Monday, November 24, 2014

Tampa Bay crime rate is down from years past

A recent issue of the Tampa Bay Times indicates that crime in our State is the lowest it’s been in the past 42 years according to news reports. This also seems to be the case on a national average.  According to the Times, the largest drops occurred in motor vehicle thefts, aggravated assaults, larcenies, burglaries and robberies.

Bio Scene Clean Up provides Crime Scene Cleanup Services in the Tampa Bay and Sarasota, FL areas. We have also noticed a difference in the amount of calls we receive for Crime Scene Cleanup versus other biohazard and blood cleanup services that we perform. Because Imprisonment is at an all time high in the nation, we have to wonder if there is a direct relation to the decrease in Crime related incidents?

Government officials seem to think that the decrease is partially attributed by the onset of several anti crime initiatives  such as banning panhandlers, installation of city wide security cameras, programs targeting illegal weapons and even increasing late night police patrol units to accommodate late night bar hours.

The professional technicians of Bio Scene Clean Up are experienced in Crime, Death, Trauma and other biohazard incidents that involve blood cleanup. We offer services to individual victims of crime and tragedy and also professional services for police and emergency vehicle cleanup. While crime seems to be less, the amount of non-crime related incidents involving the need for biohazard cleanup services remains steady. 

We recently talked about the dangers associated with untrained individuals who attempt biohazard cleanup, especially from Crimes. When there is a presence of luminol or fingerprint dust, the potential for biohazard contamination spread is much greater. What appears to be a simple cleanup task can turn out to be a huge risk for spreading infectious diseases and contaminating other areas of an incident scene.

If you have experienced a crime or traumatic incident, contact our certified biohazard cleaning team today for assistance. We’re insurance claim experts and offer 24 hour emergency service in Tampa and Sarasota FL to help protect you.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

The dangers of bedbugs and why professional treatment is needed

We’ve all heard the saying “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite”  and have laughed it off as an old saying that has been passed down from generation to generation.  The fact is, these creepy critters have actually become a dangerous nuisance over the past few decades and seems to be rapidly getting worse.

Bio Scene Clean Up provides biohazard cleanup of blood, crime, death, trauma and other biohazard sites. Because we are experienced in biohazard waste handling and removal, we are able to assist with sites that contain these types of hazards as well.  Bed bugs are blood sucking insects that multiply at a rapid pace and infestations are common, especially in elements like bedding and other materials that come into contact with human skin.  These insects can be found in all sorts of places and can live for months without having the presence of blood.

In past years an insecticide called DDT was used to treat these biohazard carrying insects but that chemical has been banned causing the return of these insects in a greater number of cases than ever before.  The bugs are extremely tiny and posses a hinged beak and stylet that pierces the skin finding blood vessels and they suck until full. Because they carry blood if the bug bites someone else there is a potential for secondary infections caused from scratching and pathogens that can be carried in blood.

Bio Scene Clean Up maintains the proper equipment to help remediate these types of sites and the experience to properly clean, disinfect and return an infected site to a safe habitable area.  Bed bugs are good hitchhikers. Often people carry them unknowingly in their luggage. This can be baggage when you are traveling, a briefcase, a backpack or just clothing. They can be picked up in public transportation sometimes or in theaters. They will travel on pipes and wiring and conduits from one apartment to another.

If you experience an infestation of these insects you can see why you will need professional biohazard assistance.  Getting rid of the infestations isn’t as simple are removing a mattress or piece of furniture. To avoid the risk of spreading the insects to other areas contact our office immediately for assistance with biohazard cleanup.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Biohazardous Waste Cleaning & Disposal Services

Bio Scene Clean Up provides removal and disposal of biohazard waste from numerous scenes such as crime, death, trauma, suicide and even from medical facilities or companies who do not possess the means to dispose of biohazard waste.

There are several types of waste as well as different means of handling and disposal of each. When we perform cleanup and disposal services we are trained to completely remove all traces of biohazards, blood and bodily fluids. Depending on the type of site being cleaned we sometimes have to remove furniture, structural elements and even dirt or soil from affected areas.

Blood and other pathogens, when leaked outside of the human body, if infectious, can carry harmful pathogens for days to weeks. Most people don’t realize that even in soil these biohazards can still pose a great danger to anyone who comes in contact with the site. Our trained professionals use state of the art equipment for discovering blood and other matter that can be hazardous and follow strict protocols that are set by State and Federal authorities for the clean up process.

In addition to the normal clean up services for blood and bodily fluids, we also provide cleanup for emergency transport vehicles, jail cells, police cruisers and even workplace accident scenes. We provide biohazard remediation to any area that may contain a potential hazard of being harmful to others. These scenes, if not properly cleaned, may also have future problems such as odors, insect infestations, and infectious diseases that can appear days, weeks or even several months after an incident.

If you experience a traumatic incident or are exposed to a situation that requires blood, bodily fluid or other form of biohazard cleanup, contact us immediately for assistance.  There are too many potential dangers involved in attempting the cleanup yourself so make certain you hire a certified biohazard cleaning expert like Bio Scene Clean Up.

Friday, November 14, 2014

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 Scene Clean Up 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 Scene Clean Up.

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.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Myths and Facts About Suicide or Depression

Depression in Americans today is more common than Cancer, AIDS or Diabetes combined. It’s estimated that nearly 400,000+ people attempt suicide in the United States each year.

Suicides peak during the major holidays

There are certain times of the year that suicides spike and are more common, but during the holidays isn’t that time. Statistics show that suicides in December are usually at their lowest and seem to peak in the spring months.  Bio Scene Clean Up provides suicide cleanup services in the Tampa Bay and Sarasota, FL areas. We also find that we receive fewer suicide cleanup calls during the winter months in Florida.

Suicide rates are higher with altitude

It’s been discovered that the greater the altitude of someone’s home, the higher the suicide rate seems to be. This is particularly true in cities with high rise living. These suicide rates ranked higher than those of increased gun ownership or of a lower population density.

Teens are the highest risk of suicide

This is actually just the opposite. Elderly people are more likely to commit suicide than any other age group.  Teenagers are still a high risk group, but ordinarily Caucasian men over the age of 85 have the highest percentage. Our professionals who provide suicide cleanup services agree with these statistics. The majority of suicide clean up jobs we perform are for elderly victims, most of whom have major health issues and are alone.

Depression is always the cause of suicide

It is true that two out of every three people that commit suicide are depressed but other factors such as alcoholism, failed marriages, financial devastation also attribute to suicide.

Bio Scene Clean Up is experienced in death cleanup and remediation. We realize the emotional devastation that people face when having to deal with the aftermath of traumatic events like these. If you experience a loss from suicide, death or other trauma, contact our compassionate team of experts for assistance immediately.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Biohazard Cleanup Rises with the increase of S.A.D.

Seasonal Affective Disorders (S.A.D.) affect thousands of Americans each year.  Although common with each season, winter seems to have the highest increase in suicide and deaths related to S.A.D.  Bio Scene Clean Up provides cleanup and restoration for suicide, death, trauma, crime and other biohazard scenes throughout the Northeastern United States.

Because S.A.D. is very common and has a direct relation to depression, researchers at the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) have linked the increase of cases in the winter season to be that of decreased light, temperatures and other weather related elements that cause S.A.D. patients to become confined to indoor spaces during this season. Suicide cleanup is the most frequent calls we receive during these times. Although depression worsens during the holiday seasons the death and suicides are most often related to reclusive tendencies caused by weather.

During this season, in particular, it’s important that we realize the complications that these patients and our elderly populations face and do what we can to make sure that they receive human interaction, frequent visits and participate in activities that keep their minds active. In the majority of jobs that we perform, we learn that the victims are often alone and receive no visitors or have no human interaction for weeks at a time.  This is also difficult for biohazard cleaning companies like Bio Scene Clean Up because we frequently cleanup unattended death scenes where the deceased isn’t discovered for days or weeks at a time.

Unattended death scenes are not only emotionally difficult for the family and friends, but poses a huge risk for biohazard contamination and requires additional cleaning and  restoration of the scenes in order to completely return the property to a safe, inhabitable state.  Depending on the amount of time between the death and discovery, it is often necessary to remove major structural elements from the property in order to assure that all biohazards are completely removed.  This is a costly process that can cause even additional emotional distress on the victims families and friends that are responsible for the cleanup and restoration.

If you, or someone you know, has friends of relatives that you believe suffer from S.A.D, please do your best to ensure they have the care that is needed. If you experience a loss and need biohazard cleanup services, please contact our office immediately for assistance in cleaning up and maintaining the safety of all involved.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Luminol cleaning in automobiles

Every year thousands of crimes are committed that involve vehicles. CSI personnel commonly use a chemical know as “Luminol” in the process of discovering blood in vehicles. Other substances such as fingerprint dust are also used and are extremely difficult to remove.  Bio Scene Clean Up provides cleanup and restoration of vehicles that contain luminol, fingerprint dust, blood and other biohazard pathogens that may be associated with crimes and trauma.

If you are responsible for cleaning or restoration of a vehicle containing these chemicals, it’s important that you hire a professional company like Bio Scene Clean Up to perform the restoration.  Any biohazards that may be found in the car can be spread through the use of these chemicals. Even trace elements of blood, if not properly removed and sanitized can cause potential dangers to your health for weeks after the cleanup is performed.

In addition to health risks associated with blood and other biohazards in vehicles, if they are not properly removed, you can have problems with horrific odors, bugs and other harmful bacteria that can be extremely difficult to completely remove if the initial cleaning was done improperly.

Bio Scene Clean Up maintains all necessary equipment to completely clean, sanitize and remove all odors from vehicles.  Whether the vehicle was subject to a crime, death, suicide or other traumatic incident, it’s important that you know the health risks associated with these scenes and leave the cleanup to trained professionals.

Many times after CSI or emergency personnel have completed their duties, the vehicle is released to whomever is responsible. At the time the vehicle is released instructions or warnings are most likely not given on the proper handling of cleanup or transporting the vehicle. Because of this, not only is there a potential for health risks with the personal responsible, but may cause liabilities to them if the health of others is affected due further contamination because of improper handling.

If you are responsible for a vehicles that has been involved in an accident, trauma, crime or death call us immediately for professional, licensed cleanup.