How Crime Scene Cleaners Handle Biohazard Materials

There's a reason professional crime scene restoration companies are hired to clean up places after a crime has occurred. Not only is the work challenging and difficult for laypeople to deal with, but it's hazardous as well. Every time bodily fluids are spilled, there's the potential for exposure to deadly pathogens. If you're not used to it—and lack the right equipment—you won't be able to handle and dispose of biohazard materials safely and responsibly. If you require biochemical crime scene cleanup in Urbana, IL, here's how professionals handle biohazard materials.

Using the Proper Equipment

The dangers posed by biohazards require you to take preventative measures before handling them. Just as doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals require personal protective equipment to stay safe while doing their job, so do those who specialize in crime scene restoration. Before entering a crime scene, workers need to have face masks, biohazard suits, shoe coverings, respiratory masks, and several pairs of gloves, which will have to be changed throughout the day. When it comes time to remove biohazard materials from the scene, they'll have suitable containers to do so. After leaving the scene, cleaning materials, clothing, furniture, carpeting, and anything else that was in contact with bodily fluids will be disposed of safely and responsibly according to strict local and federal government guidelines.

Preventing Pathogen Spread

The key to cleaning a crime scene isn't just the removal of biohazards, but it's ensuring that the pathogens contained with blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids don't have the chance to spread beyond the impacted area and infect other people. Experts in forensic cleaning follow a rigorous routine to restore the crime scene to its previous state while isolating pathogens that may be present. Before cleaning a site, the cleaning team will create work zones to avoid cross-contamination. Once the site is secure, they'll remove the biohazards to dispose of them in the manner specified above. After all the bodily fluids and compromised materials have been removed, the affected area will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected using proprietary and commercially available disinfectants. As part of the effort to make sure the biohazards don't impact the surrounding area, the pathways leading into and out of the crime scene are cleaned and disinfected in the same fashion.

Breaking Down the Site

Once the work is complete, it's important that the materials and equipment are removed in as safe a manner as possible so that the site can be fully restored. This means the biohazard containers are appropriately disposed of, and all equipment is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before they are used again. Only by treating the process of removing and disposing of biohazards as the primary consideration when cleaning a crime scene can the professional cleaners ensure that a site is ready to return to its original function without being a health or safety threat to others.

If you're ever in the unfortunate position of having to clean up a home or business after a violent crime has been committed, it's crucial that you don't attempt to clean up the scene yourself. Instead, contact Forensic Restoration Services. We're the experts in biological damage restoration in Urbana, IL, and will make it our top priority to provide you with the help you need when you need it most. Call us today at (217) 254-6364.