Abstract
Over the past half-century, the annual number of deaths in Japan has consistently increased, and further growth is anticipated in the future. While the forms of mourning for the deceased are highly dependent on regional culture and folk customs of the residents, it is believed that the scale of Japan's funeral industry and the number of people engaged in it will continue to show an increasing trend due to the rise in the number of deaths. With the advent of a mass-death society, the number of workers engaged in duties involving corpse handling and interaction with bereaved families is expected to increase. Regarding occupational safety and health in the funeral industry, which lacks a notification and approval system, it is crucial to address issues concerning infection control measures. The industry also faces challenges such as insufficient refrigeration facilities in mortuaries, and awareness of dry ice handling and ventilation. Together with heavy lifting and transportation, chemical substance exposure, mental health measures, and other concerns, this study extracts various occupational health challenges specific to the funeral industry as suggested by the overview of a nationwide survey conducted by a Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare research group, and presents directions toward the development of standard guidelines focusing particularly on infection control and indoor environment measures.
