What is a Biohazard Cleanup Process and Why is it Dangerous?
A biohazard is any biological material or substance which could be harmful to human health. You might be most used to seeing biohazard bags used to collect evidence on television. It could be a shock when your home or your commercial property suffers a real-world incident that requires a biohazard cleanup. It’s not always a crime, but sometimes neglect of the property or a sewage issue can also create a biohazard that requires professional clean-up.
Find out why you don’t want to tackle a clean-up like this by yourself or with your staff.
What is a Biohazard Cleanup Process?
Cleaning up biohazard is not as simple as just taking a cleaning solution and a mop and getting started. Instead, those who clean up these dangerous substances need to know specific techniques in order to clean up the hazard properly, eliminate the risk to human health and keep themselves safe while they do so. In the state of California, we require both training and a permit in order to clean up various biohazards. This is to ensure the safety and protection of crime scenes and other important evidence.
In Sonoma County and throughout California, there are different processes to clean up different biohazards, including blood, fecal matter, urine, other bodily fluids, chemicals, and more. If you have any of these materials in your home or your commercial property, then the surfaces that the materials have been on are contaminated and cleaning them up properly requires professional cleaning.
Why are Biohazards Dangerous?
You don’t want to clean up a biohazard yourself. It’s more than just the psychological stress of cleaning up a biohazard. The threats to human health are real and often much more challenging to clean than people anticipate. Here are some of the reasons that biohazards are dangerous:
● Bodily fluids: Bodily fluids of all kinds can carry diseases that you can get upon contact with them. It is also a challenge to clean up bodily fluids. Even when it appears that the fluids are gone, they leave behind residue which needs to be decontaminated. The usual procedure for removing bodily fluids may involve cleaning three times, decontaminating, and still checking for more contamination.
● Hoarding: When someone has a hoarding problem and needs help or has passed and left behind a hoard of objects, no one is really sure what is in it. Piles that are left for a long time may gather food, pests, or other hazards. Approaching hoarded material often requires professional help and an assessment of what might be dangerous in the space.
● Flood waters: Flood waters can carry water-borne illnesses and leave those bacteria, viruses, parasites and other contaminants on surfaces. They need to be sterilized to be safe.
Chemicals, drugs and pest materials also need to be cleaned by professionals in order to avoid spreading disease or harming people.
Trust West Coast Fire & Water
The team at West Coast Fire & Water can help with remediation and biohazard cleaning services in homes and commercial properties. Call our team of experts in Sonoma County today at 707-462-5326.