IMPORTANT UPDATE

RE - INTERMENT OF DECEASED PERSONS IN VAULTS IN NSW CEMETERIES

Dear CCANSW Members,

The Environmental Health Regulation Unit | Health Protection NSW have recently advised that there is no provision in the current NSW Public Health Regulation 2022 (Section 93 Burial in a vault) for ‘approval’ of any hermetically sealed body bag used for containment of a deceased person to be placed in a vault in NSW.

This means that any hermetically sealed body bags designed for use for interment in a vault that meet the requirements of the Public Health Regulations 2022 (Section 93 Burial in a vault) as set out below, are able to be used, without the need to also enclose the body in a zinc-lined coffin or casket, effective immediately.

93 Burials in vaults

(1) A person must not place a body in a vault unless—

(a) the body has been embalmed and hermetically enclosed and there is no viewing panel in the enclosure, and

(b) the body and enclosure are placed in a coffin and the lid secured in position.

Access The Public Health Regulation 2022

This is a significant update for our industry and will provide funeral directors and cemeteries in NSW with greater choice and peace of mind when preparing deceased persons for interment in a vault or for the purposes of repatriation.

If you have any questions or would like further information about the above, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.

View more member resources in our Member Area.

Yours sincerely,

Rob Smart
Chair, CCANSW