NFDA Cremation 6 Flashcards
Responsibility for wrongful acts or omissions.
- Potentially subject person or entity to lawsuit for damages or a court order that requires correction or abatement
- Imposes a legal responsibility (and eithical) to do, pay or make good on a promise, whether the promise was express or implied.
Liability
Operate and maintain the crematory in strict compliance with all applicable laws to ensure safe operations and the well-being of employees and to the public.
First Level of Prevention in any Liability Area
An individual who has completed an approved training program and who has met any other specific state requirements for certification.
Certified Operator
- Bypassing faulty equipment rather than replacing or reparing issues correctly- unsafe conditions
- Cremating or releasing cremated remains without following changes made to original authorization.
- Cremating personal items
- Failing to keep work areas clean and free of debris
- Improper loading of crematory unit
- Improper packaging of urn for shipment
- Improper placement of the retort in a facility
- Improperly trained or untrained personnel attempting to maintain equipment on their own
- Improperly trained or untrained operators running equipment
- Improperly trained or untrained personnel failing to adhere to state department of environmental protection (DEP) provisions in their permits.
- Inadequate clearances that are not in accordance with manufacturer specifications. Stack penetration through the roof and any combustible materials surrounding the stack
- Knowingly cremating a decedent with a pacemaker.
- Operating a crematory unit without proper safety gear.
- Running a crematory unit with gas or hydraulic leaks.
- Storing combustible materials in or around the crematory unit.
Common Areas of Liability in Crematories
- Conduct proper training by factory certified technicians
- Factory certified technicians should conduct safety checks during annual preventative maintenance. Often forecast potential safety concerns and advise on preventative steps. Do not wait unti an issue or emergency situation arises and the work place becomes unsafe.
- with an older retort there are new safety guidelines to meet, work with manufacturer to upgrade or retrofit the unit.
- Include replacement parts, service, and rebuilds in the crematory’s annual budget.
- Post current air permit regulations, training certificates, and manufacturer inspection and servicing records near the crematory unit.
Risk Avoidance
Most common claims related to a cremation involve breach of contract.
- Failure to perform the cremation (tri state)
- The wrong body is cremated (failure of proper identification procedures)
- Loss of cremated remains or commingling of cremated remains.
- Jewelery of person effects not removed as authorized and destroyed; jewelry/personal effects stolen.
- Recycling or sale of precious metal such as gold fillings by the crematory after the cremation when against family’s wishes and when prohibited by state statute.
- Failure to provide the cremation urn contracted and paid for.
Breach of Contract Claims
- Lost in mail or misdelivered
- More than one body cremated at one time in the same retort (if not allowed by law or not authorized by agent)
- Retort is not cleaned and CR are mixed
- CR are given to the wrong person
Examples of Loss of Cremated Remains
- Enforce all pre-cremation identification procedures of the remains and document.
- Do not delay conducting the cremation- if machinery is inoperable- do not accept until it is
- Never commingle cremated remains, maintain full documentation
- Only release cremated remains to the person designated in the cremation authorization form
- Remove and secure all personal effects, as applicable, and return to designated individual
- Recycling of metals is a touchy issue- require authorization (if allowed by law).
- If an additional urn is required to contain the CR overage, the crematory should notify the funeral home immediately.
To avoid liability, the first rule is to abide by the cremation authorization and contract
- Economic benefits of noncompliance
- Extent of harm caused by the violation
- Length of time the violation has occurred
- Nature and persistance of the violation
- Past violations
Environmental Liability and Risk Avoidance
Key Factors
- Provides incentives for compliance
- Minimum of $500 per day (minor case) to $10,000 per day (significant case)
- Each day violation continues is a seperate violation subject to seperate penalty
- Each requirement of a permit and each emission standard imposes a seperate compliance requirement
- To be actionable, a violation does nto need to be intended
State Agencies have the Authority to Levy Penalties
Public procedures which can bring unwanted negative attention to the crematory and ruin the good environmental citizen reputation that is has worked hard to create. Three simple rules to follow:
- Be in compliance
- Immediately correct any violations that are detected
- Be respectful of the authority and responsibility of state personnel
Environmental Enforcement Actions
- Best means to avoid environmental violations
- Most effective method- hire an independent third party auditor with the responsibility of examining crematory operations against the current environmental requirements that re imposed.
- Audit should be conducted at least annually.
Be in Compliance
Continuing violations suggest that the crematory operator is ess than dutiful about compliance and can create a negative impression and may result in large penalties.
Immediately Correct any Violations that are Detected
- State air pollution personnel conduct crematory inspections-get to know regulators and understand their obligations and expectations for the crematory.
- Environmental compliance is a significant aspect of the way the crematory does business and contributes to its positive reputation in the community.
Be respectful of the authority and the responsibility of state personnel
- Not required by all states
- Check with state’s environmental agency
Regarding Constuction and Operations Permits
- Cremation authorization forms
- Identification process
- Transportation
- Handling cremated remains
- Insurance review
- Agreements wiht third-party service providers
- Due diligence file
- Crematory records request
- Crematory interview
- Crematory inspection
Due Diligence for Funeral Homes Using Third Party Crematories