Washington Administrative Code › Title 246 - Health, Department of › HEALTH INFORMATION › Chapter 246-500 - Handling of human remains › Section 246-500-010 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter
				  unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Alkaline hydrolysis" or "hydrolysis"
				means the reduction of human remains to bone fragments and essential elements
				in a licensed hydrolysis facility using heat, pressure, water, and base
				chemical agents.
(2) "Barrier
				precaution" means protective attire, equipment, or other physical barriers worn
				to protect or prevent exposure of skin and mucous membranes of the wearer to
				infected or potentially infected blood, tissue, and body fluids, hazardous
				chemicals, dust, and other potentially hazardous materials.
(3) "Burial-transit permit" means a form,
				approved and supplied by the state registrar of vital statistics as described
				in chapter 70.58A RCW, identifying the name of the deceased, date and place of
				death, general information, disposition and registrar and sexton
				information.
(4) "Coroner" means
				the county official as described under chapter 36.24 RCW and
				RCW
				 36.16.030.
(5) "Department" means the Washington state
				department of health.
(6)
				"Effluent" means the liquid end-product following alkaline hydrolysis. For the
				purpose of this chapter, this does not meet the definition of human
				remains.
(7) "Embalmer" means a
				person defined and licensed under chapter 18.39 RCW.
(8) "Funeral establishment" means a place of
				business defined and licensed under chapter 18.39 RCW.
(9) "Funeral director" means a person defined
				and licensed under chapter 18.39 RCW.
(10) "Health care provider" means any person
				having direct or supervisory responsibility for the delivery of health care,
				including persons credentialed in Washington state under Title 18 RCW and
				military personnel providing health care within Washington state regardless of
				licensure.
(11) "Human remains" or
				"remains" means the body of a deceased person, in any stage of decomposition,
				including remains following the process of cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, or
				natural organic reduction, but not including archaeological skeletal remains
				under chapter 27.53 RCW.
(12)
				"Local health officer" means a licensed physician defined and appointed under
				RCW
				 70.05.050.
(13) "Local registrar of vital statistics"
				means the local health officer or administrator who registers certificates of
				birth and death occurring in their designated registration district under
				chapter 70.58A RCW.
(14) "Medical
				examiner" means a physician appointed by the county legislative authority to
				replace the coroner under
				RCW
				 36.24.190.
(15) "Natural organic reduction" means the
				contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil.
(16) "Reduction" means an accelerated
				conversion of human remains into bone fragments, essential elements, or soil by
				cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, or natural organic reduction.
(17) "Reduction facility operator" means the
				person(s) registered and licensed with the funeral and cemetery board through
				WAC 308-47-090 to operate a crematory, alkaline hydrolysis equipment, or
				natural organic reduction facility.
(18) "Refrigerate" means:
(a) Placing in a mechanically cooled unit
				maintained at a maximum temperature of 48°F in a licensed funeral
				establishment; or
(b) Placing in a
				mechanically cooled unit maintained at a maximum temperature of 48°F or
				packing with dry ice or leak-resistant sealed ice packs outside of a funeral
				establishment.