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Updated: May 29, 2026
04:36
Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum
Published on: August 5, 2020
Mass fatality preparedness in the death care sector
Robyn R M Gershon1, Lori A Magda, Halley E M Riley
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA. Robyn.Gershon@ucsf.edu
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|September 15, 2011
Summary
The funeral industry
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Disaster preparedness
- Public health response
Background:
- The death care sector is critical for mass fatality events.
- Assessing the preparedness of funeral industry organizations is essential for public health.
- Understanding workforce willingness to respond during pandemics is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the mass fatality preparedness of funeral industry organizations.
- To determine the workforce's capacity and willingness to work during a pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous, web-based, cross-sectional survey of a national funeral industry sample.
- Descriptive statistics to characterize preparedness.
- Chi-squared bivariate analysis to identify factors influencing ability and willingness.
Main Results:
- Organizational preparedness planning was generally suboptimal, with only 6 of 13 checklist items consistently in place.
- Over 80% of respondents expressed willingness to report to work.
- Secondary obligations may impede workforce availability.
Conclusions:
- Effective preparedness strategies require interorganizational collaboration, surge capacity planning, and personal emergency plans.
- Occupational medicine can support funeral organizations with training, planning, and exercises.
- Enhancing funeral industry preparedness is crucial for effective mass fatality incident response.
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