Are Crematoriums All the Same?
Choosing to have a body cremated is a personal choice that’s generally made by the recently deceased person, or by a close relative. If you’d prefer this choice to a burial, then you also have to choose which crematorium the body goes to.
As this is a new process for many people, they’ll usually have a few questions. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at crematoriums in New South Wales and whether they’re all pretty much the same, or if there are some differences you need to know about.
Legal requirements in NSW
Essentially, all crematoriums have the same function. They’re a place for cremations to take place – a process that involves the burning of a body to reduce it to ashes. A cremation most commonly takes place on the day of the funeral, but they’re required by law to occur within 48 hours of the service.
In order for a crematorium to be certified, there are strict policies that have to be followed.
All bodies must be handled and disposed of in a way that follows NSW regulations, as laid out by The Public Health Act 2010 and Public Health Regulation 2012. These regulations are intended for the public and private organisations, and they control factors including:
- The premises for handling bodies
- Vehicles used
- The disposal of waste
- How the bodies are handled, including embalming and viewing processes, and the storage of bodies
- Exhumations
- Cremations
- The maintenance of registers
These guidelines mean that, no matter where the cemetery is located, or who it is run by, a set of standards must be met.
Are there any differences in crematoriums?
We understand that you want the farewell of your loved one to be personalised and unique to them. After all, you want to honour their life, memories and the impact they had on the people around them as well as you can. To achieve this, you may want to shop around for a crematorium that can meet your needs.
This is encouraged, however, it’s important to know that crematoriums are all more-or-less the same. Although some can be run by the council, others by multinational corporations and some by private bodies, this is the only real difference.
When you engage the services of a funeral provider, they will often have a crematorium they use for cremations. This means that the entire process is taken care of for you, to afford more convenience and ensure the day runs smoothly for your family and friends. They will strive to find a crematorium that is close to the church or ceremony venue, so that guests don’t have to travel far.
We recommend you add the personal touch during the service and the wake, since the committal of the coffin into the cremator is a relatively quick process which – apart from making a song choice that’s special to you – doesn’t call for a high degree of personalisation.
Cremation-only services from Affordable Cremations
Affordable Cremations provides simple NSNA cremations and prepaid funerals. We offer a compassionate, flexible approach in the planning of a farewell and we service all areas of New South Wales. To find out more about planning a goodbye like direct cremations or cremation and memorial service, call our 24-hour phone line on Contact us.