Licensed funeral parlours with embalming facilities will now have to abide by new conditions, including ensuring that all embalmers who work on the premises are registered with the National Environment Agency (NEA).
The embalmers must also have attended a basic infection control course conducted by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, and have carried out embalming procedures on at least 25 bodies locally, under the supervision of another registered professional.
The NEA, which licenses funeral parlours with embalming facilities to uphold environmental hygiene standards, said the record of embalmers and their apprentices must also be kept updated.
These tightened requirements aim to improve the standards of funeral services in Singapore, the NEA, the lead planning agency for after-death facilities and services, said yesterday.
Licensees were informed of the new conditions, developed in consultation with the Association of Funeral Directors Singapore (AFD), on Monday.
The new rules follow a series of recent blunders, including a mix-up at a funeral home that resulted in the wrong body being cremated.
They come just a few months after NEA had issued stricter rules for licensed funeral parlours, which included locking embalming rooms at all times with access restricted to authorised staff and using body identification tags bearing details such as the deceased's name and gender.
Last year, The Sunday Times reported that not all embalmers received formal training or possess the relevant certificates for the job. Complaints of botched jobs were not uncommon.
Yesterday, NEA said licensees must put in place proper access control to the premises, maintain records of the deceased being handled, and restrict preparation work on bodies to the embalming room, among other requirements.
"This is to ensure proper maintenance of such premises, and prevent environmental public health or pollution issues," it said.
NEA said it would follow up with inspections and would take action against licensees for non-compliance, including the suspension or cancellation of the funeral parlour licence in the case of egregious offences.
Funeral directors described the tighter rules as a step forward for the industry.
Mr Hoo Hung Chye, senior funeral director at Singapore Funeral Services, said that they ensured better accountability and provided families with the peace of mind that their loved ones were taken care of by qualified professionals.
NEA and the AFD have also developed guidelines for all funeral parlours in the handling of bodies.
The guidelines cover areas including the collection of the deceased at the place of death and the development of standard operating procedures.
Some of the best practices include proper verification procedures and the maintenance of the personal protective equipment list within the embalming room.
NEA said there would be growing demand for after-death services due to Singapore's ageing population.
Earlier this month, the NEA put up a tender on government procurement portal GeBiz for a consultancy firm to survey the funeral services scene. The findings will be used to formulate policies for further developing the industry.
Mr Ang Zisheng, president of the AFD, said the new guidelines will help funeral practitioners step up their standards and "make the essential service that we provide to the community even better".
