This unit applies to funeral home and mortuary staff and involves supervising the work of others according to defined workplace procedures.

Nil

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1

Identify and apply procedural knowledge to the operation of a mortuary.

1.1

Identify duties and responsibilities of mortuary personnel.

1.2

Identify mortuary procedures and body preparation procedures and communicate to staff according to workplace policies and procedures, and relevant legislation.

1.3

Identify social, religious and cultural requirements for handling, preparing and embalming deceased persons and communicate to staff according to workplace policies and procedures.

1.4

Identify mortuary OHS procedures and infection control practices and communicate to staff according to workplace policies and relevant legislation.

2

Oversee mortuary scheduling and operations.

2.1

Monitor mortuary schedules and assist staff to resolve scheduling difficulties and contingencies.

2.2

Monitor application of mortuary procedures and address inconsistencies according to workplace policies and procedures, and relevant legislation.

2.3

Monitor application of body preparation procedures and address inconsistencies according to workplace policies and procedures, and relevant legislation.

2.4

Recommend changes to practices and procedures to appropriate personnel according to workplace policies and procedures.

Required skills

planning and organisational skills to source procedural knowledge and monitor mortuary schedules

communication skills, including clear and direct communication and active listening and questioning techniques, to advise staff of mortuary and body preparation procedures and negotiate resolution of scheduling difficulties

problem-solving skills to identify and resolve scheduling difficulties and inconsistencies in practices

literacy and numeracy skills to interpret procedures and mortuary schedules.

Required knowledge

mortuary operations

relevant workplace policies and procedures

social, religious and cultural differences and traditions

funeral services industry parameters and protocols for dealing with the deceased and the bereaved

in-depth knowledge of relevant federal, state or territory, and local government legislation and regulations relating to mortuary operations, OHS, infection control and handling human remains.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential:

ability to identify roles of mortuary personnel and relevant mortuary and body preparation procedures and practices and communicate this information to staff

ongoing monitoring staff application of relevant procedures and identification and correction of inconsistencies

knowledge of all body preparation procedures, infection control practices and safe manual handling techniques

supervising mortuary operations over a period of time to ensure consistency of performance and ability to respond to and evaluate different situations.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

demonstration of skills in a mortuary facility where deceased bodies may be safely prepared and all mortuary operating procedures can be implemented, monitored and managed

interaction with mortuary personnel

access to relevant documentation, such as mortuary schedules.

Methods of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

observation of candidate communicating relevant policies and procedures to staff

observation of candidate monitoring mortuary schedules and assisting staff to address difficulties

written or verbal questioning to assess knowledge of OHS and infection control procedures and practices

review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

SIFOHS005A Implement and monitor infection and contamination control practices.

Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Mortuary personnel may include:

transfer workers

embalmer

embalmer's assistant

mortuary technician

other mortuary staff.

Mortuary procedures may include:

mortuary access

receiving deceased persons

releasing deceased persons

infection control practices

accident procedures.

Body preparation procedures may include:

use and maintenance of personal protective equipment

use and maintenance of instruments and equipment

infection control practices.

Workplace policies and procedures may be verbal or written and may include:

communication procedures

OHS procedures

standard operating policies and procedures

standards and certification requirements

quality assurance procedures

emergency procedures, including fire and accident procedures

security procedures.

Relevant legislation and regulations may include:

OHS

Anatomy Act

Human Tissue Act

Skin Penetration Act

Coroner's Act

Public Health Act

Environment Protection Act

local government regulations

funeral services industry code of practice

Worksafe Australia certification and standards.

Social, religious and cultural requirements may include:

gender of body preparation personnel

time required between death and burial or cremation

orientation of the deceased person

restrictions on methods of body preparation permissible.

Contingencies may include:

lack of staff

power failures.

Inconsistencies may include:

incomplete practices

incorrect practices

incorrect use of equipment.

Sector

Funeral Services

Mortuary Work and Embalming

This unit contains employability skills.