Are you the owner of a funeral director business?
In search of a health and safety risk assessment tailored to your activity?
Do you need a pre-filled assessment to save you hours of work?
Want to be in compliance with safety regulations?
 
Our Health and Safety Risk Assessment is designed to meet your needs with:
→ A professional risk assessment specific to the funeral industry.
→ Risk prevention proposals dedicated to the funeral industry.
→ The integration of risks linked to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
 
All this in an easily editable Excel format, allowing you to make personalized updates on your own.
 
FEATURES OF THE HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT 
 
This 5-page Excel file includes:
A Cover Page
A Company Information page
A presentation of the Risk Assessment Methodology used.
An occupational risks assessment tailored to your sector of activity.
A risk prevention schedule with all the different safety measures.

It contains 28 occupational risk situations classified into 7 work units:
Funeral advice to customers
Funeral ceremony
Grooming the deceased
Preparing the coffin
Placing the deceased in the coffin
Driving the hearse
Work premises
 
☑ Complies with the employer's obligation to assess risks
(Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999)
☑ Adheres to the General Principles of Prevention
(Schedule 1 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999)
☑ Takes into account good practice and pitfalls in risk assessment
(Report RR151 from the Health and Safety Executive)
 
EXCERPTS FROM THE HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT 
 
The danger of the emotional burden of a bereaved family: In the funeral industry, accompanying customers exposes funeral directors to a very heavy psychological burden, resulting from the need to conceal their feelings and emotions day after day when dealing with bereaved families. In addition to the duty of dignity incumbent on funeral directors, they are expected to be attentive to families' requests, and to remain available throughout the funeral process. These risks are particularly heightened when the funeral counsellor is accompanying a bereavement that has a very personal resonance with one of his own past experiences (e.g. the death of a family member in the same circumstances). On the other hand, bereavement support can be particularly difficult in the case of young children or teenagers who have died in tragic circumstances. The main risks are damage to psychological health, such as isolation, anxiety disorders, depression, lifestyle problems (insomnia), dietary problems (e.g. comforting snacking, with health implications such as obesity) and, above all, the risk of attraction and dependence on psychotropic substances offering comfort (tobacco, over-the-counter medication, drugs) or even suicide.
 
The danger of manual handling for pallbearers during ceremonies: During funeral ceremonies, personnel will be required to carry out a great deal of manual handling. This is unavoidable, because during the ceremony, the coffin of the deceased must be lifted to shoulder height, then placed on a support or on the ground, several times in succession. With the weight of a coffin weighing up to 250 kilos, the risks involved are potentially considerable. Unfortunately, the risks associated with these handling operations are present at every ceremony. In the overwhelming majority of industries, handling such heavy loads is assisted by handling aids (e.g. pallet jacks) to reduce the risks to personnel, but this is absolutely unthinkable in the case of a religious ceremony to bury/crematize a deceased person. In the short term, these manual handling operations will cause muscular pain, joint pain and back pain. Over the long term, they can lead to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) of the upper limbs, mainly the spine, but also the shoulders (tendinopathy) and wrists (carpal tunnel syndrome).
 
The danger of maneuvering the hearse during ceremonies: Funeral directors often have to maneuver the company's hearse during funeral ceremonies, in order to park close to the church, cemetery, etc. When maneuvering, there is always a risk of bumping into or crushing people in the vicinity. During such maneuvers, there is always a risk of bumping into or crushing people in the vicinity, especially as these maneuvers are sometimes carried out in restricted areas, with poor visibility. The likelihood of accidents during hearse maneuvers is greater when visibility is poor, especially at night or in poor weather conditions (rain, snow, fog). The more people present at the funeral ceremony, the less room the hearse has to maneuver, which increases the risk of collisions with the public. The main potential damage resulting from collisions and crushes during hearse maneuvers is human damage, with collisions between the company vehicle and the deceased's loved ones.
 
 
A GUARANTEE OF THE QUALITY OF OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT 
_ We're registered as Professional Risk Prevention Consultants.
_ Our team comprises graduate safety engineers.
_ Our documents are routinely checked by safety inspectors.
_ We frequently update our Occupational Risk Assessments.
 
RESOURCES 
_ "Safety in Funeral Directors" by Ards and North Down Borough Council.