What happens to all biohazard waste once removed from a scene?

Crime, trauma, blood and biohazard cleanup companies like Bio Clean Services assist people in dealing with the aftermath and cleanup of biohazards. But what actually happens to the biohazard waste once removed from the scene?

Our technicians are specifically trained to follow state and local guidelines for waste disposal.  Organizations like OSHA leave it up to individual companies to determine what is or is not contaminated however, improper disposal carries stiff fines if an investigation determines a company’s mishandling in the disposal process.

When biohazard cleanup companies remove articles from a scene, it is determined at that time what is actually a contaminated article that needs special disposal. For example, a piece of furniture such as a bed or sofa may contain a blood stain. The area of the furniture that contains blood would be considered contaminated, so technicians remove the contaminated area and properly dispose while the remaining portion of the furniture can be disposed of by regular trash removal methods.

Any materials from a death, blood, crime or other trauma scenes that are contaminated are collected in proper, clearly marked biohazard containers. Once these materials leave the scene they are either take to a facility that collects and disposes of biohazard materials or they utilize mobile biohazard pick up and transport services to come collect the materials and transport for proper disposal.

Bio Clean Services maintains all of the necessary certifications and permits for biohazard material handling and disposal. Our company contracts with a certified biohazard disposal company who picks up contaminated materials and delivers them to a processing facility for proper disposal. Because of this every changing world and the uncertainty of what you may be dealing with, it is always recommended that you hire a professional, certified biohazard cleanup company.

If you attempt to clean up and dispose of biohazards without following the proper protocol, you may be endangering the health and safety of others as well as be subject to legal action from authorities for the improper disposal. 

5 things you need to know about blood

Concerns about infectious diseases found in blood are growing rapidly on a global basis. In today’s society the amount of traumatic events, crimes, suicides and other blood related traumas seems to be increasing on a daily basis. Bio Clean Services is experienced in blood, crime, trauma and other biohazard cleanup practices. Here are 5 tips that you really need to know about blood and blood cleanup.

1.    Even topical blood spots need to be handled with extreme caution. Topical spots usually mean a perimeter of about 12 to 18 inches surrounding the blood source.  What most people don’t realize is that blood, when splattered in an area can have trace elements that contain infectious diseases and other dangerous pathogens become airborne or land in areas several feet away from the source. This causes hidden dangers as these elements are not easily seen or thought about.

2.    Blood that soaks into carpet, flooring or other material must be handled by a specialist trained in biohazard removal.  Often times after carpet or other porous surfaces are removed, the sub elements (sub-flooring, wood, furniture) must be completely removed and disposed of to remediate the potential of further contamination.

3.    It’s rare that you know the exact health status of a person who sustains blood loss from instances like suicides, crime and traumatic accidents. Because the status is unknown, you must assume that it’s likely infectious and employ a professional biohazard cleanup company to properly clean and remove any blood biohazards.

4.    Blood spills on carpet CAN NOT be cleaned or removed by a professional carpet cleaning company. If you find a company that will actually do this work, be prepared that the presence of blood stains, odors and most likely the presence of bugs and insects will occur shortly after the cleanup is complete.  Blood must be cleaned up or removed using specialized equipment and chemicals that are usually only available to professionally trained technicians like the ones at Bio Clean Services.

5.    If a traumatic accident, death or suicide occurs in commercial or institutional buildings, it is the employer or administrators responsibility to make sure that an emergency plan for blood/bodily fluid cleanup is followed.  Companies have a higher risk associated with these scenes because of the number of people that are usually in a concentrated area where incidents occur.

These are only a few of many facts that you should know about blood and bodily fluid clean up.  If you experience an incident containing blood spills, contact us immediately for more information and assistance with cleaning the incident scene.