BMS Funeral Service Law and Ethics 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical concept holds that funeral service professionals should treat all families equally regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status?
- Veracity
- Justice (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Justice
Justice in professional ethics requires fair, non-discriminatory treatment of all clients regardless of personal characteristics.
Question 2: A funeral director who is also a licensed life insurance agent sells a policy to a grieving widow during the arrangement conference. This is primarily an ethical violation of:
- Fidelity
- Non-maleficence
- Conflict of interest and exploitation of a vulnerable person (Correct answer)
- Veracity
Correct answer: Conflict of interest and exploitation of a vulnerable person
Selling financial products to a grieving person during arrangements constitutes exploitation and a serious conflict of interest.
Question 3: What does OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) primarily require of funeral homes?
- Annual consumer price disclosures
- Exposure control plans and PPE use when handling remains (Correct answer)
- Licensing of all embalmers
- Preneed contract disclosures
Correct answer: Exposure control plans and PPE use when handling remains
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires funeral homes to have exposure control plans and provide PPE to protect workers from infectious materials.
Question 4: A state law prohibits the scattering of cremated remains in public parks. A family requests this service. The funeral director should:
- Honor the family's wishes as next of kin
- Inform the family of the legal prohibition and assist with lawful alternatives (Correct answer)
- Scatter the remains privately without documentation
- Refer the family to another funeral home
Correct answer: Inform the family of the legal prohibition and assist with lawful alternatives
Funeral directors must inform families of legal restrictions and guide them toward lawful options rather than facilitating illegal acts.
Question 5: Which document authorizes the final disposition of human remains and is issued by local government after a death certificate is filed?
- Cremation permit
- Burial permit (Disposition permit) (Correct answer)
- Death certificate
- Transit permit
Correct answer: Burial permit (Disposition permit)
The burial or disposition permit is issued by the local registrar after the death certificate is filed and authorizes the method of final disposition.
Question 6: The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Code of Ethics primarily serves to:
- Set legally binding prices
- Establish professional standards of conduct for member funeral directors (Correct answer)
- Replace state licensing requirements
- Regulate embalming chemicals
Correct answer: Establish professional standards of conduct for member funeral directors
The NFDA Code of Ethics provides voluntary professional standards of conduct, though it does not carry the force of law.
Question 7: A crematory operator is asked by a funeral home to hold multiple sets of cremated remains in one batch to save time. This practice is:
- Acceptable with family consent
- Illegal commingling that violates state law and professional ethics (Correct answer)
- Permitted for indigent cases only
- Standard industry practice for small crematories
Correct answer: Illegal commingling that violates state law and professional ethics
Commingling of cremated remains is illegal and a profound ethical violation, as families cannot receive their loved one's individual remains.
BMS Funeral Service Law and Ethics 4
Which ethical concept holds that funeral service professionals should treat all families equally regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status?