Biohazard Contamination

According to the American Bio-Recovery Association (ABRA), recovery services for biohazard contamination originally included crime and trauma scene clean-up such as blood, body fluid and tissue spills from accidents, homicides, suicides, natural deaths and decompositions. The scope of work encompassed in this field has grown dramatically over the years to include:

• Methamphetamine and other drug laboratory contamination
• Bird and rodent droppings
• Flood and sewage back-ups
• Toxic mold, spore and fungus remediation
• Uninhabitable properties
• Animal and pet odors
• Bio-terrorism-related contaminants such as Anthrax
• Mass casualty scenes
• Police chemicals usage
• Disease outbreaks
• Medical waste transport, treatment and disposal
• Communicable disease infection control

Health risks and precautions

Handling biohazard materials is difficult work because of the dangers that exposure to blood-borne pathogens and other toxic materials can pose to workers, family members and the general public. The risks are significant enough that the U.S. government has established legislation on biohazard clean-up relating specifically to bloodborne pathogens.

According to ABRA, the Federal Regulation 29CFR1910.1030 states that no employee can be placed in a position to be exposed to blood spills unless the following stipulations have been met:

• The employee has received bloodborne pathogen training.
• The company has a written bloodborne pathogen exposure control plan in place.
• The employee is provided with personal protective equipment.
• The employee is offered Hepatitis B vaccine and exposure evaluation and follow-up.
• The employee is provided with a method to remove and properly store the biohazardous waste in properly marked containers for disposal at an approved site.

Selecting a bio-recovery service

Because of the significant health risks associated with bio-recovery jobs, it’s always prudent to turn this challenging work over to a professional environmental remediation service. When seeking bio-recovery assistance, it’s important to choose a company with the technical expertise to handle the job safely and efficiently. Here are some important considerations to keep in mind:

• Your remediation partner should have a set of biohazard policies and procedures in place that all employees follow on every job.
• Crews should be certified in bio-recovery and professionally trained through credible courses such as those offered through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
• Crews should be equipped with personal protective clothing and state-of-the art equipment designed specifically for bio-recovery jobs.
• Your remediation partner should be well-staffed with trained personnel who are ready to be dispatched immediately to a crime, trauma or accident scene to begin recovery services.
• Crews involved in particularly difficult jobs at death, homicide or suicide scenes should be trained to handle the work quickly and efficiently while maintaining a sense of dignity and compassion for those impacted by the tragedy.