Dying at home increases risks of related biohazard illness for family members

Photo Courtesy of Huffington Post

Your loved one has signed a Do Not Resuscitate Order also known as a DNR. They have decided to take the natural progression into their next life and are requesting that this transition takes place in the comfort, peace and tranquility of their own home.  Knowing before the death will certainly give you time to brace yourself for the shock that comes with  loosing a loved one. Dealing with the death of a friend or loved one is traumatic enough without having the worry of cleaning up biohazard materials that remain after a person dies.

A number of steps must occur after your loved one has passed on.  First, you must call  911 and report the death to the police. The police will investigate the death scene, and the determination as to whether an autopsy is required or not.  When the police have determined that a homicide has not taken place and release the body, you may call funeral home personnel to remove the body and transport for the impending funeral.

Now that the body has been removed from the home, there are traces of pathogens and other biohazards that can be extremely harmful to you if the proper cleanup protocol is not followed.  Bio Scene Clean Up is experienced in the clean up and removal of biohazard materials, waste, blood and other trauma scene materials. When someone dies, it takes as little as 15 minutes for the body to begin to decompose.   The area in which the body was located may become contaminated with these  hidden  pathogens which could possibly make you or other family members sick.

Our bio- hazard professionals at Bio Scene Clean Up are trained to  re mediate the death scene back to its original sanitary state.  We are trained to deal with all situations in a discreet and professional manner.  Frequently, Bio Scene Clean Up receives calls to perform clean up for all death scenes types including murder, suicide or trauma clean up.

If you or someone you know is in need of these services please contact our office, we are available with 24 hour immediate response dispatch. We can assist you with procedures for insurance claims and other payment assisted programs. 

Summertime depression and suicide

As summer rolls into full force most people are busy having fun, planning vacations and family events.  Most don’t realize that SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) haunts thousands of Americans.  Summer months typically show a sharp increase in suicides all across America.

Bio Scene Clean Up provides cleanup services for death, suicide, trauma, crime and many other biohazard incidents all across Florida. Specifically with suicides, the trauma scenes left behind are often gruesome and require the expert skills of a professional biohazard cleaning and removal company like Bio Scene Clean Up.  Because of the dangerous and sometimes fatal pathogens, bodily fluids and other matter that remain after a victim’s body has been removed, these scenes require immediate cleanup to avoid infections and other health related causes that are a result of poor cleanup techniques or accidental exposures.

We suggest that individuals never attempt to clean a scene without the assistance of a professional.  Industrial chemicals and special equipment will be required to remediate and decontaminate the scene and with severe trauma scenes reconstruction of a property is sometimes necessary. Failure to  properly clean these types of scenes can put the property owner in a liable state if someone contracts an infection, disease or dies as a result of the improper clean up.  These harmful pathogens can linger where the event occurred for weeks and even months afterward.  Improper cleaning can also cause horrible odors that can only be masked with normal household cleaners and may require more extensive reconstruction if not immediately disinfected.

Bio Scene Clean Up provides these services for residential and commercial clients all across Florida.  We provide 24 hour emergency dispatch and are experienced in working with investigators and crime scene experts to help restore your property to a hazard free, safe environment.

If you are faced with the task of having to clean up after a suicide or other traumatic death incident, contact our offices immediately so we may assist you in the proper cleanup protocol. Stiff penalties are imposed on individuals every day who do not follow the State and local protocol for cleanup and removal of biohazardous materials and waste.

Gun Crimes Lead To Dangerous Biohazard Scenes

No matter where you live in the United States, gun crimes are still a reality that we face daily.  From large metropolitan areas to rural small towns, Bio Scene Clean Up receives frequent calls from authorities and property owners requesting crime scene, death and blood cleanup services. In many of these cases, shootings were accidental but there is still a major volume of violent gun crimes committed each year.

Several factors attribute to these crimes and many times involve domestic disagreements, murder/suicides and people who are subject to illegal drug use or anti-depressant medications.  Though statistics of the individual causes aren’t known, the same common biohazard denominator is true in all scenes involving shootings.  Blood, bodily fluids and other matter is present in these scenes and it must be professionally cleaned and removed in order to ensure a safe environment for everyone involved.

Some authorities make referrals of professional crime scene cleanup companies like Bio Scene Clean Up but many leave the responsibility up to the victims, family members and property owners to find a certified biohazard cleanup company.  We possess the qualifications and necessary certifications to properly clean up death, murder, suicide and crime scenes and also provide services to decontaminate illegal drug scenes (meth labs) or the biohazards from hoarding and gross filth conditions.

Depending on the state you reside in, each municipality has their own regulations and protocol for the handling, removal and disposal of biohazard waste.  Although there are some federal regulations, it’s important to know these protocols and regulations. Any individual attempting to clean up these types of scenes who isn’t certified and does not follow these protocols could very easily find themselves liable for improper clean up practices and may be putting the health of themselves and others in jeopardy.  Whenever there is a presence of blood, tissue, fluids and other biohazards special industrial chemicals and equipment are needed to ensure the scenes are free from biohazards and completely decontaminated.  If a scene is improperly cleaned it’s possible to have horrible odors and the presence of some dangerous pathogens or biohazards can remain present for weeks or months after clean up is performed.

If you experience any of these types of scenarios, please contact our office immediately. The cost of professional cleanup services is far less than the liability you face from improper cleanup of these dangerous scenes.

The wrong way to discard biohazard waste

Most people recognize that there are proper procedures that must be followed in transporting and discarding of medical waste.  Occasionally there are some that either choose to ignore the procedures or are simply not educated on the disposal process and don’t realize they are doing anything wrong.

Bio Scene Clean Up provides commercial and residential cleanup services for death, crime, trauma, suicide and other biohazard incidents. Almost every clean up job that we perform contains biohazard waste that much be properly contained, transported and disposed of.  Regulations for biohazard protocols vary by state and can carry sever fines and penalties if not followed.

What you see in this article image is never the proper way to dispose of biohazard waste. Luckily, in this instance, these bags contain regular trash and paper from an office. You should never use biohazard waste bags as normal trash bags.  Red bags marked with a biohazard emblem found like this should be reported to the local health authorities who will investigate to determine who is responsible for the improper disposal and what type of biohazards they actually are.

Biohazard waste that we work with most is any liquid or solid waste that may present a threat of infection to humans. Liquid waste includes blood and other body fluids from humans. Solid waste includes clothing, towels, rags, sheets, gloves, plastic bags, or any objects soiled with blood, or other body fluids. When biohazard waste is improperly managed , it places sanitation workers and the general public at risk for contracting dangerous diseases. We take every precaution and are certified in the handling, transporting and disposal of biohazard waste.  We always suggest that you never attempt to clean these types of scenes yourself as there are very high chances that these scenes contain blood and other pathogens that can be extremely harmful if you come in contact with them.  Most state regulations suggest that you contact a biohazard clean up provider like Bio Scene Clean Up to assist you.

If you see disposal like the one pictured above, of suspect that someone is illegally disposing of biohazard materials, we urge you to contact your local health agency (health department) or contact our office to report it.  If this type of disposal process continues, you may be placing your health and the health of others in jeopardy.