December 2021

Page A16 DECEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A get updated training noti- fications and quarterly in- sights. We would highly recommend Certified Safe- ty Training to other busy funeral home owners.” Harrison stated, “Having worked with funeral homes for 17 years, we have seen the increased strain on fu- neral home workers. What funeral home owners don’t need is more work. Off- the-shelf PDFs that never get filled out or DVDs that gather dust just create more stress and miss the compli- ance mark. We are seeing a deep appreciation for turnkey compliance solutions that are fully customized to each fa- cility and team at an affordable price point.” Certified Safety Training has already made its new courses available to its current customers and is inviting anyone in- terested in testing their compliance knowledge to play their latest online game titled, “The Imperfect Prep Room.” CST is the leader in deathcare OSHA compliance. Backed by more than 30 years of industry experience and Certified Safety Professionals, CST matches industry ex- pertise with customizable programming to make sure that customers have the highest-quality safety programs, plans, training, and advice. From bloodborne pathogens to hazard communications to personal protective equip- ment to dozens of other topics, CST’s Certified Safety Professionals have successfully helped thousands of em- ployees work safer and smarter. For more information, visit www.certifiedsafetytraining.org JACKSONVILLE,FL— In January of 2021, Certified Safety Training (CST) became the endorsed safety and compliance provider to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). Since then, CST has reached thou- sands of death care workers – funeral directors, ceme- tery workers, crematory technicians, office workers, and drivers – and helped them meet their OSHA compli- ance without missing a beat. “In addition to customized written plans, recordkeep- ing, electronic safety data sheets, and in-person train- ing, we have developed industry-specific on-demand online courses, to help death care workers meet their OSHA requirements and earn continuing education hours without disrupting their work day,” said Certified Safety Training president, Mark Harrison. Certified Safety Training will offer the following on-demand courses: Funeral Worker Safety; Office Worker Safety; Cem- etery Worker Safety; Cremation Worker Safety; Building a Culture of Safety; Safe Driving; and Workplace Harassment. Last month, Certified Safety Training trained the entire team at Heritage Funeral Home on-demand. Jim Kl- emmer, owner and funeral director at Heritage Funeral Homes stated, “Working with Certified Safety Training was so easy. It was much more convenient to have our OSHA training done virtually on individual schedules than to get 25 people together at one time for in person training. Their online compliance folder ensures that all of our recordkeeping is in place going forward, and we We produce case volume reports for every licensed funeral firm in these States: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin Do you know your market share? We do. FUNERAL CONVERGENCE www.FuneralConvergence.com Phone (831) 221 - 0075 Certified Safety Training Launches New Workplace Safety Courses to Meet Industry Demand: On-Demand Mark Harrison By Wally Hooker, CFSP, MBIE As we continue this series on donor bodies, a situation comes to mind from a few years ago. Our firm was called to care for a friend, who had died very unexpectedly… he had been a high school classmate of my wife, was my pledge brother at Purdue University, and actually in- troduced my wife and I. His death certainly rattled our community. He was well known, well liked and served as an assistant football coach for the local high school. “Fuzzy” collapsed at his daughter’s home and was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Hospital protocol was followed and donor services was contacted. His family gave consent for recovery, after an “in depth, lengthy telephone interview,” accord- ing to his adult children. His family was asked if there would be an open casket type service, to which they re- plied yes. Further, they were asked what type of cloth- ing Fuzzy would be dressed in. They said he’d be wear- ing khaki slacks and his Polo football coach’s shirt. It was difficult enough to unzip the body pouch con- taining a good friend, but to find they had recovered both humerus bones and the incisions extended beyond the elbow, leaving an obviously challenging closure… really set me off! Apparently, the recovery team didn’t get the message that Fuzzy was to be buried in a short sleeve Polo shirt. (Figure 1) I had learned early on, calling donor services and complaining was an effort in futility. It simply falls on the shoulders of us practitioners in the trenches, to find a way to overcome these situations. As a side note, in the years following, I served through the officer chairs of the Indiana Funeral Directors Associa- tion . We had meaningful dialogue and were able to con- vince donor services to halt the removal of the humerus when the deceased will have open casket services. As we have dis- cussed previous- ly, I believe it is imperative to open the recov- ery site (Figure 2) and pre-treat the raw tissue before your arterial embalming. I’ve shared my choice in this type of treatment: using a hexaphene- based gel, using cotton to hold the gel to the tissue, then wrapping with plastic to both concentrate the effectiveness of the gel’s penetration and to hold the strong odor down. (Figure 3) I would suggest using at least a 3.5% solu- tion. With luck, the vascular system of the arm wasn’t compromised dur- ing the recovery and you can properly embalm the hand without the necessity of raising the radial. I can’t stress enough the danger in assuming arterial so- lutions will topically treat tissue. As services are delayed more and more, this poses a risk of decomposition. Fol- lowing the arterial injection, you may find arterial solu- tion has pooled in the recovered area. Simply open the area and drain off the chemical solution. If you have the luxury of time, let gravity remove more moisture over- night into the recovered area. Regardless of waiting overnight or proceeding imme- diately, clean and dry the recovery area (Figure 4) and again treat with gel. Reinstall the prosthesis, which can be wrapped with absorbent material and zip tied to re- store bulk to the area. For an extra measure of protec- tion, use absorbent autopsy compound in the area just before suturing. In Fuzzy’s case, I was determined to use his short-sleeved coach’s shirt. It was suggested I use a long sleeve t-shirt under the shirt, but that seemed like the easy way out. Fuzzy’s case would require a tight, hidden stitch su- ture. (Figure 5) The key, to keep my peace of mind, was to be certain the tissue inside was completely treated, dried, retreated and problem free. Anything less is asking for trouble. I Embalming 101 had the time, so I allowed the tissue to dry overnight before my final treatment and suturing. Following the suturing, I recovered a small amount of hair from his neck to be used on the exposed area below the elbow. At this point, we dressed and casketed him so there would be no further physical movement to disrupt the tedious skin and hair replacement that would take place. His clothing and casket lining were covered with plastic for protection. I ensured the skin area was clean and degreased, then used an artificial skin product to cover the suture and gently tamped the neck hair into the product before it cured. The hair was a bit long but was easily trimmed to the correct height. This procedure was done to both arms, even though the left arm wouldn’t be seen. Keep in mind, families can be curious and they go looking, so it’s best if we always go the extra mile so there are no surprises or embarrassment. If you encounter a situation where you are challenged by pesky or persistent leakage in the arm, I encourage go- ing to the source of the leak. Look for the issue and at- tempt to overcome it, even if it means reopening a por- tion of the incision. Gravity is often working against us with the hands positioned and elevated on the abdomen. After additional treatment, as a safety net, I would suggest thoroughly drying/degreasing over the suture and using a mortuary grade super glue product to seal the incision. Then wrap the arm in thin absorbent padding, held securely in place with 4” shrink wrap. The shrink wrap accomplishes two things: it holds the absorbent padding in place and creates a smooth look to dress over and not leave unsightly bulges. I fully understand the level of difficulty and time- consuming nature of preparing donor bodies. I en- courage you to think outside the box as we approach these challenging cases. Always keeping in mind, the families look to us as the experts and they deserve the best we have to give. Next month we will wrap up this series on prepping donor bodies. Until then, stay safe and remember to wash your hands! Dealing with Donor Cases Part 4: Preparation of Recovered/Donor Bodies Wallace P. (Wally) Hooker CFSP, MBIE, is the owner, funeral direc - tor and embalmer of Family & Friends Funeral Home of Wingate, IN. He and his wife, Janet designed, established and built their funeral home in 2004. Wally is a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science, where he serves on the Advisory Board. He is Past President of the Indiana Funeral Directors Association and board member of North American Division of the British Institute of Embalmers. In ad - dition, he has served as chief deputy coroner/investigator of Fountain County, IN for the last 24 years. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . 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