A majority of funeral service providers use a third-party crematory. And a majority of these firms have not performed the proper due diligence that needs to be done!
Funeral service providers have the fiduciary responsibility the family has entrusted to the firm. By ignoring the proper due diligence, you could be neglecting the trust the family has given your firm.
Remember: Cremation is an irreversible process; once it has been completed it cannot be reversed. The goal of all crematories should be to return the largest amount of cremated human remains possible, and to keep the co-mingling to the least amount possible.
To perform the required due diligence to ensure a third-party crematory meets acceptable standards, request a copy of their policies and procedures. Read them, come back and verify they are following their policies and procedures. If your request produces a one-page sheet – or worse, nothing at all – find another crematory.
Part of ensuring standards are met includes inspecting the crematory yourself, or hiring an auditor to do so. Non-negotiable items: 1) the crematorium should be clean and orderly at all times. 2) Areas of the crematorium should not be used as general storage or have dead insects on the floor. 3) And no dust should be lying on the equipment or furniture, as it could be small particles of cremated human remains.
Further, there should not be any cremated human remains around the clean-out door of the cremator or the processing equipment. If there is, the crematory is not doing a proper job of returning the largest amount of cremated human remains possible.
Another thing to ask the crematory operator is what they do with the unidentified cremated human remains. Placing them in any type of waste container is disgraceful. Crematories should have a residue container to retain unidentified cremated human remains. All crematories have some form of uncollectable residue at times. But the only proper place for the residue to end up is in a cemetery.
Similarly, medical metal remains after cremation have proper methods of disposal. One method is burial in a cemetery after the metal has been cleaned of all visible cremated human remains. The second method is recycling the medical metal. If recycling is a crematory’s chosen method, such practice should be disclosed on their Authorization for Cremation. In addition, it should be clear whether the crematory is making money from the recycling or donating to a non-profit charity.
Other considerations include whether the crematory is vacuumed after each cremation. The contents of the vacuum should be emptied into the retrieved cremated human remains from the chamber. If these steps are not being followed every time, then the crematory is not returning the largest amount of cremated human remains as possible and reducing comingling the least amount possible.
To decrease your firm’s exposure, also request to be added as an additional insured on the crematory’s company insurance policy and have their carrier/agent issue an ACORD certificate from the insurance company. As an additional insured, your firm should be covered by the crematory’s company insurance should the crematory do anything that brings legal action. This action should also function as a defense and cover a judgment awarded against your firm due to the crematory’s negligence.
Lastly, check to ensure that all crematory operators are certified. This certification can be obtained from national death care organizations or the manufacturers, and some states have their own requirements.
These issues are a start to your due diligence process. Many crematory inspection forms are available from national death care organizations, and these should be used when inspecting the crematory you use. Moreover, these inspections should be completed at least annually, with your findings retained in a file.
When I write an article on cremation, I attempt to upgrade the cremation procedures that many of the death care providers currently follow. These procedures may take more time or may add cost to your firm. If they do, you may want to research what you are charging and adjust to reflect the dignity and respect that everyone needs to have when dealing with consumers that choose cremation.