Crime Scene Cleanup: biohazards, hazardous materials and bodily fluids
Crime scene cleanup is an accepted phrase used to describe forensic cleaning of bodily fluids, blood, and other potentially harmful materials from crime scenes. It's also known as forensic biohazards, and criminal scene remediation, since crime scenes aren't even a small part of the many situations where biohazard cleanup is necessary. Crime scenes can be very messy, even when clean, and they present a host of biological hazards. For example, police detectives often have to clean up the crime scene after a murder, bomb, or other major crime. And while most people are aware of the existence of these things, few know much about the process of cleaning up contaminated crime scenes. If they knew, crime scene cleanup could be a real lifesaver. Click here to learn more about crime scene cleanup.
When you clean up a crime scene, you're not just removing potential evidence. You're also removing biological hazards that may still be present. If your company is looking into starting a crime scene cleanup business, you may find it's important to become familiar with the different types of cleaning services available. A good cleaning service can help prevent the introduction of hazardous materials in your surrounding environment.
As a service provider for law enforcement and other public safety agencies, your job will likely involve bloodborne pathogens detection and treatment. You'll likely be called upon to test for a wide range of infectious diseases - some caused by contact with bodily fluid and blood, others caused by bacteria or other forms of micro-organisms. These pathogens can pose serious health risks to anyone who comes into contact with them. So even if you're just cleaning up a possible blood site, it's important to understand how you test for bloodborne pathogens.
Cleanup of crime scenes may also require you to handle hazardous chemicals. Not all spill kits and biohazards are created equal. Some are designed for dry powder and others are designed for use with tear gas and other liquid chemicals. There are certain chemicals that are more appropriate for crime scene cleanup than others. If a bio-hazard cleanup company isn't sure what chemicals should be used on a particular area, they'll commonly ask you to test the area. Therefore, hiring experts such as Spaulding Decon that are more experience in such as crime scene cleanup has a lot of benefits.
Cleanups of crime scenes can also include hazardous materials handling. As with blood and bodily fluids, some hazardous materials are appropriate for the job. Others aren't. Companies responsible for addressing these hazardous materials will determine which hazardous materials you should and shouldn't handle. The only way you'll know is if they inform you ahead of time what to expect during a cleanup.
There's another consideration for any crime scene cleaner. In cases where biohazards or hazardous materials were involved in the crime scene - such as blood or bodily fluids - do your best to remove those items. Even if a cleaning company uses a biological material removal system on a potential biohazard, it won't always 100 percent works. It's important to get rid of anything that could contain a potentially dangerous chemical or biological material. Don't put yourself in danger and make a snap decision. Instead, consider the health and well-being of yourself, your family and everyone involved. Check out this post for more details related to this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_scene_cleanup.
