This is a rough draft of a waste management plan for a funeral home.
This waste management plan describes the nature and amount of waste generated at Ferguson and Sons and provides estimates of future generation rates. Procedures and systems for collection and storage are described. The plan explains the ultimate disposal location for the waste and how patients, employees, and the public are protected from exposure.
Ferguson and Sons (“the business”) is incorporated in the state of State. Owners are Pedro Ferguson, Martin Ferguson, and Mary G. Ferguson. The business was founded in 2005 to provide death care services to people in the Anytown area.
Questions or concerns about waste management can be directed to
Pedro Ferguson
904-555-1212 (office)
904-555-1234 (emergency, 24 hours)
Ferguson and Sons is located at 300 Wally St, Anytown, USA. Bodies are received at this location and all burial preparation and cremation takes place on the premises. The facility encompasses 3400 sq ft, and includes a reception foyer, a viewing parlor, a smaller parlor, two restrooms, three preparation rooms, a cremation room, a coffin room, a prayer nook, and an office. All waste produced by Ferguson and Sons is generated at this location. In recent years the practice has received approximately 230 unique deceased persons per year and an estimated 4600 total visitors (including family members and people in to view the deceased). Many patients come more than once a year.
Our parking lot accommodates 30 vehicles. We also have a loading bay in the back which is where coffins are typically placed in hearses.
Ferguson and Sons is located in City, County, State, and is subject to regulations and laws instituted by the municipal, state, and federal governments. The business discharges sewage to the Wallin Sewage Authority.
The following contractor transports and disposes of regulated medical waste:
Fenway Waste Answers
439 Star Light Way
Centerville, CA 99999
555-222-3333
We contract with them to visit our facility every two weeks and to remove accumulated regulated waste - i.e. all waste that is not municipal solid waste.
We put municipal solid waste into a dumpster in the back of the building. The dumpster is owned by Waste Management, Inc. That company periodically takes accumulated waste away.
Ferguson and Sons stores potentially hazardous chemicals:
Embalming fluid - We have a maximum of 200 gallons of embalming on site at any time. We buy the embalming fluid from chemical supply businesses, and the composition varies with the supplier. Embalming fluid is usually a combination of formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, and methanol. The fluid can be harmful, so our personnel wear protective equipment when they deal with it.
Other embalming chemicals including humectants, dyes, and anti-edemics. No more than 200 lb on site.
Scalpels and knives. We employ sharps in preparation of bodies. These are an injury risk for our employees.
In routine operations Ferguson and Sons generates:
We do not regard deceased bodies or cremation remains as waste.
Historical generation rates:
We keep no waste on site that is more than 2 months old.
Our building is fitted with smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. We have a fire extinguisher in the office and a chemical spill kit for cleanup of materials. The spill kit is a 5-gallon bag kit from Grainer. https://www.grainger.com/category/safety/sorbents-spill-control-spill-containment/sorbents-spill-kits/universal-sorbents-spill-kits/universal-spill-kits?filters=webParentSkuKey&webParentSkuKey=WP12090511
We practice fire drills with our staff twice per year. We instruct our employees on how to direct visitors out of the building in the case of an emergency.
Municipal solid waste and pathological waste are temporarily stored on site before removal for disposal. Bodily fluids are flushed to the drain. This can be a substantial quantity of fluid when a body is embalmed - 3 gallons per body is typical.
Tracking documents and storage records pertaining to the generation and disposal of medical waste are maintained by the owners of the business.
Tracking documents are kept for at least three years
When employees start at the office, they are given a walk-through and explanation of where waste is stored and the potential hazards of materials on site.
Once per year there is an office-wide refresher briefing about safety and security, Employees are reminded of waste management issues. Twice per year we run a fire drill and go over how visitors to the building should be directed to exit in the case of an evacuation.
Pedro Ferguson
Manager, Ferguson and Sons
