not permitted to enter into any other part of the Licensed Funeral
Establishment or any part of any adjoining premises.
(6) An embalmer's kit shall contain, at a minimum, all items which are reasonably necessary
for proper embalming and/or preparation of a dead human body for burial, cremation or other
final disposition in light of currently accepted standards of professional practice.
(7) All equipment which is used to aspirate or remove blood or other potentially infectious
materials, as defined in 239 CMR 3.12, or which comes into contact with blood or other
potentially infectious materials, shall be maintained and used in a manner which prevents
conversion of blood or other potentially infectious materials to aerosol or airborne particles.