#1 Establish a Safety Supervisor

At a funeral home, crematory, or cemetery, the safety supervisor implements and enforces safety policies and procedures to prevent accidents, injuries, and health hazards in the work environment. Sometimes the employer or general manager holds this position, and other times regular employees hold this position.

#2 Set Clear Communication Channels

The safety supervisor works alongside management and employees to communicate safety procedures to employees, and ensure that these procedures are followed. It is also important to remember that even if the employer is not the safety supervisor, it is still the employer’s responsibility to adequately train the safety supervisor on their duties to be able to help all staff accomplish their work tasks safely.

#3 Policy Development

Create and update safety protocols, guidelines, and procedures in accordance with industry standards and OSHA regulations. This includes safety training programs for employees. This should be done alongside the employer if the employer is not the safety supervisor.

#4 Risk Assessment

Conduct regular inspections and risk assessments of the workplace to identify potential hazards and risks. This involves analyzing processes, equipment, and conditions that might pose threats to employee safety. These should be communicated to the employer if the employer is not the safety supervisor.

#5 Safety Training

Organize and conduct safety training sessions for employees to educate them about safety protocols, emergency procedures, proper equipment handling, and the use of protective gear.

#6 Incident Investigation

Investigate accidents, near-misses, or safety-related incidents to determine their causes and prevent future occurrences. Then, analyze data and implement corrective actions to improve safety. Contact CST to learn about OSHA reporting exceptions in the deathcare industry.

#7 Localize Compliance

Ensure that the workplace complies with local, state, and federal safety regulations and standards. Twenty-nine (29) states have state-specific OSHA plans. Be sure to determine if you are in one of them and ensure your OSHA manual, training and recordkeeping meet your state requirements. Then keep abreast of changes in regulations and implement necessary adjustments.

#8 Emergency Preparedness

Develop emergency response plans and procedures for various scenarios like fires, chemical spills, or medical emergencies. Then, conduct drills annually to prepare employees for such situations.

#9 Collaboration

Work closely with management, HR, and other relevant departments to integrate safety practices into the organizational culture. OSHA training must be conducted “at the time of initial assignment” according to OSHA.

#10 Documentation and Reporting

Maintain detailed records of safety inspections, incidents, training sessions, and compliance activities. OSHA will not take your word for it. You must have written proof of all of your compliance and training activities or face citations.

About the Author: Mark Harrison is the president of Certified Safety Training, the exclusive safety and compliance provider to the largest associations in North America. Certified Safety Training is backed by Certified Safety Professionals, more than two decades of deathcare safety experience and award-winning safety programs. Launch Your Safety Program With The CST App

Download A Free Funeral Home & Crematory OSHA Safety Checklist

Download a Free Cemetery OSHA Safety Checklist

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Scottsdale, AZ, [Feb, 2020]

Johnson Consulting Group and the Gary O’Sullivan Company announced a partnership to provide funeral home and cemeteries the needed expertise, methods, through their pre-need sales event.

The event is specifically for sales teams and their managers to learn how to effectively create a successful pre-need program within the Catholic ministry. The event will uncover a systematic sales process of effective selling: prospecting, appointment setting, effective pre-need presentations, protection security among families, as well as unique referrals. It will also focus on the sales manager role, covering their sales management plan, best leadership practices, motivating your team and getting the most out of your sales program.

“An effective and impactful pre-need sales program is not simply hiring someone, teaching them to fill out a contract, have them sit in your lobby, and write up the families that walk-in and asked to buy,” says Gary O’Sullivan, CCFE. “The goal of pre-need is to engage with the marketplace by talking to families who are the “undecided” and in the process helping them see the value of before need planning, getting them protected now, and in doing so, you are securing your future businesses today. Selling is a proactive, not reactive; it’s based on a proven process, not simply a pleasing personality, and build on the fundamental belief that the more you serve, the more you sell.”

Both The Gary O’Sullivan Company and JCG believe that to accomplish this companies, need a proven selling method that is teachable, measurable, and executable. Director of Business Development, Lori Salberg says our core values and passion to serve others, this is without question, a perfect partnership.

“We are very excited to partner with Gary O’Sullivan on this event. He is an industry legend in pre-need sales and training,” says Lori Salberg. “He truly understands the unique ministerial aspect of Catholic cemetery pre-planning. Anyone working in pre-need sales (new, veteran, or in a managerial role), will benefit from time spent with Gary.”

“I have known and admired JCG throughout the years. They are a proven organization that focuses on aiding organizations to become and remain a healthy and viable business, using their innovating methodologies, which is something few consulting firms can do,” says O’Sullivan. “However, that is just part of why I respect JCG; it’s also because of the company’s character and focuses on not only processes but people as much or more. I view it as a privilege to work with the JCG on this event. It’s as exciting as it is humbling to partner on specific events with such a respected brand.”

The event will take place on March 17th at the Diocese of Orange in Garden Grove, CA. For more information about event pricing and registration, please reach out to lsalberg@johnsonconsulting.com.

About The Gary O’Sullivan Company

With nearly five decades of experience — from selling door-to-door, to his various roles in sales management, to his responsibilities as a senior executive — Gary O Sullivan has learned how to listen to and speak with new sales professionals, seasoned sales veterans, managers, and senior leadership. Gary O’Sullivan, CCFE, was the first recipient of the ICCFA’s Lasting Impact Award for the impact he has made on our profession. He is also the co-creator of

The System University, the profession’s only public online training and development platform created specifically to train, develop and motivate sales professionals in the cemetery and funeral profession. To learn more about The Gary O’Sullivan Company, visit www.garyosullivan.com.

The common thread that runs through everything he does is the principle that an organization’s culture is the single most powerful force in determining its prospects for success.

About Johnson Consulting Group

Johnson Consulting Group is committed to providing intelligent business solutions that address succession, operational, financial, and customer service needs within funeral homes and cemeteries. JCG has been creating personalized partnerships and growing revenue with funeral and cemetery business owners, managers, and staff for over two decades with solutions including succession planning services, financial management & accounting services, professional funeral & cemetery consulting, JCG Performance Tracker™ Technology, and much more. For more information, visit www.johnsonconsulting.com to learn more.

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Regardless of if you’ve attended one of our Summit’s in the past or not, you won’t want to miss this unforgettable experience with the JCG experts and partners. Here are five reasons to be excited about the 2020 JCG Back to the Basics Summit!

1. Make price irrelevant with John DiJuliusEveryone at JCG can’t stop buzzing about John DiJulius joining us as the keynote speaker. Team JCG had the extraordinary opportunity to experience The DiJulius Group’s “Customer Service Revolution” and we could not be more thrilled to bring John to the Summit stage as he discusses his latest book, “The Relationship Economy”. You can count yourself among companies like The Ritz-Carlton, Lexus, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and more when you and your team benefit from John DiJulius at Summit this year.

2. Networking opportunities

You’ll be among a group that represents a wide array of organizations serving the profession. No need to try to grow your business in a vacuum when you have a setting like JCG Happy Hour discussions to glean insights and be challenged by colleagues who serve families, professionals who serve funeral homes, and of course the JCG team! We curate an intimate, candid environment to discuss being better at the basics and envisioning the future.

3. Experience Scottsdale!

Enjoy the best time of year in Scottsdale when you join us on the beautiful campus of the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge for Summit. We have a stellar food and drink lineup, not to mention our offsite event at TopGolf with a view of the beautiful McDowell Mountains.

4. Go Back to the Basics and Back to the Future

As we ring in the new decade, we’re not just going back to the basics, we’re looking to the future. JCG Summit will feature a segment where we hear from millennials about their experience in funeral service and how they are envisioning success in the coming years. Plus, Vince Roberge from the JCG Business Consulting team will be there to share his perspective – you don’t want to miss it!

5. Jake Johnson to discuss his new book

Hear from Jake Johnson as he shares from his newly released book, “Staying Alive in the Funeral and Cemetery Profession”. Jake will be interviewed by JCG’s Lawrence W. Michael in a highly anticipated segment guaranteed to deliver laughter and of course some exclusive insights from Jake’s years of experience in the profession.

If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time! Reach out to info@johnsonconsulting.com to register today!

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Performance Tracker will now send cemetery clients two automated monthly updates including a sales and survey summary. Cemetery businesses will be able to view and compare their monthly and Year to Date (YTD) statistics, including their total versus budgeted calls, as well as sales and sales averages through the sales summary report. They will also be able to view their average sales per case type by budgeted and actual amounts. The sales summary report will also detail YTD statistics of burial, cremation, calls, overall sales and averages. Businesses will be able to view their top arranges by name, sales average and number of cases.

Cemetery businesses will also be automatically alerted of their survey summary statistics. The survey summary details the YTD number of surveys received versus the number of surveys sent. Businesses will be notified upon receiving negative scores, perfect scores, personal stories or a new lead. Leads will be broken out into headstones and markers, bereavement, community events, prearranged funeral or cremation services, additional cemetery spaces and other variations.

Get your monthly tracking, as well as a YTD overview with Performance Tracker’s summaries!

“We are pleased to provide our cemetery clients with two monthly summary email reports. The survey summary highlights the prior month and YTD performance with key statistics about the customer’s experience. The contract analysis summary provides a recap of the prior month and YTD contract count by type (burial: graves, mausoleum, estates; cremation: graves, niches, scattering) including a stack ranking of the top arrangers’ performance. These summary reports provide an overview of the performance of the cemetery, and it is recommended that additional reports are reviewed in the Performance Tracker software to understand all the details. Please reach out to our Performance Tracker team as we are happy to assist with accessing and reviewing the robust reporting available.”

– Lawrence W. Michael, Sr. Business Consultant

About Performance Tracker

Performance Tracker is the complete customer experience management tool that evaluates staff and financial performance, streamlines success plans and improves your bottom line.

About Johnson Consulting Group

Johnson Consulting Group is committed to providing intelligent business solutions that address succession, operational, financial, and customer service needs within funeral homes and cemeteries. JCG has been creating personalized partnerships and growing revenue with funeral and cemetery business owners, managers, and staff for over two decades with solutions including succession planning services, financial management & accounting services, professional funeral & cemetery consulting, Performance Tracker technology, and much more. For more information, visit www.johnsonconsulting.com to learn more.

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Jake speaking at Funeral Service Foundation’s 2019 Donor Reception

Players from across the profession gather for the annual Memorial Classic and dedicate two days of play to the memory of the profession’s finest: Bill Bischoff, Dave Hirt, Steve Mack, John Morrow, Ed Murphy, Ed Tuggle and Joe Weatherford. Since its inception, the Memorial Classic has raised $500,000 in support of Funeral Service Foundation academic scholarships.

“The significant contributions made over time by the Memorial Classic have been game-changing,” said Lee Wiensch, Executive Director. The Memorial Classic donors have contributed more than $500,000 to the Funeral Service Foundation since the event began, allowing the Foundation to make meaningful grants and provide educational opportunities and scholarships that promote funeral service and ensure a bright future for our profession.”

The Foundation’s Youth & Funerals initiative is designed to help families understand the role that funerals and memorials play in the lives of youth. The Johnson family has always been passionate about Funeral Service Foundation’s mission which includes a strong approach to education that leads to promising careers in funeral service.

According to Tom Johnson, he began this golf tournament 38 years ago with the intent of just getting good friends in Funeral Service together for a few days of fellowship. The Classic now has roughly 130 participants each year who attend the event. “All of these gentlemen have been extremely generous in supporting the Memorial Classic mission. We are thankful to all attendees for their generosity”, stated Tom Johnson.

“Dad and I have been long time supporters of the Funeral Service Foundation, both having served on the Board, and it’s an honor to be able to donate each year” said Jake Johnson, President and CEO of Johnson Consulting Group, “On behalf of all the contributors at the Memorial Classic golf tournament, we want to thank the funeral service foundation for the role they play in our profession!”

Those interested may learn more and apply online at FuneralServiceFoundation.org.

About the Funeral Service Foundation – FuneralServiceFoundation.org

Since 1945, the Funeral Service Foundation has served as the profession’s philanthropic voice. As the charitable arm of the National Funeral Directors Association since 1997, the Foundation receives operational support from NFDA and donors across the profession to help advance its mission to support funeral service in building meaningful relationships with the families and the communities it serves.

About Johnson Consulting Group

Johnson Consulting Group is committed to providing intelligent business solutions that address succession, operational, financial, and customer service needs within funeral homes and cemeteries. JCG has been creating personalized partnerships and growing revenue with funeral and cemetery business owners, managers, and staff for over two decades with solutions including succession planning services, financial management & accounting services, professional funeral & cemetery consulting, JCG Performance Tracker™ Technology, and much more. For more information, visit www.johnsonconsulting.com to learn more.

The post The Memorial Classic Donates $128,000 to the Funeral Service Foundation appeared first on Johnson Consulting Group.

Each year Johnson Consulting Group analyzes all of the year’s past survey responses and sales records to determine what the current trends in consumers are, and where the consumer needs are going. Download our FREE report below!

2019 JCG Performance Tracker Trends Insights Article PDF

The post 2019 Performance Tracker Trends and Analysis Report Now Available. appeared first on Johnson Consulting Group.

Johnson Consulting Group is proud to announce the successful launch of their Leadership and Management Academy, graduating six managers as part of the inaugural 2019 class. The graduates include David Napoli of Busch Funeral & Crematory Services, Dennis Moore of Freemont Chapel of the Roses, Joey Wallace of Ingram Funeral Home & Crematory, Lori Sheeler of Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service and Crematory, Luis Lozada of Serenity Memorial Group, and Michael Roberts of Hathaway Family Funeral Homes. 

The Johnson Consulting Group Leadership and Management Academy is a comprehensive   14-week program that trains upcoming and current funeral and cemetery business leaders and managers. The Academy’s purpose is to equip them with JCG’s four core areas of focus: customer service, workplace, marketplace, and financial stability.

“Lawrence W. Michael and Nelson Thulin made it a great week” said JCG graduate Joey Wallace, “It was both a great learning experience and great time. I know that I’ve made some new friends for life.”
The first semester focuses on exceptional customer service and maintaining a workplace dedicated to professional development. The second semester dives into active engagement in the community, addressing the needs of the Marketplace, and responsible financial oversight to ensure stability and longevity.

“We are honored to have these attendees as part of the first group to graduate from JCG’s leadership and management academy,” says Nelson Thulin, JCG’s Director of Business Consulting, “We look forward building upon this program in the years to come.”

On behalf of Johnson Consulting Group and the Business Consulting Team, we would like to extend our congratulations to each of the graduates. We look forward to seeing the impact they will make in their businesses and communities moving forward.

The next JCG Leadership and Management Academy will take place in the spring of 2020. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to info@johnsonconsulting.com.

“You manage things and you lead people. Management is important, critical even. Budgets. Timelines. Equipment. Inventory. All need management. Humans, every organization’s most precious asset—by degrees of incalculable magnitude— don’t need or want to be managed. But they do in fact need and want to be led.” – Stephen R. Covey

About Johnson Consulting Group

Johnson Consulting Group is committed to providing intelligent business solutions that address succession, operational, financial, and customer service needs within funeral homes and cemeteries. JCG has been creating personalized partnerships and growing revenue with funeral and cemetery business owners, managers, and staff for over two decades with solutions including succession planning services, financial management & accounting services, professional funeral & cemetery consulting, JCG Performance Tracker™ Technology, and much more. For more information, visit www.johnsonconsulting.com to learn more.

The post Johnson Consulting Group Successfully Graduates Inaugural Leadership and Management Class of 2019 appeared first on Johnson Consulting Group.

Q: Explain some of the ways you assist and have helped veterans.

All veterans are near and dear to our family, especially because two of Dave Sr.’s brothers, as well as his brother-in-law, were in the military. Dave Sr. was a member of the Army National Guard, but not a veteran. Any way that we can support veterans we can.

There have been countless events that we have spearheaded or supported to benefit veterans. We have sponsored the Traveling Vietnam wall to our city. In addition, we sponsored an all-expense paid bus trip for 100 local WWII Veterans from Lynn to Washington DC for the dedication of the WWII memorial in 2004. Solimine has also helped restore numerous war memorials and monuments with help from our friends the DeFillipo family from Woodlawn Memorials in Everett, MA. We have helped sponsor two military appreciation parades, one of which Dave Sr. was asked to be the grand marshal of the parade because of his tireless work with veterans. We hold a yearly Memorial Day Event at our local municipal Golf Club, a yearly Flag Retiring Ceremony at our city cemetery, and a yearly Veterans Day ceremony at our funeral home.

Q: Which Solimine community event stands out to you and why? 

The most fun event that we held was a just for fun month of ice cream socials celebrating our 50^th anniversary 4 years ago. We held ice cream parties at over 20 different venues throughout the city from apartment complexes, police stations, fire stations, and everything in between. After securing our locations, we simply showed up and served as many ice cream Sundays as we could throughout the month of August. There was a great turn out at each location, and an unforgettable experience.

Q: Can you tell us a little more about your passion for cancer research and awareness? 

Both my grandfather, Dave Sr. and Mary Jane, my grandmother are cancer survivors,  so any organization benefiting cancer research or a family impacted by cancer is important to us. In the early 2000’s, Dave Jr. made a donation to the North Shore Medical Center. To this day, the emergency center is named Mary Jane and Dave Solimine Sr. Emergency Center. Dave Sr. is also a founding board member of the Boston North Cancer Association, where there is a scholarship in his name that is awarded to a high school senior who is a cancer survivor, or is currently undergoing treatment for cancer. In addition we sponsored the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus

Chorus to perform at our City Hall auditorium and all proceeds of the show were donated to the Lynn Community Health Center to help with the construction of their new building.

Q: Talk to us about the community of Lynn, and how Solimine has contributed? 

Something very near and dear to us are helping less fortunate families in our area. Lynn is a blue collar city with many families struggling financially, so anything we can do to help matters to us. Along with supporting the local soup kitchen and homeless shelters, we are involved in 2 main organizations, Citizens Inn/ Haven from Hunger, and Santa’s Island.

Citizens Inn / Haven from hunger is an organization that assists families transition out of homelessness. The Solimine Family is involved in real estate development, and have pledged $1,000 per house built in the Lynn / Peabody area to Citizens Inn. Over $100,000 has been donated to fight homelessness from the Solimine Family in the past 5 years.

Item Santa and Santa’s Island. Item Santa is a program with our local paper that assists struggling families with purchasing Christmas presents, who otherwise may not have any presents for their family. There is a traffic island in front of our Broadway location that has been dubbed as Santa’s Island because we collect funds for Item Santa, at least $20,000 every year for the past 15 years. Several years ago we noticed that there are still many families who do not make the cut, or miss out on the Item Santa program, so we started our own program through our nonprofit company, Solimine Charitable Corporation. Several other organizations and families assist, and teachers and social workers in the school system keep a lookout for children and families who are in need. We help purchase everything from boots and gloves in the winter, bathing suits and sneakers in the summer, clothing, groceries, toiletries; anything that family may need we will help purchase.

Q: Where did all of these ideas for community outreach come from?

Community outreach has always been a passion of the Solimine Family. My grandfather Dave Sr. grew up in a modest home in Lynn where half of his siblings and parents were immigrants from Italy. He was determined to be successful, and at age 30 he started the funeral home, while being a wholesale florist and raising his 4 children with my grandmother. They always believed in giving back to the community in any way that they could, whether donating time and energy or money. My Dad Dave Jr. followed in his footsteps and raised my brother and I to become involved, and always support our community as they supported our family when Dave Sr. opened the funeral home.

We are honored to partner and serve our clients like Solimine, who go above and beyond for the communities they serve.

The post Client Spotlight: Solimine Funeral Homes appeared first on Johnson Consulting Group.

Johnson Consulting Group and Funeral Innovations announced a partnership to provide funeral homes and cemeteries expert digital marketing analysis, strategic insight, and digital marketing implementation. In today’s fast-moving online world, a solid digital marketing plan is an essential component of a thriving business.

“An effective digital strategy requires more than just Facebook posts, and we’re excited to share our digital marketing expertise with Johnson Consulting Group clients,” said Zack Garbow, co-founder of Funeral Innovations. “Johnson Consulting Group is an ideal partner as their commitment to value and success align with our tools and services dedicated to building community relationships and growing businesses without growing busy funeral professional’s workloads.”

Through his partnership, funeral homes and cemeteries can access a complete digital marketing analysis, strategic recommendations, and digital marketing services to help increase the profitability and value of their firm by increasing the rate of their positive online reviews.

“This ties in perfectly with most conversations we are having here at JCG,” says Jake Johnson, President and CEO of Johnson Consulting Group, “we are constantly trying to find ways to help our clients enhance and increase their online presence, and stay connected to the families they serve through JCG Performance Tracker™. This partnership aligns with that goal perfectly.”

About Funeral Innovations

Funeral Innovations is the leading provider of digital-first marketing for funeral homes. Its mission is to help funeral professionals build meaningful relationships online, increase relevance and capture more market share. Funeral Innovations blends a firm’s website, Facebook and email marketing seamlessly to grow the firm’s business without growing its workload thanks to its automated Growth Engine software. Growth Engine allows 500+ firms and cemeteries to reach more families before, during or after a death. It’s the easiest, most comprehensive digital marketing software in the industry.  For more information on Funeral Innovations call 303-437-9006 or sign up for a demo at https://funeralinnovations.com/demo.

About Johnson Consulting Group

Johnson Consulting Group is committed to providing intelligent business solutions that address succession, operational, financial, and customer service needs within funeral homes and cemeteries. JCG has been creating personalized partnerships and growing revenue with funeral and cemetery business owners, managers, and staff for over two decades with solutions including succession planning services, financial management & accounting services, professional funeral & cemetery consulting, JCG Performance Tracker™ Technology, and much more. For more information, visit www.johnsonconsulting.com to learn more.

The post Johnson Consulting Group Partners with Funeral Innovations To Bring Strategies That Enhance The Online Presence Of Funeral Homes and Cemeteries. appeared first on Johnson Consulting Group.

For nearly a decade, JCG Performance Tracker™ has been providing and reporting accurate measurements of customer satisfaction and sales performance through the power of surveys. With around 171,400 sales contracts and 123,000 surveys analyzed annually, JCG is able to benchmark industry standards for funeral and cemetery professionals to identify strengths and weaknesses, and establish actionable measures to improve their businesses.

The stay connected features include three key enhancements to our At-Need Surveys:

• Follow up sympathy cards
• Mobile survey
• Other Texting Capabilities

The first of these features launching is the #StayConnected follow up cards. JCG Performance Tracker™ will now send a sympathy card right after services (paired with the traditional JCG Survey), along with a holiday card, and a remembrance card throughout the year. Businesses have the option to choose from four uniquely designed sets.  This add-on is now available for any Performance Tracker™ user at a discounted rate through the end of August!

“All of these features we are adding to Performance Tracker will not only help these businesses build relationships with the families they serve, but it helps build resiliency,” says Kate Cowger, JCG’s Director of Technology, “It keeps the lines of communication open, and shows that we are stronger together.”

The texting features and mobile survey are currently being tested at a beta location and are projected to be released by the end of Q2.

“Our goal by adding these new features is to increase online reviews of the businesses we serve,” says president of Johnson Consulting Group, Jake Johnson, “And now that so much of what we do is mobile facing, it will make it easier for those families to share their experience online.”

For more information about #StayConnected, and JCG Performance Tracker™, reach out by email to info@johnsonconsulting.com.

Johnson Consulting Group is committed to providing intelligent business solutions that address operational and financial needs within funeral homes and cemeteries. By creating personalized partnerships with these professionals to streamline their systems and processes, it allows them to save time and focus on what matters. Our solutions include business succession planning services, technology, financial management & accounting services, professional funeral & cemetery consulting, JCG Performance Tracker™, and much more.

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