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Crematory Operators

Operate crematory equipment to reduce human or animal remains to bone fragments in accordance with state and local regulations. Duties may include preparing the body for cremation and performing general maintenance on crematory equipment. May use traditional flame-based cremation, calcination, or alkaline hydrolysis.

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A look at the work

  • Clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment.
  • Document divided remains to ensure parts are not misplaced.
  • Embalm, dress, or otherwise prepare the deceased for viewing.
  • Explain the cremation process to family or friends of the deceased.
  • Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.
  • Pick up and handle human or pet remains in a respectful manner.
  • Place corpses into crematory machines to reduce remains to bone fragments using flame, heat, or alkaline hydrolysis.
  • Pulverize remaining bone fragments into smaller pieces, using specialized equipment, such as a cremulator or grinder.

A selection of source-listed tasks; duties vary by role and employer.

Interests involved in this work

These source scores describe occupational work activities. They are separate from your personal test results.

Hands-on

2023-11 · Machine Learning

6.0 / 7

Investigative

2023-11 · Machine Learning

2.1 / 7

Creative

2023-11 · Machine Learning

1.5 / 7

Helping people

2023-11 · Machine Learning

2.7 / 7

Enterprising

2023-11 · Machine Learning

1.5 / 7

Organizing

2023-11 · Machine Learning

4.4 / 7

Skills to explore

Source-reported importance on a 1–5 scale. Try a course, project or conversation to learn what these skills involve.

Skill observations are not available in the current source release.

Plan a small next step

Talk to someone doing this work, look for a supervised activity, and explore the subjects that interest you. Admission, licensing and current program requirements should be confirmed with the relevant institutions.

Source preparation category: Job Zone 2 of 5 · 2026-02. This category describes typical preparation, not your eligibility.

Related study fields

Source crosswalk connections are research leads, not required qualifications.

Mortuary Science and Embalming/Embalmer →

Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, Other →

Explore all related study fields →

Source & methodology

O*NET-SOC code 39-4012.00 · Database 31.0 · Retrieved Oct 14, 2026. Dates on individual observations describe their source periods.

How interest exploration matching works →

Data: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions.