Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Food service, cleaning, and personal care / 39-4012.00

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.

US jobs
2,970
Median wage
$43,650 a year
Job family
Food service, cleaning, and personal care

Can agents do the work of crematory operators?

We read the evidence for the whole job family, Food service, cleaning, and personal care: Not yet (first measured in the last 12 months)

Direct benchmarks exist, but agents complete less than 20% of their tasks.

Evidence: BEHAVIOR Challenge 2025, 12.4% of tasks fully completed (Full task success rate).

0% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.

  • 17%Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areasNot measured
  • 8%Maintain operational recordsNot measured
  • 8%Explain technical details of products or servicesNot measured
  • 8%Counsel others about personal mattersNot measured
  • 8%Move materials, equipment, or suppliesNot measured
  • 8%Operate cutting or grinding equipmentNot measured
  • 8%Evaluate the quality or accuracy of dataNot measured
  • 8%Assist healthcare practitioners during medical proceduresNot measured

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in food service, cleaning, and personal care, not always this occupation's tasks.

Direct evidence

Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.

Also relevant

These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • 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.
  • Read documentation to confirm the identity of the deceased.
  • Remove jewelry, watches, or other personal items from the deceased prior to cremation.
  • Sweep or vacuum the cremation chamber to retrieve remains for storage in an urn or other container.
  • Transport the deceased to a funeral home or crematory using a van, hearse, or other vehicle.
Other job titles for this occupation (6)

Cremation Arranger · Cremator · Crematory Operator · Operations Team Member (Ops Team Member) · Pet Crematory Operator · Removal Technician (Removal Tech)