Mass Fatality Planning

When a catastrophic emergency occurs, hospital morgues will quickly reach capacity and hospitals will need to implement internal mass fatality plans.

Hospitals should plan for the appropriate bagging and storage of the dead, and consider the evidentiary needs (bodies stored with some space/distance between bodies, appropriate identification/labeling of the body). If the body is contaminated, special bagging, handling and labeling procedures must be ensured. The hospital plan for management of mass fatalities must also include a procedure for providing information about viewing the dead by family members. Careful identification and tracking of the dead must be documented by the hospital and provided to authorities when requested.