Staying Compliant: Essential OSHA Standards for Funeral Homes and Cemeteries
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The Evolution of Funeral Service Safety: An Interview with Mark Harrison of Certified Safety Training by Lacy Robinson at Johnson Consulting Group
Adapted in part from material originally published by Johnson Consulting Group.
When Mark Harrison started working in funeral service safety nearly three decades ago, he brought something unique to the industry: an online education model that could reach funeral professionals wherever they were.
Today, as president of Certified Safety Training (CST), Harrison has provided 100,000 funeral service trainings and partnered with major industry associations including the NFDA, ICCFA, and Selected Independent. In our recent conversation, Harrison shared insights about the evolution of workplace safety in funeral homes and the critical challenges facing the industry today.
“It Won’t Happen to Me” – A Dangerous Mindset
Throughout his career training funeral service professionals, Harrison consistently encounters a troubling mindset that puts entire operations at risk: the belief that “it won’t happen to me or this will never happen at my funeral home.” This attitude, he explains, is “100% true until it isn’t.”
Harrison frequently sees funeral homes scrambling to implement safety measures only after an injury, safety inspection, or insurance audit catches them unprepared. The reactive approach to safety not only puts employees at risk but can also result in devastating consequences for the business.
The Most Common Safety Hazards in Funeral Homes
When asked about the most critical safety hazards funeral directors and embalmers face daily, Harrison’s answer might surprise many in the industry. While people might expect embalming room incidents to top the list, the reality is more mundane but equally dangerous.
“We see more back injuries, slip, trips, and falls, than most people realize,” Harrison explains.
Removals, in particular, have a very high injury rate.
“People often don’t think a decedent’s home as ‘high hazard’ area, but they are. It’s a foreign environment, every decedent is different and weights can vary.”
Poor lifting techniques affect people of all ages, particularly older workers, making proper training essential regardless of experience level. Harrison also emphasizes the often-overlooked danger of safe driving, which has become even more critical with the prevalence of cell phones.
How COVID-19 Transformed Funeral Service Safety Training
The evolution of workplace safety in funeral homes has been dramatically accelerated by an unexpected catalyst. Harrison points to COVID-19 as the pivotal moment that transformed safety training in funeral service.
“Covid, covid, and more covid,” he says when asked about how workplace safety has evolved during his career.
“Covid put everyone online in so many ways. Funeral Directors realized that spending a half day or even a full day on OSHA compliance was disruptive and inefficient.”
The pandemic didn’t just change how training was delivered—it fundamentally shifted attitudes. Funeral directors who were once skeptical of online learning suddenly saw the value in having resources available 24/7 with real-time tracking and accountability.
This transformation has allowed CST to expand from serving funeral homes in the tri-state area to working with funeral professionals throughout the U.S. and internationally, training thousands of people every month without disrupting their day-to-day business operations.
Navigating State-Specific OSHA Plans
One of the most challenging aspects of funeral home safety compliance is navigating the patchwork of state-specific OSHA plans.
Twenty-nine states have OSHA-approved state plans, with 22 covering both private and public sectors. California’s Cal/OSHA, for example, has extensive state-specific rules covering injury and illness prevention programs, heat illness, and violence prevention that exceed federal standards.
States like Alaska, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming all have their own plans, often driven by specific industries that indirectly impact funeral service.
CST addresses this complexity by customizing all materials to each specific state plan, ensuring funeral homes remain compliant regardless of their location.
Rising Cremation Rates Bring New Safety Challenges
As cremation rates continue to rise, funeral homes face new safety challenges they may not be prepared for. Harrison notes that OSHA regulations developed for other industries—such as confined spaces, heat illness prevention, and silica exposure rules from construction—now impact cremation operations.
“The private sector tends to move faster than the public sector,” Harrison observes,
meaning that funeral homes adopting cremation services must quickly adapt to regulations originally designed for other industries, in addition to more obvious requirements like fire safety and chemical safety protocols.
The Importance of Immediate OSHA Training
Harrison emphasizes that OSHA training must happen “at the time of initial assignment” for two crucial reasons:
- New employees “don’t know what they don’t know” and need immediate training on safety, company culture, and standard operating procedures.
- OSHA requires it.
Some of CST’s clients take this so seriously that they don’t issue a paycheck to new employees until they’re in OSHA compliance, have signed their employee handbook, and completed all required training.
This approach not only ensures safety but also demonstrates to employees that safety is a priority.
The Role of Safety Supervisors in Smaller Funeral Homes
For smaller funeral homes concerned about implementing a Safety Supervisor role, Harrison offers practical advice.
The title has “a lot of wiggle room,” and in smaller operations where everyone wears multiple hats, someone simply needs to be the point of contact for emergencies and safety-related questions.
CST supports these designated safety supervisors with custom safety manuals, training, recordkeeping systems, and databases of frequently asked questions and resources, making the role manageable even for busy, multi-tasking employees.
The High Cost of Ignoring Safety Protocols
The consequences of ignoring safety protocols can be devastating.
Harrison has seen OSHA fines reach the maximum penalty of $161,323, typically following employee or community complaints about egregious violations.
“The funeral home shuts down 100% of the time without fail.”
When fines reach six figures and other agencies like the EPA and Department of Health become involved, the combination of massive fines, increased insurance premiums, and community fallout creates an insurmountable burden that forces businesses to close permanently.
Emerging Safety Challenges in Funeral Service
Harrison identifies several emerging safety challenges facing the funeral industry:
- The aging population means “we are going to be bearing heavy loads for a long time,” making safe lifting techniques increasingly important.
- The rise of greener disposition methods like aquamation and green burial presents new hazards, from chemical exposure to non-mechanical lifting challenges.
- Heat illness prevention is becoming a critical issue as global temperatures rise, particularly affecting outdoor workers and crematory operators.
Advice for Funeral Homes Starting Their Safety Journey
For funeral home owners feeling overwhelmed by safety compliance, Harrison’s advice is straightforward:
Start in the prep room or crematory and work your way out.
His team offers free downloadable checklists and personalized guidance to help funeral homes begin their safety journey.
A Proven Model for Funeral Service Safety
Mark Harrison’s three decades in funeral service safety have taught him that effective safety programs must be flexible, accessible, and tailored to the unique challenges of funeral service.
As the industry continues to evolve with new disposition methods and changing demographics, the fundamentals remain the same:
- Proactive safety training
- Proper documentation
- A culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing over the dangerous assumption that “it won’t happen to me.”
With over 100,000 trainings provided to funeral service workers and partnerships with major industry associations, Harrison and Certified Safety Training continue to prove that comprehensive safety training doesn’t have to disrupt daily operations—it can enhance them while protecting both employees and businesses from the devastating consequences of preventable accidents.
Source / Reference
This post was adapted in part from original material provided by Johnson Consulting Group.