Death with dignity !

The funeral industry is trying to outlaw the custom of friends or relatives acting as pall bearers and transporting the coffin out of the church at shoulder height. To be asked to be a pall bearer is an honour, but not all are physically endowed to perform that task - and the catastrophy of a dropped coffin does not bear thinking about.
Of immediate concern to the industry is the possibility of injury to the pall bearer. A coffin is a heavy load to carry and the chance of sprains - or worse - could lead to litigation. Many would see the choice of pall bearers as a family matter and therefore any litigation would be against the family, but these days the law casts a wide net and the funeral director could be liable as the entity managing the funeral.
Some funeral companies have already acted by banning shoulder height transportation of the coffin. A coffin carried at waist height is more manageable and poses fewer chances of being dropped or causing damage to the bearer. Funeral directors reject claims that they should have the right to determine the ability of pall bearers to perform the task and claim that if they use their own staff in this capacity as bearers it will obviously increase the cost of the funeral.
These problems will make the growing popularity of funerals being conducted in secular " funeral homes " more widespread. In most cases, the coffin is on a dias and a service is conducted by a religious person chosen by the family - or the funeral is conducted without religious input - and at the close of service a curtain descends and the funeral staff take over from that point. In many cases the Funeral Home has " refreshment facilities " and mourners are invited to anything from a quiet drink to a wake.
The funeral business is changing but like every other aspect of life litigation is hanging over the head of those who do not wisely plan to shed risk !