Preparation Rooms/Embalming Room

PURPOSE: This rule outlines the laws and rules governing the standards required of funeral establishment preparation rooms. (1) Whenever used in this rule, the phrase preparation room refers to that room in a Missouri licensed funeral establishment where dead human bodies are embalmed. (2) The following requirements for the maintenance and cleanliness of preparation rooms apply at all times, regardless of whether a dead human body is being embalmed or not. (3) Floors, Walls, and Ceilings. All preparation room floor surfaces shall be smooth, nonabsorbent materials and so constructed as to be kept clean easily. All walls and ceilings shall be easily cleanable and light colored, and shall be kept and maintained in good repair. All walls shall have washable surfaces. (4) Sewage and Liquid Waste Disposal. (A) All sewage and water-carried wastes from the entire Missouri licensed funeral establishment, including the preparation room, shall be disposed of in a public sewage system or an approved disposal system which is constructed, operated, and maintained in conformance with the minimum standards of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and Missouri Department of Natural Resources. (B) The following aspirators are approved for preparation rooms: 1. Electric aspirators; 2. Water-operated aspirators. All water-operated aspirators shall be protected from back siphonage by the minimum of an atmospheric vacuum breaker that is installed a minimum of six inches (6") above the highest point of the embalming table and is approved by the American Society of Sanitary Engineering (ASSE) or by the Uniform Plumbing Code; and 3. Water-controlled unit. All water-controlled units shall be installed and maintained according to the Uniform Plumbing Code, and properly protected from back siphonage with a backflow prevention device approved by the American Society of Sanitary Engineering or the Uniform Plumbing Code. (5) Solid Waste Disposal. All waste materials, refuse, bandages, cotton, and other solid waste materials shall be kept in leakproof, nonabsorbent containers which are properly sealed. (6) Disposal of Body Parts. Human body parts not buried within the casket shall be disposed of by incineration in a commercial or industrial-type incinerator or buried to a depth which will insure a minimum of three feet (3') of compacted earth cover (overlay). (7) A mechanical exhaust system is required. Care shall be taken to prevent the discharge of exhaust air into an area where odors may create nuisance problems. (8) All preparation rooms and all articles stored in them shall be kept and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. All embalming tables, hoppers, sinks, receptacles, instruments, and other appliances used in embalming or other preparation of dead human bodies shall be so constructed that they can be kept and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. The following minimum standards shall apply: (A) An eye wash kit (bank) or suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes shall be provided within the area for immediate emergency use; (B) Facilities for the proper disinfection of embalming instruments and the embalming table; (C) Facilities for the proper storage of embalming instruments. At a minimum, a chest or cabinet shall be used for the storage of embalming instruments; (D) All types of blocks used in positioning a dead human body on an embalming table shall be made of nonabsorbent material. All wooden blocks shall be sealed and painted with enamel; and (E) When not in use, embalming tables shall be cleaned, disinfected and covered with a sheet. (9) Food and Beverages. (A) There may be no direct opening between the preparation room and any room where food and beverages are prepared or served. (10) A separate wash sink (separate from slop drain sink) shall be present or in close proximity to the preparation room for a personal hand wash facility and the disinfecting of embalming equipment. If the wash sink is not present in the preparation room, it shall be in a location close to the preparation room which is not accessible to the public and it shall be at a distance of no further than ten feet (10') from the door of the preparation room. (11) Preparation rooms shall contain only the articles, instruments, and items that are necessary for the preparation, embalming, and final disposition of dead human bodies. (12) Preparation rooms shall be secured with a functional lock so as to prevent entrance by unauthorized persons. AUTHORITY: sections 192.020, 333.061, and 333.111.1, RSMo 2016.* This rule originally filed as 4 CSR 120-2.090. Original rule filed Oct. 17, 1975, effective Oct. 28, 1975. Refiled March 24, 1976. Emergency rule filed Nov. 9, 1978, effective Nov. 20, 1978, expired Feb. 11, 1979. Rescinded and readopted: Filed Nov. 8, 1978, effective Feb. 11, 1979. Rescinded and readopted: Filed Jan. 13, 1982, effective April 11, 1982. Amended: Filed Aug. 13, 1984, effective Jan. 13, 1985. Amended: Filed June 2, 1986, effective Sept. 1, 1986. Amended: Filed Nov. 15, 1991, effective April 4, 1992. Amended: Filed May 26, 1993, effective Nov. 8, 1993. Amended: Filed May 16, 1995, effective Dec. 30, 1995. Amended: Filed Dec. 31, 2003, effective July 30, 2004. Moved to 20 CSR 2120-2.090, effective Aug. 28, 2006. Amended: Filed Jan. 30, 2007, effective July 30, 2007. Amended: Filed June 12, 2019, effective Dec. 30, 2019. *Original authority: 192.020, RSMo 1939, amended 1945, 1951, 2004, 2016; 333.061, RSMo 1965, amended 1981, 2001, 2011; and 333.111, RSMo 1965, amended 1981, 1993, 1995.