Biohazard remediation is fast becoming one of the essential services needed for the maintenance of a safe environment in many industries. This is all thanks to the growth of awareness on the need for safety and health on our workplaces. Additionally, this service comes in handy in residential and commercial properties too in situations where there is need to clean up hazmat (short form for hazardous materials).
Biohazard remediation services also referred to as crime scene cleanup or biohazard cleanup entails cleaning and safely removing hazardous substances that can potentially cause damage to inhabitants of or visitors to a space. Some of the materials that are classified as hazardous materials include chemical spills, bodily fluids and infectious disease agents. It is recommended that you only use Certified Biohazard Remediation Services to handle any situation that might cause contamination. These situations include unattended death, crime scene, traumatic events such as suicide and accident and also hoarding situations.
This article serves as a guide to help you understand this service and its importance so stay with us as we explore…
What is Biohazard Remediation?
As we mentioned briefly above, this service involves cleaning up harmful biological or chemical materials such as human waste, blood, infectious diseases that have the potential to cause some health risks and spread of disease. These conditions can be caused by a number of accidents that include the following:-
- Crime Scenes- These include suicide, homicide or violent crimes.
- Unattended Deaths- These mostly lead to decomposition of the corpse.
- Trauma Scene or Accidents which involve significant loss of blood/bodily fluid.
- Industrial accidents or chemical spills.
- Hoarding situations which often lead to unsanitary conditions.
Hazmat or hazardous materials are classified as substances that have the potential to cause serious health problems for both humans and animals. This also includes viruses, bacteria, blood-borne pathogens and OPIM (Other Potentially Infectious Materials). Due to the possibility of infection and contamination, government agencies such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) have put strict regulatory guidelines and safety protocols in place for the handling of these materials. Visit this site: https://www.cdc.gov/ for more information.
Types of Biohazard Remediation Services
There are different types of biohazard situations and each requires a different method for cleaning and decontamination. Below we discuss some common types of hazmat remediation services:-
Crime Scene Clean-up
When a violent crime in a space or death takes places, there is sure to be significant loss of bodily fluids and blood and these can pose great health risks to the people who live in the place. That is why professional biohazard cleaners are brought in to clean up the place thoroughly and also disinfect the affected area to ensure that it is safe for re-entry. These professionals will remove and dispose of contaminated materials, clean the surfaces and use specialized disinfectants to kill pathogens present in the space.
Unattended Death
When someone dies and the body is not quickly discovered, the corpse starts to decompose and this poses great health threat to the environment. Hazmat experts have the responsibility of removing whatever remains of the deceased, clean up, decontaminate and deodorize the space. This helps eliminate pathogens and harmful bacteria in the affected area and prevent further infection/contamination.
Infectious Disease Cleanup
This service is needed during the break out of bacterial or viral infectious diseases. Hazmat cleaning professionals help to disinfect and decontaminate affected spaces such as healthcare facilities, public spaces and homes to prevent further/continued transmission of the disease.
Hoarding Cleanup
There are extreme cases of hoarding where the space has become unsanitary and have caused the growth of mold, bacteria with the presence of animal and even human wastes. In this situation, professionals in the biohazard remediation industry are called in to handle the situation and bring the space back to a liveable and healthy condition. After the clean-up, it is important to help the hoarder overcome this addiction.
Chemical Spill Cleanup
Chemical spill can occur in both commercial and residential spaces and when this happens, it is expected that expert are called in to handle the situation. Their job at this point is to contain the spill, neutralize it and clean it up in a way that ensures minimal impact on the environment and also reduce health risks to humans and animals.
Conclusion
We have shared basic information on the type of situations that require biohazard remediation. We have also established that it is recommended that you allow only professionals to handle the situation. Due to the fact that these situations that warrant the need for this service are not planned for, we recommend that you at least get to know reputable companies in your locality. This information can come in handy for you, your neighbour or a loved one.
