Embalming, Transportation, and Handling of Remains, Including Communicable Disease Provisions
Embalming is authorized practice performed only in a licensed establishment by a licensed mortician, and only after authority to embalm is obtained. Maryland requires embalming before shipment by common carrier, before a public viewing, and when final disposition will not occur within the statutory interval, unless the body is held under refrigeration at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below in an approved facility.
Communicable disease and safety
- Standard precautions apply to every body; treat all remains as potentially infectious.
- Known infectious conditions must be disclosed to everyone who handles or transports the remains, and the container tagged accordingly.
- Human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis do not bar embalming; tuberculosis and certain respiratory conditions call for enhanced respiratory protection.
- The establishment must follow OSHA bloodborne pathogen requirements: gloves, gowns, eye protection, sharps handling, and exposure control plans.
Transportation
- Removals must be made by licensed personnel using a covered, secured cot in a vehicle that can be disinfected.
- The burial-transit permit accompanies the body at every stage, including out-of-state shipment.
- Common carrier shipment generally requires embalming or an approved sealed container.
Worked example
A hospital calls at 2 a.m. and the funeral home sends an unlicensed driver to the unit to collect the body. That is a violation of both licensure scope and transport rules, regardless of how short the trip was. The correct response is to dispatch a licensed mortician or registered apprentice with supervision in place.
Traps that cost marks
Assuming refrigeration is never a substitute for embalming, failing to disclose a known infectious condition, and shipping remains without the permit because the receiving state does not ask for it.