Funeral Directing CH-12 Shipping Remains

International Shipping Documents

-Death Certificate If Pending must have letter from coroners office stating death was not due to contagious disease -Burial/transit permit -Non-Contagious letter -Embalmers Non-Contraband Affidavit

Can You Ship an Unembalmed Body?

All airlines require the body to be embalmed. Unless the person's religious convictions do not permit embalming, *most airlines will permit an unembalmed body that is packed in dry ice or with ice packs*, however it is important to note that this could only be done shortly after death and provided the body does not show immediate signs of putrefaction or the body fluid leaking

Special Requirements

Many countries require the use of an all-wooden outer shipping box that may also require a zinc lining -Some countries require documentation in their native language -Process may take 10-14 working days and many phone calls

Shipping in a Combo Unit

(1) Plastic undergarments (pants) should be used (2) At minimum, the body should have a hospital gown on (3) The body should be wrapped in a sheet so that the receiving funeral director will be able to remove the body easier (4) Do not wrap the body in plastic. Moisture could accumulate and possibly cause mold (5) When shipping clothing, the clothing should be sent in a plastic garment bag (6) The body should be anchored to the bottom of the combo by the interior nylon straps provided (7) All flight information needs to be placed on the shipping envelope, which is attached at the head of the shipping container. Id addition to the shipping information, the deceased's name as well as the funeral home of final destination should be clearly marked. (8) This is a one-time use container and needs to be discarded after use because airlines will not allow the use of combo or shipping containers for multiple uses. Human remains will be rejected by airlines if a funeral director attempts to reuse one of these units

Zigler Case

A zinc liner in a constructed container that has one a piece zinc top that is usually screwed to the bottom portion of the case -Commonly used in international shipping or in cases when the body is so badly decomposed that it needs to be contained in order to prevent the emission of foul odor

Common Carriers

Airlines or Rail

Requirements

All airlines require the body to be embalmed. Unless the person's religious convictions do not permit embalming

Intrastate

Between cities within Same State

International

Between countries

Local

Between two funeral homes within same city and state

Responsible For Biohazard Incident

Both the sending funeral home and the receiving funeral home could be held responsible and liable for cleanup costs for a body that leaks outside the shipping container

Shipping Non-Casketed Remains

Can be shipped in a combo unit

International Shipping

Contact the embassy to verify the current regulations and any fees for services rendered. -Must comply to the regulations of of the country of destination -Failure to comply may result in refusal to permit entry of the shipment

Funeral Home

Hearse or Van

For hire Carriers

Long distance funeral home transport company's -National Mortuary Shipping

Shipping in Modern Time

Most states, either a licensed funeral director or licensed trainee are the only persons who are allowed to deliver and receive human remains from an airport -Two forms of identification

Two Forms of Identification Needed When Receiving

Picture ID State license

Family

Requires transit permit

Content of Flight Envelope

Shipping information Deceased Name Shipping and Receiving Funeral Home Name Body Transit information/burial

Combo Unit

Smaller in size than a casket, constructed of a wooden bottom unit and a cardboard top that usually has padding on the interior. it creates a rigid container that all airlines accept as a standard shipping unit for human remains

Shipping an Unembalmed Body

Standard practice to protect the remains while insuring that the fluid leaking will not occur is to place the body in a *Zigler case then pack the dry ice or ice packs around the body*

Receiving Remains From Abroad

The death of a US citizen from abroad may be complicated. -Family will need to contact the embassy where death has taken place -Neither American Embassy nor Department of State will provide funds to return a US citizen home -Family will need to decided quickly, many other countries will bury after three days without family's consent -Embalming is not uniformly available in many countries and may not equate to the process performed here -Select the least expensive services available in the foreign country (may choose cremation if you do not have funds) -There are no federal agencies in foreign countries that regulate funeral services, contacting US officials will only slow the process down -Many foreign countries do not issues death certificates or one that has a cause of death on it "Consular Report of a Death Overseas"

Federal Regulations on Shipping Human Remains to the US

US Embassy representative must be assured that they are properly encased and prepared for shipment. The requirements of the country where death has occurred must also be met at all times

Apostile

Verifies notary and governmental agency seal and accompanying signature -May be secretary of state or country registrar

Interstate

between cities in Different States

Charter

Air or Sea

Shipping Casketed Remains

(1) The body should be *lowered* to the bottom of the casket (2) The face and hands should be covered to prevent cosmetics from accidentally rubbing on the interior of the casket (3) A box should be placed at the foot of the casket between the bottom of the deceased feet and the end of the casket. This will prevent the deceased body from shifting within the casket during transportation (4) If using metal casket, the casket may be locked, however, *the cap that covers the key mechanism should be placed in the information envelope on top of the shipping box*. Due to the compression process that a plane experiences during flight; if this is not done, the top can collapse, thus damaging the casket. This won't happen on wooden caskets cause the latching mechanism does not produce an airtight seal (5) All airlines require a casket to be placed in a wooden bottom and cardboard top shipping unit. This shipping container will prevent the casket from being damaged in flight. Can only be used once and they need to be discarded (6) *All flight information needs to be placed on the shipping envelope*, which is attached at the head of the shipping container. Id addition to the shipping information, the deceased's name as well as the funeral home of final destination should be clearly marked. Most funeral homes have preprinted envelopes used for this specific purpose (7) Inside the envelope, the body transit permit should be enclosed. *In most states, the body transit permit and burial permit are one in the same form.* No body should ever be shipped without appropriate authorizing documentation