In 2012, the Maryland legislature enacted the Handling Human Remains with Dignity Act, which created important standards that funeral establishments and crematories must follow when storing a decedent’s body before burial or cremation. Two years later, the State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors (Board) adopted new regulations under Title 10, Chapter 10.29.21, Mortuary Transport Services, which set forth standards that mortuary transport service providers and transport drivers must follow when transporting human remains.

This course provides a detailed overview of the Handling Human Remains with Dignity Act and the Mortuary Transport Services regulations which set forth standards that mortuary transport service providers and transport drivers must follow when transporting human remains. It outlines the duties that funeral establishments and crematories have when storing human remains before final disposition and explains the steps that mortuary transport service companies and transporters must take to obtain permits and registrations. The course also covers the important ethical and moral duties of individuals and entities that are engaged in the mortuary transport business.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• recognize the standards that funeral establishments and crematories must comply with when storing human remains before final disposition
• identify the eligibility requirements for obtaining a mortuary transport service permit or registration as a transporter
• understand the specific sanitation and safety requirements that apply to removal vehicles and the treatment of human remains
• recognize the required ethical and moral behaviors of an “on duty” transporter
• appreciate the positive impact that compliance with the Title 10 regulations will have on your community and career as a professional mortuary transport service provider