CCS Ethical and Professional Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Before cremation, the operator finds a pacemaker that was not disclosed on the authorization form. What is the proper step?
- Cremate anyway, since the device is small
- Stop and have the device removed by an authorized person, following policy and notifying the right parties (Correct answer)
- Remove it with household tools
- Note it after the cremation
Correct answer: Stop and have the device removed by an authorized person, following policy and notifying the right parties
Pacemakers can explode in the retort, so they must be properly removed and the discrepancy handled before cremating.
Question 2: A family asks to witness the start of the cremation. Ethically, the crematory should:
- Always refuse because of liability
- Charge an unlisted fee afterward
- Accommodate the request where facilities and policy allow, with dignity and safety (Correct answer)
- Let them watch without any staff present
Correct answer: Accommodate the request where facilities and policy allow, with dignity and safety
Respectfully accommodating witnessing builds trust, and any fees should be disclosed in advance.
Question 3: Commingling the remains of two decedents without written authorization is:
- Acceptable for small infants
- Common practice to save fuel
- Allowed if the families are related
- Prohibited, except in narrow cases such as unavoidable residue or written consent (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Prohibited, except in narrow cases such as unavoidable residue or written consent
Cremating more than one body at a time, or mixing remains, generally requires explicit written authorization.
Question 4: A cremationist recovers dental gold from processed remains. The ethical approach is to:
- Keep or sell it personally
- Handle it according to the authorization form and disclosed policy, with the family's direction (Correct answer)
- Throw it out with the trash
- Give it to coworkers
Correct answer: Handle it according to the authorization form and disclosed policy, with the family's direction
Any recovered metals must be handled according to the family's authorization and a written policy that was disclosed to them.
Question 5: Which statement about advertising cremation services is ethically correct?
- Advertising 'lowest price guaranteed' is fine even if it isn't true
- Ads must be truthful and not misleading about prices and services (Correct answer)
- Ads may leave out mandatory fees
- Ads can claim the business is certified without being certified
Correct answer: Ads must be truthful and not misleading about prices and services
Truthful advertising is required by professional codes and by consumer protection law.
Question 6: Why should a crematory keep a written chain-of-custody record for each decedent?
- To document positive identification and every transfer from intake to release (Correct answer)
- Only to calculate staff overtime
- Only because insurers prefer it
- To track fuel use
Correct answer: To document positive identification and every transfer from intake to release
Chain-of-custody records prove the remains were identified and tracked at every step.
Question 7: An operator is asked to sign a cremation certificate for a cremation they did not perform or verify. They should:
- Sign it to save time
- Sign with a coworker's name
- Leave the certificate unsigned
- Refuse and make sure the person who actually performed or verified the cremation signs (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Refuse and make sure the person who actually performed or verified the cremation signs
Certifying records you did not verify is falsification.
