Morticians wear a full set of personal protective equipment (PPE) while embalming, including fluid-resistant gowns, heavy-duty gloves, eye protection, respiratory protection, and waterproof footwear. Every item serves a specific purpose: embalming involves prolonged contact with blood, other body fluids, and formaldehyde-based chemicals, all of which pose serious health risks through skin contact, splashes, or inhalation.
Gowns and Aprons
The outermost layer is a fluid-resistant gown or a full-length plastic apron, sometimes both. Embalming is a wet procedure. Arterial embalming pushes preservative fluid through the vascular system while blood drains out, and cavity embalming involves aspirating and treating the organs directly. Fluid splashes are not occasional; they’re constant.
Disposable gowns are common in prep rooms because they eliminate the need for laundering contaminated fabric. These are typically made from polyethylene-coated material that blocks blood and chemicals from reaching clothing or skin. The FDA classifies protective gowns on a four-level scale based on liquid barrier performance. Embalming generally calls for Level 3 or Level 4 protection, the same tiers used for surgery and trauma cases where prolonged, heavy fluid exposure is expected. Some morticians wear a reusable rubber apron over a disposable gown for extra coverage, particularly during cavity work.
Gloves
Standard medical exam gloves are not thick enough for embalming. Morticians typically use nitrile gloves in the 6 to 8 mil thickness range, which provides meaningful chemical and puncture resistance. Some opt for 9 to 10 mil gloves, the thickest standard nitrile gloves available, because embalming involves sharp instruments like trocars, scalpels, and aneurysm hooks alongside caustic chemicals. Thicker nitrile takes longer for formaldehyde and other embalming chemicals to permeate through, a property called breakthrough time.
Double-gloving is a common practice. A heavier outer glove protects against punctures and chemical exposure, while a thinner inner glove acts as a backup barrier if the outer one tears. Gloves are always disposable and changed between cases. The CDC recommends using puncture-resistant gloves whenever possible, and all contaminated gloves are discarded as hazardous waste after use.
Eye and Face Protection
Splashes to the eyes are one of the most dangerous exposures in a prep room. Blood, body fluids, and embalming chemicals can all transmit pathogens or cause chemical burns on contact. OSHA requires employers to provide appropriate eye or face protection whenever employees face hazards from liquid chemicals, chemical vapors, or flying particles.
In practice, most morticians wear a full face shield during embalming. A face shield covers the entire face and deflects splashes from any angle. Some prefer sealed safety goggles that meet the ANSI Z87.1 standard for occupational eye protection, though goggles alone leave the lower face exposed. When a half-mask respirator is used instead of a full-face respirator, OSHA specifically requires that it be paired with gas-proof goggles to compensate for the lack of eye coverage.
Respiratory Protection
Formaldehyde is the primary chemical in embalming fluid, and it’s a known carcinogen that irritates the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs even at low concentrations. OSHA sets two exposure limits: 0.75 parts per million averaged over an eight-hour workday and 2 parts per million over any 15-minute period. When ventilation systems in the prep room can’t keep exposure below those thresholds, respirators are required.
A standard surgical mask does nothing against formaldehyde vapor. Morticians working in rooms without adequate ventilation use air-purifying respirators fitted with cartridges specifically approved for formaldehyde. A full facepiece respirator is the most protective option because it seals around the entire face and doubles as eye protection. A half-mask respirator is an acceptable alternative when paired with gas-proof goggles. The key detail is the cartridge: it must be rated for formaldehyde, not just general organic vapors. These cartridges have a limited service life and need to be replaced on a schedule based on exposure levels.
Well-ventilated prep rooms with downdraft tables or local exhaust ventilation can sometimes keep formaldehyde levels low enough that a respirator isn’t required by regulation. But many morticians wear one regardless, as a personal precaution against chronic low-level exposure over a career.
Footwear
Floors in embalming rooms get wet with water, cleaning solutions, and sometimes body fluids. Morticians wear either dedicated rubber boots or impermeable disposable boot covers over their regular shoes. Disposable boot covers are slip-on designs with elastic bands and skid-resistant soles to prevent falls on wet surfaces. Many feature rear velcro strips for easy removal without contaminating hands or clothing. Like gowns and gloves, disposable boot covers are single-use and discarded after each session.
Some prep rooms keep a pair of dedicated rubber boots that stay in the room and are disinfected after each use. This approach avoids the ongoing cost of disposables while still preventing cross-contamination between the prep room and the rest of the funeral home.
Head Covers and Other Extras
Disposable hair caps or surgical-style head covers keep hair from contacting fluids or falling into the work area. They’re not always required by regulation, but most funeral homes include them as standard practice. Some morticians also wear disposable sleeve covers for additional arm protection beyond what a gown provides, particularly during procedures that involve reaching into body cavities.
How PPE Selection Works
OSHA takes a performance-based approach to PPE in funeral homes. Rather than mandating one specific outfit for every situation, the standard requires employers to evaluate each task, estimate the type and amount of fluid exposure expected, and select PPE accordingly. A simple external wash of a body before dressing requires less protection than a full arterial and cavity embalming. Autopsied cases or bodies with infectious diseases call for the highest level of gear.
The CDC recommends using disposable instruments, masks, gowns, and gloves whenever possible. After embalming, all single-use items that contacted body fluids are disposed of as hazardous waste, typically through incineration. Reusable tools are cleaned and sterilized according to established protocols. Plastic sheeting and absorbent pads used on the embalming table are also incinerated rather than thrown in regular trash.
The overall setup looks more like a surgical suite than most people expect. Morticians working a full embalming are covered head to toe in protective layers, with no skin exposed to fluids or chemical vapors. It’s methodical, regulated work, and the PPE reflects that.