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Grave digging

Cemetery authorities normally employ a full-time staff of caretakers to dig graves. The term gravedigger is still used in casual speech, though many cemeteries have adopted the term caretaker, since their duties often involve maintenance of the cemetery grounds and facilities. The employment of skilled personnel for the preparation of graves is done not only to ensure the grave is dug in the correct location and at the correct depth, but also to relieve families from having to dig the grave for a recently dead relative, and as a matter of public safety, in order to prevent inexperienced visitors from injuring themselves, to ensure unused graves are properly covered, and to avoid legal liability that would result from an injury related to an improperly dug or uncovered grave.

Preparation of the grave is usually begins before mourners arrive for the burial. The cemetery caretakers fill the grave after the burial, generally after the mourners have departed. Mechanical equipment, such as backhoes, are used to reduce labour cost of digging and filling, but some hand shovelling may still be required.

In the United Kingdom the minimum depth from the surface to the highest lid is 36 inches (91 cm). There must be 6 inches (15 cm) between each coffin, which on average is 15 inches (38 cm) high. If the soil is free-draining and porous, only 24 inches (61 cm) of soil on top is required. Coffins may be interred at lesser depths or even above ground as long as they are encased in a concrete chamber. Before 1977, double graves were dug to 8 feet (240 cm) and singles to 6 feet (180 cm). As a single grave is now dug to 54 inches (140 cm), old cemeteries contain many areas where new single graves can be dug on "old ground". This is considered a valid method of resource management and provides income to keep older cemeteries viable, thus forestalling the need for permanent closure, which would result in a reduction of their work force.