Biohazard clean up

11/11/2021 (Permalink)

We get an occasional biohazard call: homicide, suicide, unexpected death, animal infestations or medical accident. Biohazards must be handled correctly and professionally. Bloodborne pathogens can be dangerous, and we handle these situations with the most discrete and delicate of manner. We have special certifications and training for these unfortunate events. Statistics show that 1 out of 24 people have Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV. Depending on the environment our biohazard is in, these diseases can survive up to 16 days in the affected person. It’s not something we enjoy doing but we are proficient and courteous to our customers during this difficult time. Our protocol for this is the following:

Call: we get your call and send a certified technician to the site within one hour depending on your location. Our technicians are professionally trained and are also empathetic to the type of situation we could be working with.

Evaluation: our tech(s) evaluate the extent of this damage. Our techs wear special bio uniforms and respirators. This is to protect them from any kind of disease that could spread while cleaning. As mentioned above these diseases can survive up to 16 days in certain biohazard environments. Exposure can happen with any kind of open skin, scrape or wound, sharp fragments that may puncture while cleaning, inhalation, or potential splatter resulting in exposure through the nose, eyes or mouth.

Restoration: restoration to floors are much like a water damage. Carpet is pulled away and the sub floor is treated and sealed. Carpet padding is replaced and the carpet itself is cleaned on the underside and top. Any kind of dry wall exposure is cleaned and sealed. Depending on the situation some drywall may need to be replaced all together. Each damage is unique and requires special care and evaluation.

To perform biohazard cleanups its highly recommended that the professional you have cleaning is OSHA certified. What is OSHA?

O- Occupational

S- Safety

H- Hazard

A- Association

Rest assured that our techs are OSHA (Occupational Safety and Hazard Association) certified and trained. Anyone who is not OSHA certified, is fined heavily. When looking for a company it’s important to know if they are certified and aware of the OSHA requirements. We take all the extra steps needed to qualify for this certification.

As mentioned above, not all biohazards are human related. Animal infestations are more common than you would think. Rats, squirrels, otters, birds, etc. Pests are not hygienically clean, they carry many diseases. Rats alone can directly transmit the following: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, Lassa Fever, Leptospirosis, Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM), Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever, Plague, Rat-Bite Fever, Salmonellosis, South American Arenaviruses (Argentine hemorrhagic fever, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, Sabia-associated hemorrhagic fever, Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever), and Tularemia. That is just rats alone, not including the other above-mentioned animals.

If in doubt, let a professional check it out. Our professionally trained and certified techs take care of it all for you. Let us save you the headache and stress. Here at SERVPRO of Gig Harbor/N. Tacoma we are happy to help and make your biohazard “Like it never even happened.”

Call us today @ (253)851-6711

Why is it considered a biohazard?

11/13/2020 (Permalink)

In the water mitigation industry, there are three stages of water damages:

Stage 1- clean water (meaning the water is not contaminated by anything, the water is drinkable)

Stage 2- water that is somewhat contaminated (not safe to drink but not severely damaging to the body)

Stage 3- highly contaminated water (sewage and any water that needs full PPE to mitigate)

When we perform a biohazard job, there can be some discrepancies between us, the mitigation company and either the insurance company or customers. There are strict precautions we need to take as your mitigation specialist.

Let us explore a couple different biohazard situations.

Example One: A sewage damage from your toilet.

You are at work and when you come home you smell waste. You discover that your toilet backed up and your entire bathroom is covered in sewage and seeping into other rooms in that vicinity. Your first step is to call a plumbing company and look at your insurance policy. Some sewage damages may or may not be covered in your policy. Do NOT attempt to clean up a sewage loss without a professional company. Our trained professional staff have the knowledge and correct equipment when cleaning up human waste. We suit up in OSHA required PPE, respirators and use treatments to thoroughly clean and disinfect surfaces.  What is not always taken into consideration is porous materials that need to be completely removed and properly disposed of. The last thing you want is your home to still have harmful contaminates within your walls, floors, cabinets, etc.

Want to learn more about biohazard clean ups? Call our office today 253-851-6711.

SERVPRO and your aftermath blood clean up

11/12/2019 (Permalink)

After Maui (an American Bulldog) broke a window, he tracked blood throughout the house. SERVPRO of Gig Harbor/North Tacoma was there to save the day.

Here at SERVPRO we have a large umbrella of what we clean and restore. One of many specialties is Bio hazard clean up.

When blood is involved, not only are you busy and preoccupied with what’s going on, one of the last things on your mind is how or when am I going to be able to clean this up?

Recently we had a call from a family whose dog made a large bloody mess. Maui an American Bulldog struggles with being left alone, his anxiety was so bad that he broke a window and cut himself badly in the process. Husband Justin was out of town for work, and wife Ana came home for something ‘real quick’ to find a broken window and blood everywhere! Blood on the windowsill, couch, curtains, bed, and carpet. On top of that broken glass was everywhere. Ana called SERVPRO, we showed up on the scene right as she was leaving to take Maui to the Emergency Vet Hospital. While Ana was gone and caring for Maui we were hard at work. Our trained technicians cleaned up glass, vacuumed up small glass pieces, cleaned their couch, bed headboard, white curtains and floors. We also boarded up where the window was and made it safe to prevent any future contact with that window area. All blood and any other potential bodily fluids were removed. When Ana arrived home, she was brought to tears at the finished result. She didn’t have to fear her child walking into their home looking like a crime scene. She was able to put focus and care into her family and we truly made what was a scary situation into something that looked “Like it never even happened.” Aftermath blood clean up is one of many things we do here at SERVPRO of Gig Harbor/North Tacoma and SERVPRO Mason County.