Crematory Certification Betters World of Operation
Questions once encircled the cremation industry. Lax operating laws-think of those pre-2005 at Bayview Crematory-gave way to nationwide crematory probes and the implementation of tighter practices. Bayview’s scandal ripped through Seabrook, N.H. in 2005, and since then, the state adopted a law requiring all of New Hampshire’s crematory operators to be certified. Out with shoddy practices and in with regulations. Twelve states have lined up with New Hampshire and passed similar regulations. Prior to Bayview’s scandal, New Hampshire required initial licensing of crematories and a general decree to properly handle dead bodies. “In 2006, the governor appointed a task force to study the statutes,” says New Hampshire Funeral Directors Association Executive Director David Pollard. Tasked individuals included the Health & Human Services Department; Funeral Regulatory Board, president and executive director of the New Hampshire Funeral Directors Association; and a couple of crematory operators. The task force put a requirement on how bodies are handled once they enter a crematory by specifying all its operators be certified before crematory operation-which entails passing a written test post-training. Even before New Hampshire, other states like Arizona already required certification. In April 2004, Arizona passed a regulation that Susan M. Skrzycki, deputy director, Arizona Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, sees as the state’s best decision. Roughly 60 percent of final dispositions in Arizona are cremations. Cremation as a trend pushed the board to enact a regulation to avoid potential problems in the handling and identifying cremated remains by untrained personnel. “The board wanted all crematory operators to be trained and it also wanted a responsible cremationist for each crematory, similar to the licensure distinctions already in place for funeral directors,” says Skrzycki. The benefits have been immediate. Skrzycki notes greater control and quality of service, accountability and fewer public complaints related to cremation. The board kept busy in 2006, licensing 30 new cremationists and four new crematories. CANA is a provider of crematory operator certification, holding a program each fall in Orlando, Fla., as well as in other locations around the United States. By the close of 2007, CANA certified more than 100 operators in New York after the state passed the certification requirement. Four N.Y. cities; Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse and Queens, held CANA’s program in late October through mid-November. “The CANA Crematory Operators Certification Program is a must for anyone who operates a crematory or is considering starting up a crematory operation,” says Dennis Werner, St. Michaels Cemetery & Crematory, in East Elmhurst, N.Y.