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9
Every chamber intended for the reception of corpses should be
on the ground or basement floor. In addition to such chambers, the
premises should, if possible, comprise:—
(a) A waiting room for visitors to the mortuary, and for the use
of mourners assembling there for funeral purposes.
(b) A caretaker's dwelling-house ; and
(c) A shed or out-house, for the keeping of shells or other
necessary appliances.
*For these and other structural arrangements provision may be
made for two mortuary chambers, one for infectious cases, and the
other for non-infectious cases.
Water and hose to each mortuary chamber.
A place for coals, wood, ashes, &c., and a water closet.
A waiting room.
A sitting room.
Place for stores.
Kitchen.
Bedroom.
A hearse house, and
A water closet for persons waiting.
In the construction of each chamber intended for the reception
of the dead, care should be taken to ensure convenience, decency,
cleanliness, and coolness.
The chamber should be lofty, and the area of its floor sufficient
to allow freedom of movement between the slabs, or tables, on which
the dead are to be placed. There should be a ceiling to the chamber,
or, if it be open to the roof, there should be a double roof with a
space of 8 inches at least between the outer and inner covering, or
with the addition of an intervening layer of felt.
Louvres, or air gratings, under the eaves will be the best means
of ventilation.
The chamber should, if practicable, be lighted by windows on
the north side. If it is necessary to place windows on the south,
east, or west sides, external louvre blinds should be provided for the
windows.
The floor should be paved evenly and closely. The material
used may be stone or slate, but a uniform cement floor is preferable.
Water should be laid on so as to draw from a tap within the chamber.
Shelves should be conveniently placed around the interior of the
chamber ; and tables, which may occupy any part of its area, should
preferably be made of slate slabs If stone is used it should be
smoothed on the upper surface and free edges.
* See plan of Mortuary appended to the copy of Model Bye Laws issued by the
Local Government Board.