Public Employee Press

Morgue workers winning safety improvements

For many years, the city morgues were disaster zones for employees.

“The old facility at Kings County Hospital was worse than a dungeon,” said Morgue Technician Cesar Vega, a member of Municipal Hospital Employees Union Local 420. “There were flies and gnats and all kinds of disgusting and filthy conditions,” he said.

When Dr. Neil Kosiborod started working for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in 1993, “TB and needle sticks were a big problem,” he explained.

Pathologists and Morgue Technicians who perform autopsies and related duties hold high-risk jobs involving potential exposures to blood-borne pathogens, communicable diseases, and toxic substances like formaldehyde. But Local 420 and DC 37 kept up constant pressure to make the work safer in conformance with state standards.

Now Dr. Kosiborod is OCME’s health and safety director, charged with providing safe working conditions for 550 employees. He has been working closely with the DC 37 Safety and Health Dept. and with management to transform the morgues into state-of-the-art facilities.

Two new freestanding morgues have been built, one in Brooklyn and a duplicate in Queens. The OCME facility at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx is still a work-in-progress, though conditions are much improved.
On Jan. 27, Robert B. Kearney, citywide director of mortuary operations, and Dr. Kosiborod conducted a safety walk-through of the new Brooklyn facility at KCH for Norbert Harry, assistant director of the DC 37 Hospitals Division, Rebecca Porper of the union’s Safety Dept. and Vega. “Kings County handles the most bodies in the system. We are equipped for up to 300,” said Kearney.

The new morgue includes features for handling decomposing bodies, radiation detectors, specially designed formaldehyde filters and new stretchers, tables, air conditioners, wash stations and other safety measures.

“As you can see, it’s a much cleaner environment and this benefits all the Technicians who work here,” said Mr. Kearney.

“The whole process is modernized,” observed Harry. “The union is willing to work with management to train the workers to meet the challenges they face in learning new procedures,” he said. Porper and Vega shared relief at the vast improvements.

On a Jan. 13 safety walkthrough of the morgue at Jacobi Hospital, Porper found many improvements. Stretchers had been fixed, brain and organ specimens and formaldehyde are now kept in special cabinets, the formaldehyde hood works, and negative pressure in the autopsy room keeps fumes from escaping.

Morgue Tech Terry Moses was pleased that the stretchers were fixed and other problems are being addressed. The Local 420 member is well aware of the many hazards his occupation poses, but is happy to serve. “I wouldn’t change my job for anything,” he said.