May 2018

Page A18 MAY 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A By Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE From the First Call to Release: Chain of Custody with Cremation (Part 2) Last month, we discussed chain of custody from the notifica- tion of death through procedures at the funeral home. Transfer from Funeral Home to Crematory Before the deceased is transferred to the crematory there needs to be verification that all paperwork has been com- pleted. Once the paperwork has been verified, two staff members should further verify the name on the paperwork matches with the identification placed on the deceased at the time of the removal. The name of the deceased should also be on the head end of the container going to the crematory. If a casket was selected, the name can be written on masking tape and placed on the head end of the casket. Again, the name on the container should be the same as on all the paperwork. If the paperwork has “James” it should not say “Jimmy” or “Jim” on the container. THE CREMATORY Delivery to Crematory When transferring custody of human remains to the cre- matory, certain procedures must be followed. And these procedures are the same whether the crematory is third- party or in-house. Everyone must understand the basic concept that crema- tion is an irreversible and irreplaceable process. Once the human remains are placed in the chamber and the crema- tion process starts, there is no turning back. Also, if they are lost, there is no replacement. Verify all required permits accompanying the deceased are fully completed with the same name on all paperwork. If any of the required paperwork is not fully completed, the crema- tory operator should hold further processing of the deceased until the paperwork is completed. Verify the name on the authorization for cremation corre- Protecting Your Families and Business Before Cremated Human Remains are placed in Urn/ Container Again – before the cremated human remains are placed in an urn or temporary container, the disk number, paper- work and labels all need to be verified to make sure that all names and tracking numbers correspond. The stainless steel disk should be placed in the plastic bag or attached at the top of the plastic bag with locking strips after it has been filled with cremated human remains. This disk is the main identification tracking method to follow cremated human remains and needs to stay with them at all times. Also, all layers of packaging (plastic bag, urn/temporary container and cardboard box if used) need to have iden- tification labels securely attached. If keepsakes are being used, each keepsake needs to have a small label placed on the bottom of each at the time of filling. We will conclude this three-part series on chain of custody in part three next month. sponds to the name on the container and the ID on the deceased. After the identification has been com- pleted a pre-numbered stainless steel disk needs to be assigned to the deceased. This number should be re- corded on all accompanying paperwork and written on the container. Once the cremation process starts this disk is the only identification that can track and verify who the cremated human remains are. The identification process should take place with a representative of the funeral home present. At the con- clusion of this process the crematory should issue a receipt of human remains to the funeral home repre- sentative. This documentation is critical to the funer- al home to demonstrate that the chain of custody has transferred from the funeral home to the crematory. Before Placement in Cremation Chamber Before the human remains are placed in the crema- tion chamber it is critical the name on the outside of the cremation container/casket is the same name on all paperwork. Additionally, the number on the stain- less-steel disk must be verified to be the same num- ber that was written on the cremation container/cas- ket and on the paperwork. The stainless-steel disk should be placed inside the cremation chamber. From this point going forward this will be the identification tracking for the cremat- ed human remains. The paperwork should also follow the cremation process with no other paperwork for other cremation in the same area. The reason is so the paperwork will not be mistakenly switched. Clean out of Chamber At the start of the cleanout of the cremation cham- ber the tracking number on the stainless-steel disk needs to correspond to the number on the paperwork of the deceased that has just been cremated. After the cremated human remains have been retrieved from in- side the cremation chamber and are in the cleanout container, the stainless-steel disk needs to be placed on top of the cremated human remains. Start of Processing Before beginning to process the cremated human re- mains, verification of disk number with paperwork and container labels is completed. It is critical that no other paperwork, cremated human remains or con- tainers are in the area of processing. Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE, is President of J. Starks Consulting in Lutz, FL, and a nationally-recognized trainer on funeral home and crema- tory risk management. He used his experience in both funeral home and crematory oper- ations and risk management, combined with his involvement with funeral homes of all sizes and geographies, to become an author- ity at controlling risk and loss in the death care industry, providing lectures and presentations to private firms, as well as regional, state and national associations. He also conducts private audits and risk assessments to independent funeral homes and crematories in the US and Canada, often identifying ways to save or generate thou- sands of dollars of profit. Jim is a Michigan and Indiana Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer and ICCFA- and CANA-certified crematory operator, as well as Dean of ICCFA University’s College of Cremation Services. He is a graduate of the University of Wyoming, the Mid-America School of Mortuary Science, and the ICCFA University. For more information on risk management in the death care industry, visit jstarksconsulting. com. Contact Jim at (813) 765-9844 or jim@jstarksconsulting.com. www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs • Family Owned and Operated • 20+ Years Industry Experience • New Product Increases Settlements • No Contracts... Free Recycling Tote Cremation Metal Recycling 800-664-8365 cremation metal recycling - responsible recycling charitable foundation cmr@metrocast.net www.cremationmetalrecycling.com Inventory Reduction Sale! Extra-Large Blue Cremains Bags $200.00 for a case of 100* That’s just $2.00 a bag, for a savings of 45% of regular price! Call 651-450-7727 or visit Urnbags.com to order Brought to you by Forever Pets Inc. *While supplies last Ward’s Transport & Supplies Sells Transport Business Doug Ward DOUGLAS,GA— Doug Ward has announced the sale of Ward’s Transport Services to Beck Transport dba Chastain Professional Services of Atlanta. “It has been my privilege for the past 5 years to own and op- erate Ward’s Transport Services. Thanks to our loyal customers the business has grown each year.”  “The opportunity presented itself for me to sell to an established transport service. John Beck has been in the transport business for 10 years. Prior to his passing in 2017, Scotty Chastain spent 18 years pro-  There will continue to be 6 vans in Southeast Georgia while customers will now also have access to 10 vans throughout the metro Atlanta area. Effective April 2018 the new number to call for all transports is 404-861- 1321. Doug will continue to own and operate Ward’s Funeral Supplies and Ward Monument Com- pany. He can be reached at 912-309-9295 or visit www. wardstransportservice.com . viding service for funer- al homes and the fami- lies that entrusted them. I am confident that pro- fessionalism while trans- porting loved ones will continue to be of ut- most importance,” stated Doug. Send Us Your News! PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 Fax 1-800-321-9040 • Email info@nomispublications.com FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS We welcome news of the industry. Send us information on your firm today!