The National Association of Funeral Services (PANASEF), in collaboration with the Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, has promoted the new UNE 0069 Measures to prevent hygienic-health risks in the face of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in areas where funeral facilities are accessible to the public.
This UNE Specification establishes the hygienic-health requirements and recommendations that must be adhered to by funeral companies operating facilities that are open to the public to prevent the risk of infection from coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The ultimate goal of UNE O069 is to re-establish the public activity of funeral homes, crematoriums and funeral parlours, strengthening security and generating confidence at the same time.
UNE, under the leadership of PANASEF, has been responsible for coordinating the preparation of this Specification, drawn up in record time by a working group in which associations, companies and public bodies have participated. The sector has made an extraordinary effort to provide a Specification in order to generate confidence and peace of mind for users. The UNE Specification has been sent to the Ministry of Health and the Autonomous Communities for their validation.
This Specification seeks to ensure that, in the current context of standardisation and the progressive restarting of funeral ceremonies and wakes, citizens know that they can attend funeral facilities that have adopted this UNE Specification, with the confidence and peace of mind that they have been sanitised in accordance with an approved protocol. The possibility of appropriately bidding farewell to loved ones is essential for the correct mourning process by friends and family after a death.
The UNE Specification provides companies in the sector with measures and requirements, including guidelines for the drawing up of risk plans and their management, cleaning and disinfection protocols in public spaces and their potential temporary closure, protocols for providing care and information to users, provision and reduction of equipment and furniture, social distancing measures, use of protective screens, etc.
It will also serve as a tool to identify and analyse risks and practical improvements in the service, facilities and personnel to manage the virus.
